The Dominate Test Prep Podcast - 21. Taking Your Exam At Home? Do These 3 Things for Maximum Success

21. Taking Your Exam At Home? Do These 3 Things for Maximum Success

04/16/20 • 35 min

In response to test center closures resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, most standardized tests have released an at-home version so that candidates can stay on track to hit their application deadlines and continue applying to graduate school. While there are a lot of advantages to taking your exam from home, there's at least one glaring disadvantage -- and you need to make sure that you're preparing accordingly so that you can overcome it and maximize your test-day results.
If you're going to be taking your standardized test from the comfort of your own home, this episode is a must-listen. Specifically, we discuss:

The biggest downside to taking a high-stakes exam from home, and the mental shift you need to make to overcome it
How to recreate the "live" exam experience during your practice sessions
The "Know thy Enemy" approach to planning ahead and preparing for all test-day contingencies
How to "win the morning" of your exam, including an unusual but incredibly effective tactic for putting yourself in the right frame of mind to perform your best
Whether or not you should opt for the at-home test in the first place or just wait for test centers to open again
And more!

The good news is that the substance of the exams themselves remain largely unchanged, so everything you've been doing to prepare to this point is still relevant. The major difference, of course, is that you will be taking the real thing from home. If you implement the three strategies we teach in this episode, you'll be in a great position to come out on top!
FROM THE MAILBAG
For some bonus content toward the end of the show, we also answer the following listener question: "How much time do you suggest people spend looking over answers to questions they got wrong or even those they got right [when practicing]?”
We share some helpful tips for figuring out your strengths and weaknesses and keeping your eye on the prize when reviewing your practice results. Enjoy!
RESOURCES

GMAT - Official Details about the Online GMAT Exam
GRE - Official Page for the At-Home GRE
LSAT - Official LSAT Flex Information Page
LSAT - Top 10 Questions about LSAT Flex
Study: "Dress for Success: How Clothes Influence Our Performance"

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
“I’m a firm believer in that you play the way you practice.” -- Larry Bird

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

The biggest downside to taking a high-stakes exam from home, and the mental shift you need to make to overcome it
How to recreate the "live" exam experience during your practice sessions
The "Know thy Enemy" approach to planning ahead and preparing for all test-day contingencies
How to "win the morning" of your exam, including an unusual but incredibly effective tactic for putting yourself in the right frame of mind to perform your best
Whether or not you should opt for the at-home test in the first place or just wait for test centers to open again
And more!

GMAT - Official Details about the Online GMAT Exam
GRE - Official Page for the At-Home GRE
LSAT - Official LSAT Flex Information Page
LSAT - Top 10 Questions about LSAT Flex
Study: "Dress for Success: How Clothes Influence Our Performance"

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
“I’m a firm believer in that you play the way you practice.” -- Larry Bird

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

Previous Episode

20. MBA Admissions Myth vs. Reality, with Duke Fuqua

The best way to learn what business school admissions officers are looking for is to ask them! So that's exactly what we did. In this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast, we sat down with Lauren Sutherland, Associate Director of Admissions at the Duke Fuqua School of Business, and discussed a wide range of admissions-related questions including:

What differentiates Duke Fuqua from some of the other top business schools
How a school's ranking should factor in to your decision of which school(s) to apply to and other considerations you should weigh as well
The value of Duke's "25 Random Things" essay for enabling you to showcase what makes you a unique and desirable candidate
What makes someone stand out during the application process -- and dealbreakers to avoid!
The benefits of the 2-year, full-time MBA as compared to online, part-time, or executive programs
How to maximize your business school experience once you're on campus

And then one of the most enlightening parts of the interview is the "Myth vs. Reality" game we played starting around the 18:15 mark where Lauren debunks some common application myths and answers the following questions:

Do you have the best chance of being admitted Round 1?
Is there anything you can do to get off the waitlist?
Do you need a minimum of 2 years work experience before applying?
Do only the first and last paragraphs of your essays matter?
Should you always write the optional essay?
Is the GMAT preferable to the GRE?
If you can’t score over 700 on the GMAT, is it even worth applying?
If you have a family member who went to Fuqua, do you have a better chance at getting in?
Is it easier to get in to Fuqua if you went to Duke undergrad?
Is your GMAT/GRE score and undergrad GPA the most important part of the application?
If you can’t get in to a Top 20 business school like Duke, is it still worth going to business school?

If you're thinking of applying to Duke Fuqua, this episode will give you an opportunity to peek behind the curtain and learn what Duke is all about. But even if you're not targeting Fuqua, most of what Lauren shares is relevant for whichever top-tier graduate or business school you may be applying to. Enjoy!
LINKS AND CONTACT INFO

Learn more about the Duke Fuqua School of Business: https://www.fuqua.duke.edu
Contact Duke Fuqua: https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/contact
Contact Dominate Test Prep: https://www.dominatetestprep.com/pages/contact-us

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
"The purpose of a goal is not to get it. The purpose of a goal is who you become in pursuit of it." -- Tony Robbins

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

Next Episode

22. A Peek Behind the MBA Curtain, with Sam Klein

It has been said that while it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. If you want to get a feel for what business school is really like before embarking on the journey yourself, why not pick the brain of someone who has gone before you?
That's exactly what we did in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast. We caught up with Sam Klein, a current second-year MBA candidate at the Duke Fuqua School of Business, and asked him everything from what he thinks helped him stand out during the admissions process to what has been the most impactful part of his business education, and everything in between. Specifically, we cover:

Why this aerospace engineer decided to switch careers and go back to business school
Why he chose the GMAT over the GRE
How to answer the "Why business school?" question on your application
How the expected ROI factored into his decision to pursue an MBA
What he thinks sets Duke Fuqua apart from other top business schools
Why the "soft skills" you learn in business school are perhaps even more important than what takes place in the classroom
What makes a full-time 2-year MBA advantageous over other types of part-time or online MBA programs
The importance of networking -- and how to do it well
Tips on preparing for the GMAT
What he wishes he had known before showing up for Day 1 of classes, and how you can make sure you don't start from behind like he did
How his idea of what he thought he wanted to do with his MBA evolved over the course of his two years
And more!

Peek behind the MBA curtain and learn from firsthand from Sam what getting an MBA from a top-ranked business school is actually like. Hopefully it helps you decide whether an MBA is right for you and provides you with some practical tips for getting accepted and maximizing your time on campus. Enjoy!
RESOURCES AND CONTACT INFO

Learn more about the Duke Fuqua School of Business
Listen to the Duke Basketball Report Podcast, co-hosted by Sam Klein
Contact Dominate Test Prep for comprehensive online courses to help you prepare for the GMAT or GRE.

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
"Don't wait until after the symphony to tune your violin." -- Anonymous

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

The Dominate Test Prep Podcast - 21. Taking Your Exam At Home? Do These 3 Things for Maximum Success

Transcript

speaker 0: 0:00
I'm a firm believer in that you play the way you practice Larry Bird. Hello and welcome to the Dominate Test Prep podcast. I am Bread Ethridge, founder of Dominate Test Prep and the host of this podcast. And in this episode, I am going to share three things with you three tips that I think will really help you if you are going to be taking your standardized test from hope. So the context of this, obviously, is the Corona virus pandemic. If you're listening