Reviewing CAT tests - best practices

[AncillaC802]

I need some input on best practices for reviewing the Manhattan CAT-style exams that I've written (verbal and quant section). There's a lot that I can learn from my mistakes but it takes me a long time to go through them! It takes me 3-4 days to go through all 78 questions. I don't go too in detail with the 700-800 questions but even then, it still takes me a while. (I'm working on perfecting my 500-600 level questions right and then tackling some of the 600-700 level questions that I answered incorrectly). I'm starting to burn out a little just sitting there and reviewing all of the questions.

I am thinking there must be a better way. How long do other people generally take to review their CAT tests? Or do they section it in chunks and review it as the days go by?

Thanks for your input in advance.

[tim]

I typically tell my students that spending extra time in review is one of the best things they can do. Those two minutes spent doing the problem are just an investment in learning enough about the problem that you can then benefit from review. If you then spend 30 seconds reviewing the problem, only 20% of your total time is spent on a beneficial review. On the other hand, if you spend 8 minutes reviewing the problem, now 80% of your time is beneficial review. Of course, this assumes all the review time you put in is actually productive. But the bottom line is you should not worry about how much time it takes to review a problem; instead just be sure that you are spending your time wisely and getting everything you can out of each question.

If you are concerned about burnout, take a break every so often and either switch to something else GMAT-related or even take a break from studying altogether for a few hours.