score780 wrote:
Thanks Ron for the detailed answer. You're absolutely right but what you're saying fits s'more with those who have plenty of time to study for the GMAT. I still have 15 days to go so I prefer to spend them on answering more questions than on reading explanations of questions I got right.
Hi score780, I'm just a little unclear on one thing... You mean you don't have
∞ time to study the GMAT?!?
Darn!
I totally get the notion of focusing on what you got wrong over what you got right. In fact, it's what I would do as well! It's just helpful to be aware that you may have gotten the right answer for the wrong reasons, made a lucky guess, or taken 3 minutes on a problem that can take 1 minute with a different strategy. I wholeheartedly agree that questions you got right (without guessing) in 2 minutes or less don't really need to be reviewed. There might be more value in learning a new technique to solve algebra questions quickly than trying to memorize the formula for the area of an equilateral triangle in case it might come up on the test \((A = (s^2 \sqrt{3}) / 4\) for those who are curious)
If I may draw on my own experience, however, it's not realistic to want to answer every single question accurately. There will be some topics at which you're great, and others you don't like as much. The goal is to maximize your overall score, so if you're able to get 100% of algebra problems right versus 90%, that's worth taking the time to do. I wasn't great at geometry when I took the exam 6 years ago (I'm much better now that I've been teaching it for years) but I'd get all the arithmetic and number properties right. So I probably missed a couple of the geometry problems, but I still got a fantastic score because I aced most of the other math subjects. Plus going from 90% to 100% in something you love will likely be easier and more engaging than going from 20% to 30% in something you hate.
As always, there is no one correct strategy for everyone. Whatever works for you is what you should do, but I found success on the GMAT came with perfecting my natural talents more than trying to be good at everything. Obviously working on your weaknesses is something natural (and something that every job interviewer you ever have will tell you to do), but working on your strengths can have the same overall effect on your score with less of a struggle. Again, if you have
∞ time... do both!
Hope this helps!
-Ron