Trouble with test time constraints

[johnhurford]

I've been studying for the GRE since early January this year (I've put in ~290 hours of studying so far - yes I'm a nerd and have a time log). Anyways, I'm feeling like given no time limit I've mastered the GRE material enough to get the scores I want (70% on verbal and 90% on quant). However when I do practice tests, or time myself on practice problems I am getting crushed on my scores (e.g. like 50% on verbal and 70% on the quant).

Any tips, words or wisdom, advice on how to transition from no time constraints to time constraints and still score well (e.g. 70% on verbal and 90% on quant)? How do I find the right balance of using the skills I've built up to get a lot of the question right and also make sure I finish the test on time??????

Thanks

John

[tommywallach]

Hey John,

Well, you're not going to like this first note, but here it comes: When we work with students, we make sure to tell them on day one that there's really not much of a point in studying without a timer going. Personally, I wouldn't let a private student of mine do ONE hour of studying without having a stopwatch going and forcing herself to pick an educated guess when time was up, even if the question hadn't been "completed." To do 290 hours that way...well, it was inevitably going to lead you to this situation.

So what can you do? Well, the first thing is realize that the statement "I could do great with unlimited time" is functionally meaningless. The majority of people can do great with unlimited time. From now on, you never do a single question without forcing yourself to a realistic time constraint (2 minutes for PS, 1:15 for QC, 1 minute for vocab, 2 minutes for Argument Structure RC, and between 1 and 3 minutes for questions on long RC passages, depending). You will always have an answer LOGGED by the end of that time period AND you can't actually look at the clock (by which I mean you can't have the timer go "ding" to warn you when you need to have an answer--you have to make a guess when you think that time is up, and then you can get a sense if you're rushing or going too slowly). You need to realize that doing well on the test involves learning how to make educated guesses and pacing plans, not simply answering questions correctly.

All of this may be old news to you, in which case it's time to buckle down on it. If it's "new" news to you, then I hope it helps! It isn't as if the 290 hours you spent is wasted or anything--far from it! It's just that now you have to turn your attention to a few totally different aspects of standardized tests: pacing, prioritizing, and guessing.

-t

[johnhurford]

Hi Tommy,

Solid advice! I'm so glad to hear your perspective. I did the online class self-paced and have done 3 hours of private tutoring with one of your colleagues and no one at manhattan shared the 'always use a timer rule' - I know it's not all for naught but you're right I've got a long way to go at getting efficiently fast.

John

[tommywallach]

Glad to help! Good luck!