Question Regarding Whiteboard and Test Start Time

stevennu wrote:Magoosh recommends creating a chart at the beginning of the quant / verbal section outlining the number of questions in the respective section and the amount of time remaining for that section. When you are given the white board, do you have time (off the clock) to create this chart, or does time start immediately? I just want to make sure I'm preparing correctly.

I know that the test starts with the AWA. I'm wondering when the white board is given to you and if you have time write stuff on it before the time starts.

Thanks,

Hi Mate,

I have given the Gmat twice before. They will give you the whiteboard as soon as you sign up. But they will ask you not to right anything until your time starts. In both my tests they advised me that not to right anything until my watch starts. Even though they will give you the white board about 10-15 before your time starts because signing and palm scanning take some time. But you can't write anything until your official clock starts.

Thanks
Rakesh

I really do not recommend any complex chart to check for timing. The fact is that every test session is different and every test taker has questions that take her more time or less time. What if you check after 10 questions on verbal and then after 15 questions and it looks like you too way too much time, but it was a reading passage and so you had none of the quicker sentence correction questions in there? What if you check after the first 10 questions on Quant and 7 of them were longer problem solving questions?

I only check my time on the quant section after I have completed 25 questions. You should have 25 minutes left after 25 questions. Even then you should not panic. Last official test I was seemingly 5 minutes behind with only 20 minutes left for those last 12 questions. However, the next five questions were very good types for me and took 1 minute each and I was back on track.

I think that there is a tendency to rely on the clock too much. You have to develop an internal clock. The key is each problem. Are you doing your best job on that problem? And if that problem is not going to happen today or going to take over 3 minutes then you need to know when and how to get away from that one.

Here is an article that can help you develop that internal clock, which is a much more natural way than checking timing standards every 5 questions, in my opinion.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/04/ ... at-success

Thanks David. I'll take that into consideration.