Trouble with thinking quickly

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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Trouble with thinking quickly

by joannabanana » Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:40 pm
When I do timed sets of practice problems I often have difficulty coming up with the answers to difficult problems. When this happens I usually just guess and move on. Then I go back and redo the problems I got wrong or had trouble with. I find that usually when I go back to these tough problems I get them quite easily and it often doesn't even take me that long. So it seems like if I'm on-the-clock my brain just shuts down and says "I can't do this" even though the problem is within my abilities. Does anyone else experience this? Any expert advice on how to overcome this?
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by ashokkadam » Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:48 am
All you need is practice my dear friend. Such experiences are normal :)
joannabanana wrote:When I do timed sets of practice problems I often have difficulty coming up with the answers to difficult problems. When this happens I usually just guess and move on. Then I go back and redo the problems I got wrong or had trouble with. I find that usually when I go back to these tough problems I get them quite easily and it often doesn't even take me that long. So it seems like if I'm on-the-clock my brain just shuts down and says "I can't do this" even though the problem is within my abilities. Does anyone else experience this? Any expert advice on how to overcome this?
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by Geva@EconomistGMAT » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:03 am
Two things here:

1) You have demonstrated to yourself that (almost) nothing in this test is beyond you: if you're thinking clearly, the problem is doable. Use this conviction: if a problem seems unsolvable at first glance, stop everything, look upwards, take a deep breath, and tell yourself "No GMAT question is unsolvable. This question does have an easy solution method hiding somewhere: I just need to find it. I can do this." Then take another look at the question with a clear mind, and solve. It's the same as opening a stubborn jar of pickles: twist the lid as hard as you think you possibly can, then dig in and twist till it opens.

Even experts get tunnel vision sometimes, and we don't always see the solution immediately. The difference is that we've solved enough GMAT questions (and tough ones, too) to know that if it's in the test, there HAS to be a way - it's not rocket science. This conviction, and the resulting confidence, is usually what it takes to tide you over.

2) The problem may stem from the fact that you're looking at the question, but not at the big picture, but I'll need more info on your timing to say if that is the case. If you let go of a tough question but end up finishing the section ahead of time, then you have lost out: you could've spent some time standing up to the question, but you didn't know it.

Thus, when you next find a tough question, take a look at the number of questions remaining and at the time: the two should hold an approximate 1 to 2 ratio. (e.g., at Q10 you have 27 Questions to go, the clock should show ~54 minutes).
If you're ahead of time (e.g.the time shows 56-60 minutes), it means that you've rushed ahead, and you can afford to relax now - you have just provided yourself with the hardcore evidence that there's no rush, and you can slow down and look at the question with a clear mind. Not that this is ideal - if you've rushed ahead of time, you have probably made some careless mistakes along the way - but at least you know that you have the time to deal with tough cookie on your plate right now.

If you're behind time, then it might be a good idea to let go of the question.
Check your pacing periodically (every 5 questions is a good rule of thumb), and work in a relaxed but methodical manner until that point at which you see that you're falling behind your time plan. Then, and only then, is it time for drastic measures such as letting go of a question early. The idea is to reach the final 37th question with 1.5-2 minutes - no more, no less.
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by joannabanana » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:39 am
tell yourself "No GMAT question is unsolvable." Love it! :)

As for pacing, yes I'm doing pretty much what you said. I find that sometimes I get ahead of the pace since I'm doing questions in order from OG (following BTG's 60 day guide) and they are easy at the start and then get harder. So I can usually solve the easy ones quickly so then I end up ahead. By the time I get to the medium difficulty questions I tend to be back on pace, and once I'm at the harder ones I find that I need more than 2min per question. I think this is what stresses me out and makes me think that I can't solve the question in that short amount of time, even though often when I come back to it it doesn't take me much longer than 2min.[/i]

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by Geva@EconomistGMAT » Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:55 am
joannabanana wrote:tell yourself "No GMAT question is unsolvable." Love it! :)

As for pacing, yes I'm doing pretty much what you said. I find that sometimes I get ahead of the pace since I'm doing questions in order from OG (following BTG's 60 day guide) and they are easy at the start and then get harder. So I can usually solve the easy ones quickly so then I end up ahead. By the time I get to the medium difficulty questions I tend to be back on pace, and once I'm at the harder ones I find that I need more than 2min per question. I think this is what stresses me out and makes me think that I can't solve the question in that short amount of time, even though often when I come back to it it doesn't take me much longer than 2min.[/i]
Pacing should really be measured in the context of a full, adaptive section - only then can you practice making the kind of decisions (go all out on a tough question, or leave it and move on) that the GMAT requires you to do. Don't let a single OG question stress you out - even test-takers who get a Q51 don't deal with "51 level" questions all the way. For one, the quant section also includes 9 experimental questions, which will not necessarily follows the adaptive algorithm and are not counted against your score.
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by Tani » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:55 am
It's called test anxiety and it is nearly universal. A couple of cures: first, practice. By the time you have done many, many problems and tests, the stress level will drop just because the process is more familiar.

The other is to develop little tricks to deal with the stress. Be aware of such signals as gritting your teeth or failing to breathe (honest - I see it all the time). Turn away from the screen for a second or two. Tighten and then release your muscles, to be sure they are relaxed. Take a deep breath to make sure you are getting oxygen. If it helps, picture an idyllic experience for a moment (on a beach in Cancun, by a mountain stream, in bed with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa - whatever works for you). Just break away from the intensity of the experience long enough to reverse the physical signs of stress. Those will in turn alleviate the psychological stress.
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by joannabanana » Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:10 am
Thanks, that sounds like good advice too, though I'm not sure if I can actually picture myself doing that in the test! I think that if I started thinking about Cancun I'd end up thinking that I'm wasting precious test minutes and end up even more stressed :) I understand what you're saying though and will try it in my next practice CAT.

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by Tani » Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:33 am
The tricvk is not to waste minutes, but to take seconds to break the hold that stress has on you. Try it on your next practice test. You might be surprised. :-)
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