How to properly set timing when using the OG17 book

[KatharineT943]

Hi there,

I've been practicing with timed sets from the OG 16 and OG 17 and Quant 17 books. I try to do mixed problem sets, to include different difficulty levels of questions and different types of questions in each set. However, I notice that it does take time to flip around the books to get to the next questions I have set out across the books. When I am setting my timer, should I add some extra time to allocate for flipping around the books? For example, if I am doing five quant problems, should I add 30 seconds to my 10 minute allocated time? Should I add 60 seconds? Should I add none at all?

Timed and confused.,

Katharine

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice signature.

And good question! I use stickies. (This is when I'm not just randomly choosing—sometimes I just do random flip the page, point, start, since the real test is going to mix up your topics too.)

So, let's say I decide I'm going to do questions 4, 63, 99, and 152. I have these little mini-sticky notes—and I put one on each page that I need. If the problem is along the edge of the page somewhere, I put the sticky there, right on the problem. If it's not, then I write the problem # I want on the sticky. If you want to do them in a certain order, write #1, #2, #3, etc, on the edge of the sticky that's visible when the book is closed. (But I recommend just doing these in any random order! Either rip the sticky out when you're done—so you don't flip to that page again—or make a check mark on the part of the sticky that's visible. Also, in general, make sure your first step is to write down the problem number on your scrap paper, so that you know exactly what work goes with which problem.)

Do the above and you can flip to a new problem in about the same time that it takes to click Next and Confirm on the real test—so no extra time needed!

For more on doing problem sets in general, see here:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2017/01/ ... est-part-1