How to Know When to Move on From a GMAT Verbal Question
In the later stages of your GMAT preparation, you’ll start doing sets of Verbal practice questions under time constraints. At that point, your goal isn’t just to get questions right. It’s also to get them right efficiently. So, as you work through these timed sets, it’s important to maintain an awareness of where you are in the process of solving each question.
Are you making progress?
Are you stuck?
Are you just beginning to work through the logic, or are you seconds away from locking in a strong answer?
That kind of awareness is crucial. Knowing approximately how far you are from answering a Verbal question can help you determine whether to keep going or make your best educated guess and move on. After all, time is limited, and spending too long on one question can cost you the chance to answer several others.
The good news is that even before you start doing fully timed sets, you can begin developing this “in-question” progress awareness. As you practice individual questions, pay attention to how long different types of Verbal tasks take you. For example, in a Critical Reasoning Weaken question, how many seconds do you usually need to identify the conclusion and understand the argument? When do you typically feel close to finding a strong weakening option? In Reading Comprehension, how long does it take you to read a short versus long passage? Once you’ve eliminated a few answer choices, how much time do you need to pick between the remaining two?
These are not questions you’ll answer perfectly on day one, but tracking these patterns can provide powerful insight. Over time, you’ll learn your own pacing tendencies and be better equipped to manage time under pressure.
This kind of self-awareness allows you to make smart decisions during the test. If you’re still sorting out the argument structure with 90 seconds already gone, you may need to make a call soon. If you’re down to two choices with 20 seconds left, maybe it’s worth hanging in and making a confident selection.
In short, part of mastering the GMAT Verbal section is knowing not just how to get right answers, but also how to gauge when a right answer is within reach. That’s what allows you to be both accurate and efficient when it matters most.
Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
