Last visit was: 02 Sep 2026, 15:53 It is currently 02 Sep 2026, 15:53
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
User avatar
ChristosXiro
User avatar
Joined: 23 May 2026
Last visit: 02 Sep 2026
Posts: 19
Own Kudos:
2
Given Kudos: 22
Location: Greece
Schools: Erasmus HEC Sept '27 LBS
GPA: 8.56
Schools: Erasmus HEC Sept '27 LBS
Posts: 19
Kudos: 2
Difficult questions time approach in training 12 Jul 2026, 05:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
When I am training and I see a very difficult question that is killing me should I approach it with test attitude and after some minutes make an educated guess, or try to solve it even if it takes much more than it should?
User avatar
alamin8
User avatar
Joined: 24 May 2025
Last visit: 29 Aug 2026
Posts: 181
Own Kudos:
79
Given Kudos: 32
Location: Bangladesh
Concentration: Accounting, Technology
Schools: HEC Sept '27 INSEAD Aug '27 UNC '27
GPA: 3.89
Schools: HEC Sept '27 INSEAD Aug '27 UNC '27
Posts: 181
Kudos: 79
Difficult questions time approach in training 12 Jul 2026, 21:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
It could be a great answer from Bunuel or hr1212, but I think we have to train ourselves how long it takes generally during practice and see whether we take the same amount of time for the same difficulty. If it consistent, we can change our approach, otherwise, educated guess could be a solution and then if later we have time, we can come back to that question, and try to solve it. You never know the next question can be the easiest one, which I am getting during adaptive tests.
User avatar
AllisonBell
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 12 May 2026
Last visit: 27 Aug 2026
Posts: 95
Own Kudos:
35
Affiliations: Manhattan Prep
GMAT Focus 1: 725 Q84 V90 DI84
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 725 Q84 V90 DI84
Posts: 95
Kudos: 35
Difficult questions time approach in training 13 Jul 2026, 11:26
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
ChristosXiro
When I am training and I see a very difficult question that is killing me should I approach it with test attitude and after some minutes make an educated guess, or try to solve it even if it takes much more than it should?
Show more
This is a really important question — I’m glad you asked. You’re onto the right plan when you approach it with your test attitude. Treat those problems the same you would on test day — move on after no more than 3:30.

Here’s why: developing a consistent, effective pacing strategy for the GMAT takes time and practice. It’s not a switch most of us can just flip for test day. So it’s important to rehearse the same executive decision-making processes during your timed sets or practice tests.

Plus, you can always replay the hard problem, untimed, after you finish the set. That way, you can get the benefit of learning from an untimed attempt and the benefit of doing test-like practice.

You might find this article, Everything You Need to Know About GMAT Time Management, to be a helpful read. It addresses questions like that and helps you ensure you’re developing a solid, effective time management strategy that will serve you well on test day.

Best,
User avatar
MarkGMATMentor
User avatar
Joined: 24 Jul 2018
Last visit: 02 Sep 2026
Posts: 60
Own Kudos:
34
Given Kudos: 20
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 790 Q51 V50
GMAT 1: 790 Q51 V50
Posts: 60
Kudos: 34
Difficult questions time approach in training 16 Jul 2026, 18:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi ChristosXiro,

While I agree with what's been said in this thread -- it's very important to pay attention to timing -- I'd like to qualify this advice somewhat. Especially when you're early in your studying or learning a new concept or strategy, it's often a good idea to go slow and ignore the time. Your brain will absorb the new concepts and processes much better if it isn't also constantly worried about time. Your first goal is to learn the most effective methods to solve questions, and then become comfortable with the timing.

I say this because I've worked with a number of students who'd been so worried about timing that they never slowed down enough to truly understand either 1) how to approach problems with a strategic mentality or 2) how to handle specific problem types and math concepts. Once we slowed things down so that they could think clearly, breakthroughs became possible.

All of that said, timed practice sets become increasingly important as your studying progresses and especially as you get close to test day. And timing yourself the only way to effectively learn another important strategic pillar: when to make proactive educated guesses, as you mentioned.

I hope that gives you a helpful perspective as you continue studying!

~Mark

ChristosXiro
When I am training and I see a very difficult question that is killing me should I approach it with test attitude and after some minutes make an educated guess, or try to solve it even if it takes much more than it should?
Show more
User avatar
ScottTargetTestPrep
User avatar
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 14 Oct 2015
Last visit: 02 Sep 2026
Posts: 22,715
Own Kudos:
26,921
Given Kudos: 302
Status:Founder & CEO
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Location: United States (CA)
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 22,715
Kudos: 26,921
Difficult questions time approach in training 21 Jul 2026, 07:16
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
This is a great question, and it comes up a lot. The honest answer is that neither of the two options you described is really the right move when you're training. Both are test-taking behaviors, and training is a different thing from testing.

When you're still learning a topic, the goal isn't to simulate test conditions. It's to understand how the questions work. So you don't want to put yourself on a clock and bail to a guess after a few minutes. Constraining your time during the learning phase just cheats you out of the learning. If a hard question is killing you, that's not something to route around with a guess. It's a signal pointing you straight at a gap.

That said, you also shouldn't grind on one question for twenty minutes, staring at it and getting nowhere. So here's what actually works. Give the question a full, genuine attempt, taking whatever time you need. If you get it, great. If you hit a real wall and you're truly stuck, that's your cue to go to the solution, study the approach, and figure out exactly what stopped you. Was it a concept you hadn't learned yet? A step you didn't know to take? A misread? Then come back a day or two later and redo the question from scratch to make sure it stuck. That's the loop that turns a hard question into progress. A guess just skips the whole thing.

The logic is simple. A question you can't solve in two minutes means you don't yet have the skill to solve it in two minutes, and rushing to a guess won't build that skill. Speed comes from mastery, not from forcing the clock before the content is solid.

Now, the "test attitude" you're describing, best guess, mark it, move on, is a real and important skill. It just belongs to a later phase: timed sets and practice tests, once your untimed accuracy on a topic is already high. On the actual exam, you should never sink four-plus minutes into one stubborn question. There you guess and move on to protect your time. But that's something you layer on later, not a shortcut you use while you're still learning.

So while you're training a topic, work the tough questions all the way through and study the solution when you're stuck. Save the guess-and-move-on discipline for timed practice, after your accuracy is where it needs to be. This article gets into the same idea in more detail: The Best GMAT Practice Methods.

ChristosXiro
When I am training and I see a very difficult question that is killing me should I approach it with test attitude and after some minutes make an educated guess, or try to solve it even if it takes much more than it should?
Show more
Moderators:
gchandana
229 posts
MBAACCOUNT2025
General GMAT Forum Moderator
481 posts