I recently told you about Kaplan’s free online GMAT practice test and how you can use it to simulate Test Day. In this post, I’ll share some tips for maximizing the practice test experience.
The value of a GMAT practice test score report
When you take a Kaplan GMAT practice test, it comes with a full score report. This includes explanations for all questions, a breakdown of question types, and the number of seconds each question was on your screen. Here’s a sample of part of a Kaplan score report:
In the Quantitative Reasoning section, you have 75 minutes to answer 37 questions. This averages out to about two minutes per question. When you review your score report, keep that in mind: You want to spend, on average, about 120 seconds per question.
Count seconds, because seconds count
When the student whose score report is shown here reviewed her timing, she saw that of these 12 questions, she spent less than two minutes on six questions. That means, of course, that she spent more than 120 seconds on six questions.
A quick scan shows that at this rate, the student would probably run out of time before the end of the section. She spent five and a half minutes on question 6, which she answered correctly, but the price for devoting those seconds to one question may have been running out of time and leaving three or more questions blank at the end.
Know when to fold ‘em
I mentioned in an earlier post that when reviewing your practice test score report, you can use the timing information to decide how best to use your time on challenging problems. Review the ones you spent the most time on and make a plan for deciding whether to continue working or to guess and move on when faced with a similar question on a future test.
When you review your quant section, note whether you spent excessive time on a particular type of question (Problem Solving or Data Sufficiency) and/or a particular type of content (such as geometry, proportions, or number properties). Factor this into your plan. If you have trouble deciding how to manage the challenging questions, remember that we have a Kaplan Method for each type of problem that appears on the GMAT. We can help you improve your testing efficiency.
Verbal timing counts, too
I’ve used the Quantitative Reasoning section to illustrate my points so far, in part because it’s easier to see how timing matters. But also, because quant comes before verbal, your timing during the quant section impacts your performance on verbal.
Practicing under timed conditions with a Kaplan GMAT practice test allows you to improve your efficiency on the quant section, which preserves your energy so you don’t run out of steam during the verbal section. Many inexperienced test takers are too exhausted to perform well in the last hour of the GMAT; don’t be that guy! Use practice tests to hone your efficiency and build endurance so you don’t fade away before the end of the test.
Ready to get your score report? Sign up to take a free online GMAT practice test today.
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