Not enough time in Quantitative

[justinkim86]

I can't seem to finish the quantitative section in time...I am always left with about 10-12 questions with 3-4 minutes to go. Sometimes I find myself taking longer on an easier math question because of some silly mind block. I get caught up into one of these questions and spend about 3-4 minutes...at that point i'm on the verge of answering the question, and I am reluctant to guess and move on because I've already invested so much time.

I feel like I could do a lot better if I just had like 10 more minutes to complete the section, which of course, will not happen.

Any suggestions for improving my timing?

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

I feel like I could do a lot better if I just had like 10 more minutes to complete the section, which of course, will not happen.

Any suggestions for improving my timing?

Everybody feels this way. :) And you're almost there (in terms of answering your own question!). You're not going to get more time, so you've got to reclaim that time from somewhere. Where?

First, change your mindset: This test is not just testing you on whether you know the material and can answer the questions. It's also testing you on whether you can set priorities and manage your time appropriately (as any good businessperson should know how to do!). Think about your average workday - sometimes there are things you have to leave till tomorrow or next week, right? Sometimes there are things you have to give to somebody else or say you can't do.

Think of this as a tennis match, not a test. You're going to win some points and the other guy is going to win some points; you're not going to win them all, right? Your goal is to put yourself into position to win the LAST point. Translated, that means you have to put yourself in position to answer the last question - you have to have time to address it. Otherwise, you've lost the last point, and by extension the match. When the other guy hits a winner, don't go running after it so fast that you hit the fence and injure yourself, thereby hurting your chances on the later points. (Translation: don't go way over when the problem is too hard.)

Next, let's work on that specific timing issue. Start with this article:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/12/ ... management

I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch. If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think one minute has gone by, push the lap button. When you're done, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec). Note: at the same time that you are using the stopwatch to time this "1-minute" thing, also use the OG Stopwatch (in your student center) to track the total time spent on each question.

Now, how do you use that when doing quant? If you're not on track by one minute, make an educated guess** and move on. (The general idea is that if you're not on track by the halfway mark, you're unlikely to figure out what's holding you back AND have time to do the whole problem in the 1 min you have left.)

** This also requires you to know HOW to make an educated guess depending upon the type of problem and the content being tested. So that's something else to add to your study: how to make educated guesses on different kinds of problems. Here's an article to help on quant:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... s-on-quant