How to practice timing for GMAT?

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arunika: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:40 pm

by arunika » Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:17 am

I have signed up for the 60 day GMAT study plan and so as per the schedule for day 22 I retook the GMAT Prep Test1. This time my score went down from the first time I took the test and the reason was that i could not complete the test in time and 11 questions went unanswered. Although my accuracy has improved considerably in Quant over the last 20 days, but my timing has gone for a toss.

Please help me some ways in which i can practice timing so that i cna complete my test in time.
If there are any additional tests that I should to take then please suggest which ones i should take.

I am really worried now since my exam is on the 22nd August and very less time is left now.
Please help!!

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:17 am

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:27 am

First of all, you're still in the early stages of your prep, so don't let the results of 1 practice test throw you off.
As you've guessed, leaving 11 question unanswered will kill your score.
I suggest that you use a Milestone Chart to keep you on track. This is covered in our free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Also, early in one's studies, it's a good idea to use a stopwatch to help get an idea of what 2 minutes feels like. This tip and others can be found in my BTG articles on "making friends with time on the GMAT"
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/06/ ... mat-part-i
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/07/ ... at-part-ii

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:03 pm

I'd have Benchmarks in front of your computer as you take EVERY practice CAT from now on. That way you can check in as you go and guess as necessary to "catch up" to where you should be. It may not be possible for you to finish all the questions within the timing. It's MUCH better to guess on several questions spread out throughout a section than leave a string of unanswered (or incorrect) questions at the very end of the section. Here's some benchmarks I'd recommend to get you started.

You should also be doing pacing drills in between your practice CATs to give you some pacing pressure. For example, 10 SC's in 20 minutes, 1 long RC passage with 5 questions in 12 minutes. Don't make pacing something that only comes up during your practice CATs.

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:01 am

Here are the milestones that we (at GMAT Prep Now) recommend:

We feel that these times are easily remembered so you can quickly jot them on your noteboard on test day.

Aside: Notice that the Verbal times decrease by 9 minutes every 5 questions.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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