Gmat technique: forgetting about time

Question

Hi,

I was wondering if someone has used the following technique for the quant section (I'm sorry if it is already discussed in older post).

Focus 100% in each question, no matter how much time is spent in each one, and guess the remaining ones. For example, forgetting about the time until the last 3 minutes, and then guess all the remaining questions. Of course, if a question is getting too much time or I get stuck then do an educated guess.

Actually, I think I'm able to make almost the 25 questions right in a row if I don't worry about the time. In fact, when I start worrying about the time, then my brain starts freezing and my accuracy goes down quickly. I just can't manage well the time pressure and I start doing errors in basic math operations, and missing 600-700 questions a lot.

Doing the test trying to be always on time, in the end it's possible that I could have the same number of correct answers from the 37 questions but it may be better doing 20-25 well in a row.

My goal is to get a Q50 or Q49.

Any thoughts on that will be appreciated.

hgp2k · Answer

Every question counts, so you cannot risk your score by "guessing" 33% of the total quant problems. If you want 50 in quant, then I would suggest to train yourself to solve every question in less than 90 seconds. No problem is worth more than 2 minutes. If you are spending more than that, you are digging your own grave.

shaselai · Answer

yea general rule of thumb is to not go over 2 min per question UNLESS you are about to solve it under a minute. If it is taking more than 2 mins and you still "have no idea" then make an educated guess and move on. Remember that for every question YOU DONT ANSWER you get a point off!

jenterrier · Answer

I agree with Red18. with:

My goal is to get a Q50 or Q49.

better than Q30...

firasath · Answer

I'm sorry but this strategy is awful in my opinion. With this mindset you will come to a problem or problems that take(s) an enormous amount of time but end up wanting to solve it completely.....this might kill 5,6,7 or more minutes!

This will end up costing you not one wrong answer but 3 wrong answers for each problem that you spend too much time on. Now imagine that happens for 2 or 3 answers. You will end up getting 9-12 wrong answers by rushing at the end instead of getting the 3 tough ones wrong.

DON'T LET ONE WRONG ANSWER TURN INTO MULTIPLE WRONG ANSWERS.

It's ok to take an educated guess on a question that is taking too much time. One of the things you learn when you manage a business is that you need to be nimble and humble enough to know when you have gone down the wrong path, you need to stop and take another course of action. The GMAT with its tight time limit tests this ability in this way.

gurpreetsingh · Answer

Please do not follow this.

Best is to practice as much as you can so that you are able to solve questions quickly.
Try to solve in 2 mins, if you are sure you will be able to solve the question by taking 1 more minute do that, if you aren't , make an educated guess and move ahead.

Even if your guess is wrong it will not affect you much, as intersperse incorrect answers will not harm as much as incorrect answers in a row will do.

nonameee · Answer

Not to worry about the time is a wise thing to do. But the suggested strategy makes no sense to me personally.

shaselai · Answer

also, try to save time for later questions because if you are doing well in quant early you will see harder questions consistently mid to late so those questions might take more time overall since their difficulty are higher.

oldguru82 · Answer

thanks guys, I will forget about this technique then.

I should definitely improve my timing strategy.. Yesterday I did a practice test and I was so focus in the speed that I finished 12 min ahead, but of course many questions wrong because of some stupid errors due to the speed.

I need to find the perfect balance.

bb · Answer

I would not use it as a technique so to speak, but I would take one test with a disregard for the time (just to see how you do without being worried about time) - you will be surprised about the results. This will show you the difference between taking a test under stress and not. (some tests allow you to turn off time but in this case, you can hide the clock but still keep the clock running so that it cuts you off at the end)... I did this and was able to do a lot more than I usually can under timed conditions. Gave me a proof that I can do a lot more than I thought in those 75 mins.

shaselai · Answer

like BB said. do a test with timing off and see how long it takes "at your best" and then work it down from there. But bottom line is this - the better you are at basics and techniques the less time overall you will be using. The problems can only have so many variations!

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Gmat technique: forgetting about time

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