Optional break timings

Ajas,
I recently asked this same question and according to Veritas Prep -

"The break is now 8 minutes, which was just changed this year. Thank you." - Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 3:47 PM

Hope this helps.

Hey Ajas,

Good question - the GMAT has tinkered with its break schedule over the years, but since last summer the schedule has been that you have an optional 8-minute break between the AWA and Quant sections, and another 8-minute break between the Quant and the Verbal sections.

That 8-minute break is fixed at exactly 8 minutes, so be careful not to accidentally take 10! I've heard of students who came back to their seat a few minutes late to find that the section had continued without them and then had less time to finish.

8 minutes goes fast, so you may want to practice taking 8-minute breaks in your study sessions so that you're used to it. But if 8 minutes is enough time to get a good ab workout, it should be enough to refresh between sections...

I'd suggest that you come back a few minutes before the 8 minute mark. My testing center had palm reading identification. Just my luck the whole thing starts to go haywire and I'm sitting there watching my much needed minutes go down the drain. If you need every minute like I did then it pays to extra cautious just in case.