With the last SAT before May coming up and GMAT pressure building, it's important that you maximize your time and energy. Do things that will yield big results. To help you focus, the next 5 blog posts will focus on the top 5 time wasters when preparing for the SAT, GMAT, or just about any admissions test.

Top Test Prep Time Waster #5: Procrastination.

Okay this one is obvious but the longer you wait to start studying, the less time you have to adequately prepare. I recommend that students prepare at least 6 weeks for the GMAT and SAT, and as long as 8 weeks for tests like the TOEFL or IELTS.

Symptoms
Procrastination can take many forms, even if it seems like you are working, perhaps you aren't working on the tasks you should be working on. Here are some signs you are procrastinating:

* You check email a lot.
* You buy a lot of test prep books but don't use any of them.
* You're obsessed with surfing the web to find out as much about the test you're taking as possible.
* You're obsessed with surfing the web to find as many "helpful" resources as possible but you don't really use them.
* You schedule your exam for more than 3 months from now (the exception is SAT).
* You suddenly have absolutely no time in your schedule to study even though there are no big deadlines at work or school.
* You contact or visit more than 3 test prep centers around Dubai but still can't make up your mind (the Dubai Tutor is all you need!).
* You decide that it's more important to work on your applications than study for the admissions test (umm...your score is one of the things they ask for on the application!).

Treatment
Fortunately, there are cures for procrastination. Depending on the strength of your procrastination, I recommend using one or all of these ideas to get your test prep moving.
1. Create a study plan. Decide how much time you can commit to studying (even 1 hour a day helps) and stick to it. One hour a day done consistently is much better then an 8 hour binge on Saturday.

2. Start small. Pick one section of the test to begin with, buy a book, and try to cover one or two topics each time. Don't forget to end each study session with drilling (doing a set number of problems in a certain amount of time).

3. Email the Dubai Tutor. Nothing saves time and motivates like signing up for a small group class or getting private instruction with a tutor. Email me and we will work together to create a reasonable study plan to get your preparation going!

Happy studying!