Mind is strange

Question

Hello,

I took a timed test. After completing the test, I wanted to rework the answers that either consumed more than 120 seconds or my answer was incorrect. Although I did not remember the question, I noticed my approach in the test and the rework was different. In most occasions, both the answers crossed 120 seconds. I find it strange why the mind operated differently.

Has anyone noticed had a similar experience? I am concerned this is unsafe in the exam. Have you overcome this stage of your learning?

Regards,
Rajesh

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Rajesh, I'm happy to respond. :-)

First of all, here's a blog about thinking about long math problems a bit differently: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/how-to-do- ... th-faster/ Also, here's a blog stressing the importance of doing essentially 100% of practice against a strict time-limit: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/pacing-and ... -the-gmat/ Finally, a great deal of the difference may be due to stress. When we feel a great deal of stress, that shuts down the mind's capacity for creativity and intuition, which are precisely the skills you need on the hardest GMAT questions. Here are a few articles that address how to handle stress. https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/overcome-g ... y-breathe/ https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/beating-gmat-stress/ https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/the-gmat-b ... g-picture/ https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/zen-boot-c ... -the-gmat/ I hope all this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. Mike :-)

rajeshs · Answer

Thanks Mike. Your reply is reassuring in my hour of need.

KarishmaB · Answer

What do you mean by 'unsafe in the exam'? Using different approaches to solve the same question can actually be quite enlightening - they help you incorporate the topics together, they tell you how things are related and how you can use concepts of one to solve the problems of other. You should intentionally try to figure out different methods - some will be faster, some will be slower. With practice you will be able to find out the fastest methods and use those.

Also it's normal to end up solving a question in different ways on different occasions. When I re-solve a question after a few months, I often find that the way I solved it now is different from the way I solved it some months back. It's fine as long as you arrive at the correct answer on both occasions and don't waste too much time.

Mind is strange

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