Time Management - First 10 Questions

[Levent-g]

Hi All,

I have read a lot of articles regarding the right time strategy like investing a more time for the first 10 questions vs. spending equal time for all the questions.

Of course it isn't advisable to spend to much time on the fist 10 questions, but if the GMAT Algorithm is creating a profile of the test taker within those questions, I wonder if I should spend a bit more on them.

Thanks

Levent

[StaceyKoprince]

This is a myth. Don't base any strategy on it. Don't spend extra time on the earlier questions. :)

There are many variables that go into the overall score; at the end of the section, every question ends up being pretty much equally weighted.

If you want to know more about how the scoring works, you can read the Scoring section of our free e-book The GMAT Uncovered Guide. I include a discussion there about the myth of the first (5, 7, 10) questions. (The number changes randomly depending on where you're reading this... another clue that it's not right. :)

Or you can just take my word for it. Up to you. :)

Here's how to manage your time:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

(Note: that's a two-part article; make sure to read both parts.)

[Levent-g]

Oh, I have read a lot of your words and they helped me a lot. :-)

The only thing which is confusing is that the OG is stating this itself somehow, saying: "It is true that the computer-adaptive testing algorithm uses the first 10 questions to obtain an initial estimate of your ability; however, that is only an inital estimate. As you continue to answer questions, the algorithm self corrects by computing an updated estimate...."

I have read your articel on time management and it is really good. :-)

[StaceyKoprince]

Yes, it is true that certain things are going on in the early questions. But think of it this way: certain other things are going on later on that counteract what happens during the first ten. :) That's only one piece of the full puzzle.

The overall result is that, by the end, all of the questions are close to equally weighted (close enough that the small differences don't matter).

The real thing to remember: if you mess up the timing anywhere (including during the first 10), you're probably not going to get the score you want in the end.

[Levent-g]

Thanks Stacey - Understood, not messing up regarding timing is definitly higher priority.

Most of those theories are not so much focused on how those questions are weighted. It is assumed that if somebody messes up on the first questions, the algorithm creates a profile which gives you lower scored questions for a certain time until you reach the higher scored questions again. To climb up from the lower profile phase is considered more disadvantageously than working with a higher profile from the begining, even if you answer some subsequent questions wrong.

[StaceyKoprince]

I agree with that *theory*. There are two reasons why that theory doesn't actually work in practice. :)

(1) Spending extra time does not automatically translate into correct answers. In fact, for the most part, when we go beyond about 3 minutes, we just really don't know how to do the problem, so now we're wasting time AND not getting it right.

(2) If you spend extra time at the beginning, that time has to come from somewhere else. You either have to rush on other questions throughout (risking careless mistakes on things that you did know how to do) or, even worse, you run out of time at the end of the section and have a string of wrong answers in a row... right before the test ends so you have no opportunity to lift your score again.

Remember that where you end is what you get. Your score is NOT calculated by averaging your performance once you're done. So if you finish low, that's it. That's your score. (This is one of those "other factors" I mentioned in my last post.)

In a nutshell: believe me, I know the theory (backwards and forwards!). But the theory doesn't actually play out that way in practice. :)

[Levent-g]

Looks like more disadvantages than advantages :-(

Stacey,
sometimes I have problems to understand what the questions is asking for, especially in PS. May be because I am not a native speaker or the question is phrased in a difficult way. What would you recommend in those cases?

1) How much time should I spend to repeat reading that question? Plus time for organizing information if there are many.

Thank you very much

Levent

[StaceyKoprince]

We *all* sometimes have problems understanding what the problem is saying - it's not just because you're not a native speaker. :) They're deliberately writing some questions to make that difficult.

In the moment, there's really nothing you can do. You don't know how to do it and you can't come back to it later or look something up or ask someone or anything. The only thing you *can* do is make sure that you don't lose time on that problem.

For a quant question (average 2 min), you've got roughly about 1 minute to figure out what's going on (and then 1 remaining minute to do the needed work). If you really don't know what's going on by that time, then you should switch to educated guessing for 30-45 seconds, and then you should move on.

NEVER spend *extra* time (above the average) on any question that you're struggling to understand in the first place. Cut those off faster.

Have you read my time management article yet? That's what you do. :)

By the way, the below article talks about this issue in general: how they try to disguise what's going on and what we can try to do about it. Note that what we can try to do takes place during our study time - that is, ahead of time, what we can do to learn to think how they think in the first place. In the moment, while the clock is ticking, it's already too late. Nice shot - they got me.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -Problems/

[Levent-g]

All right - What I was referring to was that there is a small difference between a question you understand but are not able to solve and one you don't understand for any reason.

I have read your article, but I admit it was quite a while ago. But If remember correctly you distinguish between questions you can or cannot solve.

If you don't understand the question stem, it is even difficult to guess and you should move on immediately. Possibly you could check if there are some patterns in the answer choices. If I understand the question I would spend some more time may be. So for those questions I should spend max. 1 minute. (45 sec for reading, and 15 sec for guessing). Instead the 2 minutes for a question you can’t solve.

Do you think that is reasonable?

Thanks

[StaceyKoprince]

Yes, if you know you don't know, do still see whether you can narrow down the answers. If so, you can spend a reasonable amount of time (30-45 seconds) as long as you're not going over the full normal time. If not, just guess your favorite letter immediately. :) Ideally, if it's so hard that you know you don't know, you want to *save* a little time on that problem - at least turn it into an advantage just on that one measure.

Even when I don't know how to do something, I sometimes know what you're NOT supposed to do. I had a really complicated combinatorics question one time. The numbers 9 and 5 were mentioned in the problem and one answer was 45. I knew it wasn't just 9*5, even though I also knew I wasn't actually going to be able to do the question in 2m.

If it's a "paired answer" problem, I don't pick the odd one out. (eg, the problem talks about Suresh's and Amy's percentages for something and ask for Suresh's percentage. The two percentages total to 100%. The answers are 30% 35% 40% 60% 65%. Which one DON'T I pick?

30%. Because the most common mistake in a "pair" question is to solve for the wrong thing (in this case, Amy instead of Suresh). But 30% doesn't have a "pair" in the answers - there's no 70%. So if I have to guess, I'm not going to guess 30%.

I'd also ask myself whether I can tell that Suresh should be higher or lower than Amy. If I can tell, then that will let me cross off two more answers - either 35 and 40 or 60 and 65. Now I'm down to 2 answers even though I still don't know how to do it. :)

[Levent-g]

Many thanks Stacey :-)

[StaceyKoprince]

you're welcome!