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Timing Strategies for Quant Section

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Timing Strategies for Quant Section

by brillante1990 » Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:25 am
Hello All,

I searched the forum but couldn't find a concrete timing strategy for the Quant Section. Here are my practice test results so far using:

MGMAT Diagnostic Test
Quant: 29, 25%
Verbal: 34, 72%
Total: 530, 46%

Practice Test #2
Quant: 28, 24%
Verbal: 34, 72%
Total: 520, 44%

Practice Test #3
Quant: 29, 25%
Verbal: 36, 81%
Total: 540, 50%

I would really like to focus on Quant considering im scoring in the 25% range :( I feel like I know the concepts really well, but looking at the statistics I see i've been spending 3:00+ minutes on about 6 questions per test, and 2:30+ on about 12 questions. Any timing strategy techniques would really be helpful thank you!
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by tpr-becky » Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:12 pm
Timing strategies are a bit personal but I can tell you what I tell my students in your scoring range.

When you first get a question ask yourself if you think you can finish it within 3 minutes - if you think you can then you should do it and do it well. If you think the question will take you longer than that amount of time then it is probably a good question to skip. after you finish a question evaluate how long it took and whether it was within the time you expected. Then go over it and look for more time efficient ways to solve the problem to increase your speed.

You also want to do lots of timed drills so you get a sense of the timing of the test. Most students feel it is good enough to alot 2 minutes per question for sets of 10-20 questions depending on the amount of time you have available.

Finally, you want to see if you are focusing too much on solving problems and not using enough strategy. Most GMAT questions can be solved using time saving techniques that also improve accuracy. Students who feel that strategy is cutting corners sell themselves short in the long run becuase they miss out on points that could be easily achieved.

Best of Luck,
Becky
Master GMAT Instructor
The Princeton Review
Irvine, CA
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by brillante1990 » Wed Apr 25, 2012 4:13 pm
Thank you Becky, what is the best way to practice drills? As in, do I do them out of the OG book or any other method you would recommend? Thank you!
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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Apr 25, 2012 5:18 pm
Becky is right on the money. You have to get away from problems that you are not likely to get right in 3 minutes. But how will you know?

Generally if you have a good solid strategy for a question within 1 minute to 90 seconds you will be able to finish that problem in around 2 minutes more.

If on the other hand you do not have a strategy within 90 seconds you are unlikely to solve it in 3 minutes.

I happen to have recently discussed exactly how to practice developing a strategy and knowing what 1 minute feels like in this article https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/04/ ... at-success

Hope it helps!
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

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