Best ways to tackle MSR - A thread

Question

Hi ,

Since DI is time consuming & especially MSR takes huge chunk of time

is it advisable to skip this part or should we tackle this ??

if yes any suggestion to tackle these MSR question

bb  @bunnel  gmatwhiz   karishma

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Here are some key MSR strategies:

Understand the Structure First: Start by skimming all the tabs or pieces of data to understand the type of information provided. You don’t need to read every detail upfront, just get a sense of where different types of information are located so you can access them quickly when needed.  
  Focus on the Question: Always read the question carefully before diving into the data. If necessary, read the question twice. This will help you focus only on the relevant information rather than wasting time trying to understand the entire dataset.   
  Set a Time Limit: MSR questions can consume a lot of time if you’re not careful. Spend no more than 2–3 minutes per question or decide early to make an educated guess and move on to avoid sacrificing time for other questions in the section.  
  Use Process of Elimination: Many MSR questions are multiple-choice and lend themselves well to elimination strategies. Narrow down choices by identifying clear inconsistencies or irrelevant options in the data.  
  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.  
  Stay Organized: For more complex tabs, jot down quick notes or calculations to keep track of information and avoid rereading the same data multiple times.    
 
 When practicing MSR questions, focus on building familiarity with the format and refining your timing to make these questions more manageable. With practice, MSR can become a strength rather than a hurdle.

KhushiWGupta · Answer

Should I rely on gmat club mocks in addition to the official mocks( already done all 6), or also do experts global alongside? Exam is in 15 -20 days but I am willing to make time and do more mocks a day too.

hr1212 · Answer

I personally feel that skipping MSR rarely works in your favor. The main reason is that you never know how many MSR sets you’ll get. If you get more than one, you’re forced into a guessing game about which one to attempt and which one to skip, and missing 6 questions can completely derail your score.

There’s also a real possibility that one of the MSRs could be experimental. If you end up attempting that one and skipping the one that actually counts, you still lose all the points. Even if you get lucky and receive only one MSR, skipping it still means 3 wrong answers in a row, which breaks the score trajectory and limits your overall ceiling. So either way, it’s not a great place to be.

My advice is simple: give yourself a maximum of 8-10 minutes per MSR and attempt it as carefully as possible. Spend around 3–4 minutes understanding all the tabs, then about 1–2 minutes per question. Remember, not all questions in an MSR are difficult. If you manage your time well, there’s a good chance you can still get 2 out of 3 correct. This also gives you the option to skip the hardest question or the one with the most sub-parts, instead of skipping the entire set.

One strategy you should follow throughout DI is to save time on easier question types like DS and G&T. The time you save there can be reallocated to MSR and TPA, where time investment matters more. Also remember, you don’t need to understand everything in DI in depth. You just need to get good at focusing on the key data and retrieving it quickly when the question demands it.

KhushiWGupta  - It’s always a good idea to take full sectional mocks if you want to practice time management, and GMAT Club mocks should be sufficient in most cases. In fact, I think they’re slightly on the harder side for DS, so if you’re doing reasonably well on them, there’s a good chance you’ll do even better on the real test. You can also practice by doing back-to-back 3 MSRs from the GMAT Club practice forum to keep your mind sharp and improve your time management.

Best ways to tackle MSR - A thread

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