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23 Jul 2025, 10:30
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey everyone,
I always tend to solve the equations however certain questions can be done way faster if you plug in values.
However sometimes pluging values do not give definite answers, and in that case, you end up spending more time than it could have taken by simply solving the equations.
So I want to know :
How do u'll decide whether to plug in values or to solve the equations when you attempt a question ? Are there any specific clues that can help decide between the two ?
If any such video/resource/post exists would be glad if you could point me to that.
I always tend to solve the equations however certain questions can be done way faster if you plug in values.
However sometimes pluging values do not give definite answers, and in that case, you end up spending more time than it could have taken by simply solving the equations.
So I want to know :
How do u'll decide whether to plug in values or to solve the equations when you attempt a question ? Are there any specific clues that can help decide between the two ?
If any such video/resource/post exists would be glad if you could point me to that.
23 Jul 2025, 14:08
Kudos
Bookmarks
When reviewing questions (e.g. after a practice set), seeing whether there may have been another way to solve the question or faster ways to determine which was the correct answer choice while solving may help a bit. You can then compare how long it took with your original approach and decide which makes sense. One thing that may help a bit would to quickly look over the answer choices before diving into the question itself.
23 Jul 2025, 21:45
Kudos
Bookmarks
One strategy that really helped me was reading the question carefully, breaking it down into variables and equations, and then starting with the answer choices during practice to see if they could be used efficiently. Give yourself a rough min-max range to test how the options fit. Manhattan recommends a strategy where you start with option B, then try D, and narrow down from there. Since answer choices are often sorted, this approach helps you quickly gauge whether you're moving closer to or further away from the correct answer. It gives a smart way to zero in on the right choice efficiently. If the options don’t work directly or seem too time-consuming, only then move on to solving it algebraically.
Over time, I started noticing recurring patterns that offered quick clues about how to approach different question types. I get that using answer choices first doesn’t feel intuitive for many students but for GMAT specifically, I genuinely believe it’s the smarter move. It can save you valuable minutes, especially on tougher questions (helped me on couple of hard ones in my real test) or when you’re short on time and need to make a strategic guess. So I’d say it’s absolutely worth training yourself to use this method.
Over time, I started noticing recurring patterns that offered quick clues about how to approach different question types. I get that using answer choices first doesn’t feel intuitive for many students but for GMAT specifically, I genuinely believe it’s the smarter move. It can save you valuable minutes, especially on tougher questions (helped me on couple of hard ones in my real test) or when you’re short on time and need to make a strategic guess. So I’d say it’s absolutely worth training yourself to use this method.
