How to increase speed - 1 week left

Question

Hi, I've just tried my second mock test from GMAC and I got 595. However, I completely guessed 5 quant questions, 2 DI questions and 4 Verbal questions.

I have already studied plenty of math tricks using fractions, last digit multiplication etc but it just feels like too much to do in 2 minutes. Concerning Verbal, I've tried reading techniques from Manhattan but I think I'm just generally slow..

Any tips to try to fix this in 6 days? I plan to do another mock (maybe 2) before my test day.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

If you find CR assumption questions a bit slippery, the negation technique could be useful to learn. For RC questions, becoming familiar with how inference questions work could be helpful as well. For Quant questions, sometimes the answer choices themselves may be able to help you.

5 Quant tips - you can also check out the divisibility rules

5 Quant tips  - you can also check out the divisibility rules

bb · Answer

How do you usually choose the questions that you guess?

Do you guess the last four questions or do you selectively guess them as you go?

I would recommend guessing the questions you having a hard time solving rather than randomly.

Also, do you feel like you are usually guessing questions or get stuck on around the certain mark, for example You get stuck on the fifth question or 10th or 12th?

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

In terms of increasing speed, The strategies are somewhat different for quant, verbal and data insights.

Quant is based on memorizing some shortcuts and moving quickly through the questions

Verbal is about squeezing out at least something and not wasting it all on reading comprehension.

Data insights is almost the lost cause. 😂

I think the fastest and best improvement you can make in the short term such as one day would be too choose the questions that you guess and make sure that you guess hard questions as opposed to the last four. I think this should give you the most boost score in the one day realm

Within a week, I would pick quant or verbal to focus on. You can use the error log on gmatclub to see how your time compares to the time of others and you can identify questions where you are spending way more time than other people do. I’ll tell you a tip however, somehow the average time is very aggressive on GMAT club so don’t be frustrated if you see someone solving a question in one minute and 20 seconds and it takes you two minutes. I would note it down that you spent 40 more seconds than average And then do the same for other questions and identify the types of questions where you tend to spend the most time. This should hopefully take about 45 minutes. an hour max

Then, I would read the solutions from those questions and compare to how you solved these questions. There’s likely something you will learn from the solutions. Maybe there are faster methods or more optimal ones. Maybe you take a long time digest the question but only you can identify What takes you longer you can start tackling it. Another option could be someone who is strong and quant and sit together and solve through 10 questions and see how you compare to their time and how they are able and where they are able to speed up. Maybe you can trade some verbal help for quant help.

I don’t think there are going to be any one minute fixes in the quant. A lot of the improvement comes from being methodical and being driven and motivated.

Let me know if you have any further questions!

Posted from my mobile device

fthompson · Answer

Thanks for the response! This last mock I tried to develop everything - some questions took longer than expected and I found myself with 30 secs left for the last 5 quant questions. This happened with Verbal and DI as well.
Something interesting happened in quant - I've got the first 6 questions right then missed the following 4 questions. I spent 2x 4,5 minutes in questions that I missed, which did not help with time at the end.. In your opinion, did this happen because of the adaptive nature of the test?

I guess my mistake was that I tried to do everything in quant - maybe I should've picked only the questions that I knew exactly how to solve?
I got 52th percentile (12/21) in quant and I won't work until test day, I think I just need to do a LOT of practice questions and an extra 2 or 3 gmac mocks?

For verbal, I think I'm ok in terms of knowledge but definitely need something to improve my concentration. I got a 16/23 having completely guessed the last 4. Being a non native can be tough for some texts, I got too easily distracted due to complex words and had to re read a couple of times.

I guess that if I improve my quant timing my DI will be improved as well, I spent too much time on DS questions.

arushi118 · Answer

In quant it is important that you focus on doing the questions which you think you can solve - that will always be better than not doing the easy questions and spending time on the questions which you are not sure about (you may ultimately end up marking incorrectly that question also).

For verbal - maybe keeping it as the first section when attempting may help - as then the concentration is maximum - you can try giving a few mocks with different orders and see what works best for you.

For DS question, you don't have to get to the final answer. So as soon as you are sure weather or not statement 1 or 2 or both or none can solve the question you mark accordingly and move to next question.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Understanding and addressing your weaker areas is crucial to improving your timing on test day. The more comfortable you become with the material, the faster you'll be able to navigate questions. Given this, be sure to always take the time to review your practice tests and practice sessions thoroughly. Understanding where you lost time and why will prevent you from repeating the same mistakes and help you become more efficient. With patience and persistence, you'll see your timing improve.

Quant: When it comes to time management in the Quant section, it's important to know when to give up on a question. Remember, your goal is to strive for excellence, not perfection. Some additional tips include:  
 - Don’t overinvest time on the first few questions 
 - Don’t randomly guess on questions to catch up on time 
 - Leave enough time to answer every question on GMAT Quant 
 - Develop an internal clock to help with pacing

You can find additional tips here:  Timing Strategies For a Higher GMAT Quant Score

Verbal: Here are some tips to help you get faster at answering GMAT Verbal questions:  
 - Develop strong GMAT verbal skills by *practicing untimed.* 
 - Eliminate inefficiencies in how you handle questions 
 - Read more carefully 
 - Reduce note-taking 
 - Avoid pre-thinking with critical reasoning questions 
 - Don’t get bogged down in the details of reading comprehension passages

More here:  
 -  How to Get Faster at GMAT Focus Verbal: Top 6 Tips  
 -  GMAT Verbal Tips and Tricks for the Focus Edition: Top 10

Data Insights: Also, while answering DI questions, here are some general time-saving strategies to keep in mind: 
 - Skim the given information to understand the type of information provided. Don’t get bogged down in the details. Just get a sense of what the data is conveying.  
 - Use the answer choices to your advantage. In many cases, the answer choices will be so spread apart that you can quickly answer the question through approximation rather than precise calculations. 
 - Use process of elimination when possible. Narrow down choices by identifying clear inconsistencies or irrelevant options in the data. 
 - Stay organized. Jot down quick notes or calculations to keep track of information to avoid rereading the same data multiple times. 
 - Prioritize quick decision-making. If a question seems too time-consuming, it’s better to make an educated guess and move on rather than get stuck. Developing this type of decision-making mindset will help you better navigate the section.

For more information, check out these articles:  
 -  How to Prepare for GMAT Data Insights  
 -  Data Insights Timing Strategy

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How to increase speed - 1 week left

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