Improving on Timing

[ssmiles08]

Hey guys,

I am practicing quant right now in my prep and I feel that my time is a BIG issue.

For most of the challenging problems IMO i can get the answer, but it usually takes a bit of time. Does anyone know how to improve with timing? Is it just an overload of practice?

Thanks

[Claret]

Not just an overload of practice but an overload of quality practice..

Here's what i can tell you from my personal experience :
one way to gain speed in quant is to do mental calculations..
doing each and every step on paper kills speed .. for eg if you arrive at a solution in four steps, do, say two of them, mentally and rest on paper.. Initially it may affect your accuracy but if you can make mental calculations your second nature it will definitely help you achieve your target speed..

another way is to know certain tips and tricks specific to the GMAT..
as in knowing that the mean and median of an equally spaced set are equal will aid you in solving certain tedious time consuming DS questions in a jiffy..
equipping yourself with some frequently tested formulas will do you no harm- eg the total time taken by Jane and Jack to complete a certain task if they complete the same task individually in 'x' and 'y' hours respectively is xy/(x+y)

As you progress in your preps you will surely come across formulas that are more frequently asked than the others.Make a note of these and revise them regularly.

Also there are instances when plugging in values for variables is more time consuming than solving the problem algebraically.. If you are able to discern such a scenario , time will definitely be by your side..

good luck!

Claret

[ssmiles08]

Not just an overload of practice but an overload of quality practice..

Here's what i can tell you from my personal experience :
one way to gain speed in quant is to do mental calculations..
doing each and every step on paper kills speed .. for eg if you arrive at a solution in four steps, do, say two of them, mentally and rest on paper.. Initially it may affect your accuracy but if you can make mental calculations your second nature it will definitely help you achieve your target speed..

another way is to know certain tips and tricks specific to the GMAT..
as in knowing that the mean and median of an equally spaced set are equal will aid you in solving certain tedious time consuming DS questions in a jiffy..
equipping yourself with some frequently tested formulas will do you no harm- eg the total time taken by Jane and Jack to complete a certain task if they complete the same task individually in 'x' and 'y' hours respectively is xy/(x+y)

As you progress in your preps you will surely come across formulas that are more frequently asked than the others.Make a note of these and revise them regularly.

Also there are instances when plugging in values for variables is more time consuming than solving the problem algebraically.. If you are able to discern such a scenario , time will definitely be by your side..

good luck!

Claret

THank you...what you say certainly does make a lot of sense. Doing it mentally does affect my accuracy, but I guess that comes with practice...

Will keep everything you said in mind! certainly very insightful...Good Luck on your GMAT! you are no doubt going to rock it!

[vineetbatra]

Not just an overload of practice but an overload of quality practice..

Here's what i can tell you from my personal experience :
one way to gain speed in quant is to do mental calculations..
doing each and every step on paper kills speed .. for eg if you arrive at a solution in four steps, do, say two of them, mentally and rest on paper.. Initially it may affect your accuracy but if you can make mental calculations your second nature it will definitely help you achieve your target speed..

another way is to know certain tips and tricks specific to the GMAT..
as in knowing that the mean and median of an equally spaced set are equal will aid you in solving certain tedious time consuming DS questions in a jiffy..
equipping yourself with some frequently tested formulas will do you no harm- eg the total time taken by Jane and Jack to complete a certain task if they complete the same task individually in 'x' and 'y' hours respectively is xy/(x+y)

As you progress in your preps you will surely come across formulas that are more frequently asked than the others.Make a note of these and revise them regularly.

Also there are instances when plugging in values for variables is more time consuming than solving the problem algebraically.. If you are able to discern such a scenario , time will definitely be by your side..

good luck!

Claret

This is some good advice. I am starting my preparation and I was wondering if some book etc covers these kind of concepts or as you said "Tried and Tested" formulas.

It will be really helpful if someone can share some thought on this.

[VP_Jim]

I think the above advice is really good. I always tell my students: if you had unlimited time, we'd all get perfect (okay, near perfect!) scores on the quant section. It's the timing that's the issue. I think that the biggest skills you need on the quant section (timing-wise) are as follows:

1. Doing quick mental math. As mentioned above, writing stuff down is a serious time-killer. I only use about two pages of the scratch paper. If you're doing lots of calculations, not only are you using precious time, but you're also probably not doing the problem the right way since most GMAT problem can be solved without tedious math.

2. Related to point #1, you MUST know your number properties. Knowing that odd x odd = odd (for example) can save you loads of time by bypassing any need to use actual numbers/calculations.

3. Be comfortable with the common types of GMAT word problems. If you can read a problem, say to yourself "this is a work problem. I can solve this by...." you will save yourself lots of time. Solving a problem halfway before realizing that you're doing it wrong is a definite no-no if you want to score well.

4. On the other hand, sometimes you WILL need to correct your approach mid-problem. Knowing when to do this - preferably earlier rather than later in the problem! - is an important skill. If you're quick with your mental math, you will likely be able to correct midstream a few times during the test without hurting yourself too much.

5. Be confident in your answers. Don't check your work three times before hitting submit. Work carefully, but not at the expense of your timing.

6. Know when to cut your losses, guess, and move on. Many students have trouble with timing on quant because they get obsessed with a couple problems, spend 6-7 minutes on them, and get them wrong anyway. If you haven't solved a problem in 3 minutes, it's time to move on. Don't sacrifice the rest of your exam for one question.

I hope this helps! Of course, real improvement in timing just comes from practice, but these strategies should help, too.

[ssmiles08]

Thank you VP_Jim, your 6 pointers definitely answer some of my lingering questions. I do have a couple of follow up questions if you don't mind answering them. (or anyone else please feel free to drop your input)

DS problems. I hear these are supposed to be time savers, but for some reason I spend more time on them than PS especially b/c they are too abstract. I find myself spending way too much time on plugging in numbers for problems like: is x > y? or anything dealing with 2 or more variables. Is there some kind of strategy to use for plugging in numbers or any other way to deal with these types of problems? I guess in PS, you are looking for a more concrete answer, but in DS I often find my self solving the entire problem to be sure I am not missing any critical information. (I guess here comes the part where I need to be more confident in my answers).

Also, speaking of number properties I find myself weak in remainder problems or anything remotely related to probability/permutation (where I fail miserably) Does anyone know any good books/resources/tips/tricks that could aid me through these issues? Thus far, I have used Kaplan math WB, and some of MGMAT quant books.

THank you!

[ket]

ssmiles08 Thanks for posting this question because I am dealing with the same stuff!

Nice to hear great advices from VP_Jim.


I was also wondering if I should try using Manhattan stopwatch. The ad on web says:

"The Manhattan GMAT stopwatch ... displays time for individual problems and cumulative exercises, and recalls times for up to 30 questions."

What do you think?