Getting A Bad Score on the GRE

I remember the first hard section I got on a practice test. On the first section, my execution was immaculate, and I made zero mistakes getting a 20 out of twenty. But perhaps either my test taking endurance was lacking or simply the added stress of the practice exam caused me to lose my composure.

When I got to the hard section, my brain just short circuited. Instead of working through the test strategically, solving the easier questions first before moving on to the harder ones and I saving the hardest one or two for last, I just got caught up in the moment. I reverted to my own bad habits of approaching the section in a haphazard method.

I focused on the harder questions first trying to "power through" them without paying attention to time. So engrossed in my work, I looked up at the timer having finished my battle with the tough problems only to realize I had almost ran out of time and had only finished half of the questions! I raced to guess and/or estimate the rest of the test and ran out of time with three questions unanswered. In the end, my score reflected my line of attack; I ended up with a 159 instead of the 165-170 I was aiming for; I felt devastated.

When you fail to live up to your own expectations, first and foremost, you are going to feel bad. That's normal, but it's what happens next that matters. Will you let this setback break you or will you use it as motivation to find what it takes to achieve the score you so desire? Winston Churchill once said, "Success is walking from one failure to the next without lack of enthusiasm."

Now, for some this is easier said than done. Some people wish to avoid the negative feelings so much that they go to great lengths to find external reasons for their failures. We see this all the time on r/GRE with almost monthly posts about how the quant section is getting harder. Is it really? Perhaps, or maybe the acute stress of taking the actual test increased the cognitive load to the point where it caused you to have a poor performance. Either way, by not taking ownership of your mistakes you are missing out on the opportunity to learn from them and eventually improve.

While taking too little ownership is the obstacle for some, taking too much ownership for a poor performance might be an impediment to others. A less than ideal score on the test can make some individuals experience a loss of self-efficacy, the belief in yourself to achieve what you want achieve. For such people, they need to spend time reflecting on all the positive things that they do well. After all, you are more than just a test score.

If you are having trouble getting over the feelings that you're having, try writing them down on paper. Sometimes, just seeing what you're experiencing on the page will help you better process what you are feeling and maybe even help you figure out how to plan your next steps.

Once you are finally able to move on from your disappointment it's time to get to work and evaluate. What was different about your performance? Did you get over overconfident and do most of the problems in your head? Or perhaps, like me, you may have reacted to the stress of the test in a way that made you revert to old habits? Either way, figuring out what went wrong gives you the opportunity to figure out what to do better next time.

The former basketball player turner business mogul once stated: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

TLDR: Don't let failures define you. Take ownership of your mistakes and let them motivate you to do everything in your power to do better next time.


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