How much should I spend to figure out that I don't know to resolve a p

Question

Hi guys,

I was evaluating my mock tests and I clearly saw that I am suffering from "don't give up" syndrome.

Empirically, I found out that if I get all the 500-600 level questions right, most of the 600-700 and some of the above 700 I can reach a very good score.

In my past mocks, by luck and not by strategy, I had two different scores for the same amount of Right/Wrong questions. Please, see it in my graph.

I was wondering how much time one should spend in a question and what signals should I read from myself in order to move on :oops:

Can someone advice me on that?

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Can someone advice me on that?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi felippemed,

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize - and it takes into account a number of different factors (far more than just the number of correct answers). As such, you shouldn't think in terms of how many questions you get correct - you should think in terms of WHY you're currently getting questions wrong (and what you can do to 'fix' those issues). You won't get every question correct on the Official GMAT, so that shouldn't be your goal. Your real goal should be to correctly answer all (or most) of the 'gettable' questions in an efficient manner.

Many Test Takers assume that they should try to answer each Quant question in 2 minutes or less (since the average amount of time for 37 questions in 75 minutes is a little more than 2 minutes per question). However, that is really terrible logic. Certain questions can be answered in under a minute while others take 3 minutes to answer (and that's if you know what you're doing). As such, "fast" shouldn't be what you're after; "efficient" is the real goal (even if that means 'dumping' a question that you were probably never going to answer correctly any way).

As an experiment, I want you to ignore the 'implied level' of the questions that you got wrong on your last CAT and answer the following questions:

How many questions did you get wrong in the Quant section...
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

felippemed · Answer

Hello, Rich, the GMAT assassin! :-D

Thank you for your prompt answer. I understood that figuring out what happens in the algorithm is a pointless activity. 100% agree. But I still struggle to give up on questions. I only don't know whether to let it go - because it is a hard as hell question - or simply spend a little bit more of time on it, and then I fall in the GMAT trap. It looks like that I reached a point in my studies where just a few surprises pop up on my screen. For this ones, I can easily skip and move forward. However, when I read a question and think to myself "I studied it! I can do it!" It is somehow a blindness in "reading the signs." If I were able to recognize faster that a question is meant to deceive me, I am certain to improve my score considerably. Don't know if it is true, but from what I saw in my mock tests and the several discussions in this honorable Forum, it is a prerequisite to getting all the easiest questions right. It looks like that getting a hard question right impacts less in your overall score that getting two easy ones wrong. So, beyond the comprehension of the kind of mistake that you pointed out above, if I got your point correctly, I wish there is a tip or an advice on how to recognize that I don't know and move ahead to the next question and do not hurt my time management and get easy questions wrong because of that. Thanks for the free donation of time :wink:

Rohit6 · Answer

Hi Buddy,
Wow!
You seem to be struggling with similar issue I faced. You can read my debrief and see if it helps.
You can also PM me to discuss your case in more detail. There's some mental block that's stopping you from your 100% potential.
With the data you've provided I can't make a strong conclusion. I would need to know your percentiles (and not percentages) either through ESR or official tests to suggest a strategy.

Let me know if I could be of any help..

Cheers,
Rohit

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi felippemed,

Right now, it sounds like you're focused on trying to define when (and how) to 'let go' of a question, but it's still not clear WHY you're actually getting questions wrong. You'll have to address those issues - in addition to this issue - before you can earn a much higher score on the GMAT. In my prior post, I asked for information on your last CAT performance. That data is remarkably important to giving you the most pointed and relevant advice:

On your last CAT, how many questions did you get wrong in the Quant section...
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

Beyond those questions, your profile lists 6 Official GMAT scores. Is that correct - have you taken the GMAT 6 times already (or are some of those practice CAT scores)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

felippemed · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for your care and patience.

There is a mix of mistakes, from rushing at the end to silly ones. The silly ones are actually more present in problems above 700, which I think they are meant to trick gmat takers (and I am one of the goofy ones that falls in its traps)

I have in my Evernote some hundred thousand questions vastly reviewed, commented, and hand-written. Sometimes I engage in a space-repetition learning to make sure that I won't commit the same mistake again. I think I reached my mental capacity. That's why I keep on trying question after question, obviously it affects my performance.

So, what are the signs to "let go" of a question? Is this the million-dollar question? I really don't know... Regardless of someone's level, by understanding it one would reach the top in its present preparation, right?

ccooley · Answer

In Quant, what I tell my students is that with very few exceptions, you should never spend less than 0:45 or more than 2:45 on a problem.

0:45 is the low end, because that's how long it takes to read a problem, think about it, and determine whether it's worth your time. That's probably more time than you're currently spending on the 'read and think' step - possibly a lot more time. Try this: at the beginning of each Quant problem,  put your pen down completely  and make yourself do  nothing  but reading and thinking until 45 seconds have passed. At first, it'll seem like a useless exercise, but with practice, you'll start to realize what sorts of things you can notice and think about during this time. Also, when you start actually doing the math, you'll be more likely to have a good plan, which means you won't be tempted to go back and try another approach (something you rarely have time for on Quant.)

If you get to the 0:45 mark and you don't have a reasonable idea of how to do the problem (note that I didn't say 'don't understand the problem' - even if you understand a problem, it still might not be worth doing!), spend another 30 seconds coming up with a smart guess, then guess and move on.

If you  do  commit to the problem, reevaluate as you approach the 2 minute mark. Is your plan working? If not,  don't  let yourself fall for the 'just another few seconds!' trap. A few seconds is good when it means you'll get the problem right. So, if your plan is working, and you just need a little extra time to wrap up the math itself, its okay to go up to the 2:45 mark (or even a little further if you're ahead on time.) But if you're having a hard time because you don't know whether you're doing the right thing, or because your plan is failing and you need a new one, don't let yourself say that you only need another few seconds. That isn't enough time to come up with a better plan  and  implement it, so you'll be better off just moving on.

felippemed · Answer

"Shut up and take my money, Manhattan!" hahaha :-D

You, guys, are awesome. Understand the insane and goofy minds of your students as few ones. Thanks a million for the nice tip ccooley . By the way, I am a heavy user of your books, avid reader of the blogs (where I "stole" the idea of cutting the test timeframe of the test and the bubble distribution from Navigator), and obviously the content. The automated analysis that you saw above for the official CATs I also prepared for the Manhattan Exams, as shown below. Anyway, let me I embed this idea to see if I am able to stabilize my score :-D

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