The Slow Path to a Fast GMAT Score: Understanding ‘Rush’
Many people blame “rushing” for their poor performance on the GMAT, but few truly understand what it is. We treat it as a simple matter of speed, a bad habit to be fixed by just “slowing down.” But the act of rushing is deeper, more complex, and more ingrained in us than we realize. This is a deep dive into what rush truly is, where it comes from, and how to finally overcome it.
Redefining Rush: It’s Not About Speed, It’s About Your Goal
First, let’s be clear: rush is not the same as fast.
Imagine you’re walking in a park at a slow pace, enjoying nature. Your objective is simple: to relax and soak in the surroundings. Your pace perfectly matches that objective. Now, someone else might be briskly walking in the same park. Their objective is to get some exercise. Their pace, too, perfectly matches their objective. Neither of you is rushed.
But now consider these scenarios. What if the person whose goal is to relax is instead walking briskly? Or what if a novice driver, new to the road, is driving at 60 km/h? They may not crash this time, but their hands are gripping the wheel, their control is shaky, and the chances of an accident are high.
In these cases, the problem isn’t the speed; it is the loss of control, the lack of quality, or a deficient process that fails to meet the objective.
So what exactly is rush?
Rush is when you are moving at a pace faster than what is required to meet your goals effectively.
It’s not about the absolute pace. It’s about the mismatch between your pace and the pace truly needed to achieve your objective with quality and control.
Where We Rush: The Four Levels of Sabotage in GMAT Prep
This destructive mismatch permeates every layer of GMAT preparation:
- Rushing Through Overall Preparation: Most students decide they need a fixed amount of time to prepare, then compress their learning to fit that schedule. But your optimal preparation time is unique to you—it depends on your starting level, target score, available study hours, and learning speed. When you fix the timeline first, you inevitably rush through your preparation if the allotted time proves insufficient.
- Rushing Through Topics: You allot two days to a topic because the schedule says so. But the goal isn’t to “cover” a topic; it’s to master it. By prioritizing the schedule over understanding, you are forced to rush through the very concepts that need more time, ensuring a weak foundation.
- Rushing Through Mistake Analysis: After a test, you glance at an error, think, “Oh, I see,” and move on. This is the illusion of learning. The real objective is to solve the problem of that mistake ever happening again. The strategic student digs deeper: Why did I make this error? What’s the pattern? How can I prevent it? Will my prevention plan actually work under pressure, or does it have downsides?
- Rushing Through Solidification: You solve a problem correctly once and immediately move to new material. But true mastery requires revisiting concepts until the method is automatic. Rushing to new content without cementing prior learning is like building the second floor of a house before the first-floor walls are dry.
Understanding Optimal Pace: What It Feels Like and What Determines It
If rushing is moving at a suboptimal pace, what does the optimal pace feel like?
- For learning topics: The pace at which you truly understand the concept, can apply it flexibly, and can explain it clearly
- For analyzing mistakes: The pace at which you genuinely understand the source of your error and gain clarity on prevention strategies
- For solving questions: The pace at which you maintain complete control—you understand each step, can explain your reasoning, and catch errors before selecting answers
At your optimal pace, you feel challenged but not overwhelmed, focused but not frantic, efficient but not careless.
What determines this optimal pace?
- Your Existing Skills: The more skilled you are, the faster you can move without sacrificing quality. A master chef dices an onion with controlled speed; a novice trying to match that speed is simply rushing.
- Your State of Mind: Anxiety and stress are taxes on your energy and focus. They lower your capacity and thus lower your optimal pace for any given task.
- Your Level of Focus: A distracted mind operates at a fraction of its potential. Deep, single-minded focus allows you to process information more efficiently, naturally increasing your optimal pace.
- The Complexity of the Material: Some concepts are inherently more complex and require slower processing, regardless of your skill level.
Why Do We Rush? The Hidden Forces Driving Our Haste
Given that rushing is so counterproductive, why is it our default mode?
- Our Goals are Quantity-Driven: We set goals like “finish three chapters this week” or “solve 50 questions today.” The goal becomes a checklist item, and quality becomes an afterthought.
- We Are Habituated to Rushing: Rushing has become part of who we are. We rush through sitting, standing, walking, eating, driving, thinking, speaking. It permeates every aspect of life because we’ve made our present state unacceptable. We constantly try to escape where we are, believing that “here” is not where we want to be. This existential discomfort with the present moment carries directly into GMAT preparation. We can’t sit peacefully with not knowing something or not being at our target score yet.
- We Prioritize the Outcome, Not the Process: We are so obsessed with getting to the target score that the process of learning feels like an obstacle to be sped through, rather than the path itself.
- We Believe the Marketing Myths: The internet is filled with “Get a 705 in 3 Months” stories. We internalize these timelines, forgetting that the journey is unique for everyone. This is why many who need six months of proper study end up taking twelve months or more—they do multiple, rushed cycles of three months, never building a solid foundation.
The Way Out: A Practical Guide to Pacing
Overcoming the habit of rushing requires a conscious, multi-layered approach.
- Understand Rush Intellectually: First, truly accept the definition. Rush is not about speed; it’s about ineffectiveness. Remind yourself that rushing is never helpful.
- Catch Yourself in the Act: Awareness is the first step. Notice the feeling of being frantic, of cutting corners. When you feel it, simply acknowledge it without judgment.
- Slow Down in Life: Who you are all day impacts who you are during GMAT prep. Practice mindfulness in other activities. Eat slowly. Drive calmly. Walk without urgency. This retrains your nervous system.
- Change Your Goals from Quantity to Quality: Instead of “I will finish this chapter today,” try “I will understand the core concepts of this chapter today, however long it takes.”
- Focus on the Process: The outcome—your GMAT score—isn’t entirely in your control. But your effort, attention, and approach are. When you focus on executing the process excellently, outcomes tend to take care of themselves.
- Humbly Accept Reality: The more you fight your current state, bemoaning why you’re not 100 points higher, the more you waste time and energy. Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation—it means working skillfully from where you actually are rather than where you wish you were.
This acceptance is practical, not philosophical. When you accept your current skill level, you can work at the pace that actually develops those skills rather than rushing past your learning edge.
