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Gut Feeling vs. Mathematical Proof

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Gut Feeling vs. Mathematical Proof

by Aero20 » Wed May 04, 2011 7:42 am
Going through practice problems, it seems like there are quite a few DS questions where I don't have the skills or time to mathematically prove that the statements are sufficient or not sufficient, but I have a feeling, or "sense" of the sufficiency. When I read the OG answers, I can follow along the math, but I likely wouldn't have come up with the formulas or whatever myself (at least without a lot of time).

What's the community's opinion on going with your gut? Is it somewhat expected in order to complete the test in time that you'll have to go with a lot of hunches if you're getting a lot of hard questions?

(Aiming for 700+)
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by VivianKerr » Thu May 05, 2011 6:30 am
Hi Aero,

I think the only safe time to "go with your gut" is when you've practiced so many DS that you are recognizing the same tested concepts over and over and you see a question that is 99% like one you've seen before. DS is more logic-based than PS, so that "gut feeling" IS important overall.

However, my ultimate verdict is that it's dangerous to try and "go with your gut" on most questions, especially if you're aiming for 700+. Sometimes DS are NOT as simple as they first appear. My concern would be that your "go with your gut" approach would actually lead to more incorrect answers, and a lack of really understanding the Math involved to solve.

You may need to "go with your gut" sometimes on practice tests for pacing reasons, but when you are studying, now is the time to really break each question down and get into the nitty-gritty. Make sure you aren't just looking for an easy way out. ;)
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by MAAJ » Thu May 05, 2011 8:00 am
I'm not even near to 700 but by my own personal experience, when I answer a DS question with the "gut feeling" I have a 50% chance to get it wrong. I think that most people will tell you the same.

Although, I think its better to guess on DS than on PS questions...
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu May 05, 2011 8:23 am
Aero20 wrote:Going through practice problems, it seems like there are quite a few DS questions where I don't have the skills or time to mathematically prove that the statements are sufficient or not sufficient, but I have a feeling, or "sense" of the sufficiency. When I read the OG answers, I can follow along the math, but I likely wouldn't have come up with the formulas or whatever myself (at least without a lot of time).

What's the community's opinion on going with your gut? Is it somewhat expected in order to complete the test in time that you'll have to go with a lot of hunches if you're getting a lot of hard questions?

(Aiming for 700+)
If we're weighing in with personal opinions, I've always felt that our unconscious minds are pretty clever. So, I wouldn't rule out the hunch/feeling/sense thing.

That said, it's a reasonably easy hypothesis to test. Just find a bunch of upper-level questions and keep track of your accuracy as you use your intuition to answer questions.

Cheers,
Brent
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