Then came the first "Try Again" result. Then the second. And then... a few more. I was always agonizingly close to the magic 600 points. My evaluations showed good results in almost every topic, yet success eluded me. I was frantically chasing the result, but the harder I ran, the further it seemed to get.
In the NFL, when a team is slightly behind and the clock is ticking (only 2 minutes left), the "Two-Minute Warning" can help, if they find a new key/tactic, start a fresh attack even from their own 1-yard line, and think rather than fluster. It was my "Two-Minute Warning".
The Audit of my Failures
I sat down and analyzed what went wrong. I had the knowledge, so why was I failing?
1. The Repetition Trap: I had reviewed the same practice questions so many times that the correct answers popped into my head involuntarily. I was scoring 95% on practice tests, but I wasn't in practicing logic, I tested only my memory.
2. Environmental Risk: On one occasion, I spent the night before the exam in a room with no AC during a heatwave. I walked into the center sleep-deprived and "slow-cooked."
3. The Panic Freeze: I forgot the lesson from Bratislava. Instead of staying relaxed, I let the pressure paralyze me.
The Final Drive: Switching to "Mentor Mode"
I decided to change my tactics completely. There was no need to rush. I slowed down and adopted what I call Mentor Mode:
1. I reviewed significantly fewer questions, but much more thoroughly.
For every single question, I spent for at least 90 seconds during practice with the exception of mock exams.
2. I didn't just pick the answer; I explained to an imaginary audience exactly why the correct answer was right and why the other three were wrong.
3. The day before the final attempt, I chose total mental relaxation. I spent the day diving into The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, comparing the book to the movie. It was the perfect distraction to prevent the "Panic Freeze."
After my two-minute warning, it was time for the final drive for Part 2. Details come soon.
