David vs. Goliath

Two months ago I started studying a stack of books six cubits and a span high. Each morning I would grab my backpack and drive to the Tanner building on the BYU campus. I would climb the stairs to my locker on the third floor and enter the combination. And there they were. In total there were 12 books. One Princeton Review, one Kaplan, one Offical GMAT Guide, one Official GMAT Quantitative Review, and eight Manhattan GMAT books. On a typical day I would take 2-3 books with me and find a quiet study room down the hall.

I'd spend anywhere from 3 to 6 hours reading about tips and strategies, doing practice problems, and memorizing important information such as prime numbers and standard triangles (I told you it was important information).

The day I knew the studying had started to sink in I was at a ward activity. We had a picture scavenger hunt, and each team received a certain number of points based on the difficulty of the pictures. When our team got back I heard someone say we had 121 points. I immediately thought "the prime factors of 121 are 7, 3, 2, and 5".

On Wednesday night I would attend class from 5-9, and again Saturday morning from 8am-noon. All in all I spent about 200 hours studying for this 4 hour test.  I downloaded a GMAT app on my phone and would do practice problems in my head when I had a few minutes of waiting. As the test approached, I began preparing in other ways for the test. I knew I was in a habit of eating lunch around noon each day, but my test was from 10-2 so I wouldn't be able to eat lunch. Not wanting to be hungry during the test, I started eating a later breakfast and not eating lunch until after 2 so my body was used to it. I took 10 practice tests, and most of them between 10 and 2, so I could simulate the actual test as much as possible. I visited the testing center, twice. I wanted to be as familiar with it as I could so I felt comfortable on the day of the test. I met the nice lady that would check me in and had a good conversation with her. I bought blueberries and almonds for snacks during the test. I even asked a friend to give me a massage the night before to help me relax.

The night before the test I didn't sleep all that much. But thankfully, I had slept well the few nights before. I got up around 6:00 and showered and read the scriptures. Then I realized I was exhausted and laid back down for about 30 minutes. Around 7:30 I got up and ate eggs and toast for breakfast, then spent some time doing practice problems and reviewing flash cards. At 9am I went out to my car to find two notes and a Snickers on my windshield from some friends, then headed off to Draper to the testing center. As I drove, I thought about all the friends and family who had been praying for me. I thought about all that I had done to prepare. I had done everything I could think of. I said a prayer and explained that I had done all I could, and that I was leaving the rest up to the Lord. When I first sat down my mind was a little slow and groggy. But instead of getting more tired as the test wore on, surprisingly, I felt more and more energized.

There is a moment at the end of the GMAT when you are asked if you want to report your scores or not. If you say yes, the score is on your permanent record. If you say no, then it is as if you were never there. I wasn't even slightly tempted by that option. I hit "Report Score" and braced myself.

710.

I couldn't believe it. I mean, I could, but I couldn't. I knew it was possible. But it was the highest score I had  ever gotten, even out of all 10 practice tests. I realize it isn't really that exceptional of a score. It is decent, but nothing to make a big deal about. But for me it was more than a score. It represented more than my best effort. I knew I hadn't done it by myself. It was a witness to me that God does hear and answer our prayers. It was a confirmation that anything is possible with hard work, sacrifice, and the blessings of heaven. I knew going into it that I might fail. Failure is a normal part of life. But, as Theodore Roosevelt observed,“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” 

I have to say that this has been a most unique and incredible experience. In sum, it is a perfect example of the scripture I keep at the top of my blog, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation God, and for his arm to be revealed.” Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

Thanks for reading. Now go out and conquer the world. You can do it. If you don't believe me, just ask my friend Jessica: