Which Questions to skip? - Strategy

Question

Just want to check if there are certain types of questions that take longer than other to solve. I am into my last 2 weeks of test prep and trying to build a strategy to skip some questions between 15 and 25 to save time. I have to do it because, consistently during the practice tests, I noticed that I do very good in the first ~20 questions and then have a bunch of questions wrong (sometimes 10 consecutive wrong Qs). This can only mean one thing - Time crunch. The hard part now is to decide which ones to skip without giving much thought so I could save 100 seconds on each question.

Here are my thoughts so far....
My weak areas....Absolute values, Number properties, and problems with a lot of words
DS/PS - Generally, I feel that I take longer so solve DS (especially if the answer is E, being an optimistic person, I think there is a solution to every problem :-D )

So if I see a question that meets the above criteria that falls between 15 and 25, I want to skip them even if I am on target with my time. (If I am behind, I will skip 4 Qs, and if I am ahead of time, I will skip 2 Qs)

Now the dilemma is, I cannot be certain that I will see problems that will meet most of the above criteria between Qs 15-25. So I am looking for other types of questions that are generally known to take longer, so I could add them to my criteria.

Thanks
Vijay

GyanOne · Answer

Vijay,

The strategy you are pursuing is dangerous and can potentially destroy your entire performance. Skipping four questions in the middle of the exam can cause a big drop in your score.

You might be weak in certain topics but might still be able to solve some questions on the exam from the given topic. Therefore pursuing a blanket strategy of skipping some questions altogether makes no sense.

Further, classifying DS as difficult to solve will not help much either. A near half of the questions you get in the quant section will be DS questions, so you will have to develop the ability to tackle them sooner or later.

My advice is: play it by the ear. Try to solve every question to the best of your ability. If you absolutely cannot and it is taking > 2 min without you making any headway, take your best guess and move on. A best guess is better than random guessing and skipping at least. That way you will at least move closer to realizing your true potential.

vbetanabhatla · Answer

Thanks Gyanone. I have an other practice test left and I will try to implement your suggestions and see how it goes. Thanks for the help

wallstreetbarbie · Answer

I will say that if you read a Q and have no idea how to go about solving it then move on.

However, if you are getting 10qs wrong in a row towards the end... it may mean time crunch but it also may mean that as the Qs are getting tougher you dont have the knowledge to answer them.

vbetanabhatla · Answer

Wow!!! That hurt!!!!

It could be true. But every time I review my test, I do see that I can solve most of those questions (mostly under 2 mins).

Also, in MGMAT you can clearly see the difficulty level of these Qs. What I notice is the string of incorrect answers starts with 700-800 level, but goes on into the 600-700 range.
Not proud about it, just stating my observation :oops:

wallstreetbarbie · Answer

Not meant to sting or anything just another point of view. I stuggle with the same... MGMAT 700-800 Qs kill my score... I get frustrated and then start missing some 600-700 Qs as well. As soon as my MGMAT course is over I will take 2 weeks to review everything and focus on their advanced book... then turn to the GMAT Club tests for some extra hard practice.

KarishmaB · Answer

We call this strategy the 'Quick Punt'. We have a post describing this and other timing strategies in detail. I have given you the link at the end and am pulling out an extract from that post for you:

The “quick punt” strategy is one that you should consider employing if you know that timing will be a significant factor for you on the test. If you’re resigned to having to rush, the quick punt strategy can help you win the time battle. Here’s how you can employ this strategy:

- Plan to “punt” on a predetermined number of questions (1 out of every 10 or 1 out of every 12…basically 1/4 or 1/3 of the test) and consider those punts to be assets – you own them and can feel free to use them at your discretion.

- When you see a question that looks difficult or time-consuming, use your punt within the first 30 seconds or less of looking at it so that you can bank nearly the full two minutes to spread over the rest of that section. This way, you have more time available for the questions that you know you can answer correctly. And because you’ve already predetermined that you’d guess, you psychologically don’t have to feel like you’ve quit or failed – you’ve just strategically deployed an asset.

someone79 · Answer

Good strategy, but how much score do you think a person can achieve with this strategy.

I think this strategy may be good for 650+ range, but for a score over 750+ this may not work, but really, this is a very sound advice.

KarishmaB · Answer

You should use this strategy when you know that timing will be a significant factor for you. If you find yourself rushing through the last few questions in almost every test, it is better to evenly spread out the 'guesses' rather than having them together at the end. The strategy works well for slow but conceptually strong people. 
4-5 consecutive guesses are bad for your score. A guess sandwiched between 10 questions will be taken as an aberration. It doesn't affect your score much. 
If you are good enough for a 750+ but a little slow, this strategy will ensure that you get as close as possible to that score.

eumbaapplicant799 · Answer

Good blog post. I've been having trouble with quant timing. I'm going to employ this strategy on my exam next week on 1-3 problems.

Which Questions to skip? - Strategy

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards