What's wrong with this logic?

Question

A: When I practise the questions on paper, I can get 90% correct. But when I do the CAT test on pc, I can only get about half of them right. What's wrong? Why is my performance so different?
B: The difference maybe because you are not timing yourself when you practise on paper, so you use more time to get the questions right. But when you are under timed condition you have less time and thus more question wrong.
A: I thought so too. So on my second CAT tests I turned the timer off and only turned it back on when I only have 30 minutes left. But my score still didn't improve much.

What is wrong with A's logic? What should A do instead?

Folaa3 · Answer

A should use a timer when practising the questions on paper

DLMD · Answer

A assumes "turn off clock" = "not under timed condition", which we know it's wrong.

bozo190101 · Answer

Hong Hu,
I really admire your sharp thinking, I saw this post on the other forum and said to myself the logic he used isn't correct. Good brain teaser. :D

Paul · Answer

How can A turn the timer when there is "30 min. left?" Does that mean that he somewhat timed himself in some way? Instead, A should leave timer on the whole time and whenever A attempts questions from GMATclub, he/she should attempt to do them under a 2 min. time frame

Paul · Answer

Yes, I was about to answer the original post when I saw this funny question. Honghu, you are infaillible :lol:

HongHu · Answer

I'm good at nickpicking that's all. :-D

Please don't mind my craziness GQM.

chunjuwu · Answer

HongHu, Paul, 

So brilliant you are. 

How to crack CR qeustions in earth? 

No principle, no rules for us to follow ?

ywilfred · Answer

A mistook the meaning of a 'timed condition' as one where the timer is turned on.

A should focus on improving the speed with which he can solve questions on paper by imposing the same time restrictions faced when doing the CAT.

ywilfred · Answer

nice work honghu, it's fun to do amusing CRs once in a while. =)

GQMouse · Answer

You guys are crazy...

What I meant was I removed the clock when I did another test so that I wouldn't feel pressured by time. I occassionally looked at the clock and when the 30 min mark came, I left it on.

DLMD · Answer

poor guy, got teased by Ms. HonnHu. :lol:

HongHu · Answer

Heh, crazy is as crazy does.

Ok seriously, how was your pace for the first part when you turned the clock off? Were you a little behind? If so then you may have rushed through the rest of your test and it may explain why you haven't got a higher score. If you were not behind for your first part, then we could assume that by occasionally looking at the clock you were still putting yourself under time pressure. And that again may explain why your performance is different from when you were not under time presure. The only way to prove or refute this hypothesis is to time your paper practise and see how you would do. If this turns out to be the cause, then your solution would not be to turn off the timer when you do the CAT test, instead, it would be to time yourself when you do your paper practise. If your problem is that you have better performance when you have more time, then the solution is not to trick yourself into believing that you have more time while you really don't. The solution is to improve your performance even if you don't have more time. (But you don't have to time yourself when you do everything as what your friend suggested.

)

What's wrong with this logic?

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