Time management in Verbal Section - For no native EN

Question

Hi All,

I have a big problem with the verbal section, I am not native and I have trouble managing the time in the verbal.
I believe that I can face even harder questions compared to the quant section, which do not cause me any time problem; however, after 10 questions when I get a RC passage I start to run out of time and consequently from question 16-18 to the end I do everything a little bit faster than usual making many questions wrong, my question is:

(Option A) do you believe that the best option could be to guess an entire RC passage in the middle of the test and focus on the rest ?
(Option B) or guess every X questions a CR/SC?

Considering that my average time for SC/CR/RC is:
SC: 1.20 - 1.40 minutes
CR: 2.20 - 3 minutes
RC: 2.45 - 3.45 (for reading) and approx. 1 - 1.30 to answer

thank you very much for you time and help

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Adopting a time management technique may be helpful. Do you use any time markers?

MohitGeat · Answer

It's best to constantly sharpen your skill levels with different type of questions. This will help enable to reduce the time required to solve them. 
Also, having the right thought process to solve different question types helps cut down time - you should know what's the best way to deal with different question types. Without that, you might get questions correct - but will end up taking a lot of time.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi gastoneMIT,

I honestly think that a better move forward, rather than try to adopt this guessing strategy, is to improve your GMAT verbal skills. As you do so, you'll organically become faster and thus your timing issues should begin to dissipate.

With that in mind, I have 3 important articles I want you to check out. If you have any questions after reading them, feel free to reach out.

GMAT Sentence Correction: 8 Essential Tips

GMAT Critical Reasoning: 8 Essential Tips

GMAT Reading Comprehension Tips: Top 8 DOs and DON’Ts

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi gastoneMIT,

Many Test Takers face pacing issues in the Quant section, the Verbal section or both – so you are not alone. However, it's important to remember that pacing problems do NOT exist on their own - they're the results of OTHER problems. Based on the information that you have provided, you are spending too much time on your SCs and your CRs. Most GMAT questions are written so that they can be approached in more than one way - so it's likely that "your way" is inefficient (and there are more strategic approaches that you could be using).

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
 
 760+: What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi gastoneMIT,

Guessing an RC passage is never good that too in the halfway stage. Getting a string of questions wrong can greatly affect your score. I don't recommend this but if you are falling short of time, then you can guess the last few questions. This way, the impact will be not that great. You can go through the recording below to understand how GMAT algorithm works and why is not right to guess questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9dZN-MHK0I

Having said that, you are probably taking more than the average time to solve CR questions which means that the method you are using is not the best one. I suggest you to work on your methodology because once you use the right methods and strategies, the timing should automatically fall into place. You might find the recording below helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzPIeNT1RYc

Hope it helped. If you need any help with the study strategy, you can get in touch with me using the below link.

Click here to schedule a call

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Time management in Verbal Section - For no native EN

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards