Hi,
I just double checked with Chris Ryan, our Director of Curriculum Development, and here's what he said:
"I would NOT spend more time proportionally on the first 15. You need to have a relatively even pace throughout, and when you vary it, you do so according to the specific problem you're facing (e.g., "I can do this exponents problem and be sure about the answer in just 1 minute," or "I need a little more time to crack this difficult rates problem.")
The first 15 questions do NOT count more in the final computation of your score than later questions. All questions count the same. We know that from the horse's mouth (the GMAC itself). It's true that the GMAT has less info about you early on, so its ongoing
estimate of your ability (which it uses to queue up the next question for you) varies more early on than it typically will later on. But that doesn't mean that those questions actually count any more."
To this I would also add that we know there are experimental questions spread throughout the exam, and that these questions can be in the first few (see our blog post on that here:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... erimental/). How frustrating would it be if you spent 5 minutes on one of your first questions only to find that it didn't count because it was experimental?
As Chris explains, therefore, we always recommend an even pacing throughout the exam.
Best Wishes,
Caitlin Clay
Student Services Associate
Manhattan GMAT