How to manage time on GMAT math problems

Solving GMAT math problems correctly is half the challenge. The other half is getting the correct answer in less than 2 minutes for each of the 37 questions. That’s easier said than done. It is easy to get obsessed by questions that you know exactly how to solve. Before you knew it, you’ve spent a good 5 minutes in it, sacrificing a couple of questions already. There are a few things you must remember to avoid getting stumped by time constraints.

Here are some suggestions on how you go about managing your time.

1. Pick up your pace by using shortcuts.

During the practice tests, you have learned about the many ways of solving different types of questions. Apply the quickest method and your tested techniques. If you took less than a minute on a problem, don’t waste too much time reviewing it simply because you have around 2 minutes allotted per question. Move to the next. The minutes and seconds you accumulate from time-saving questions can be spent on higher-difficulty questions.

2. Learn how to use educated guesses.

By the time you take the actual GMAT, you would have taken several hundreds of practice quantitative questions. You know already what questions you are strong at, what types of problems you are at your weakest, and the types of problems that take you too long to answer. If you can’t answer a question in 3.5 minutes, then you probably won’t be able to answer it in 5 or 6. It is best to approximate your answer and take educated guesses. There is no wisdom in subjecting yourself to stress with one question at the expense of other questions which you might perform better at.

3. Establish target milestones for every time mark.

Divide GMAT Quant into 3 parts, each part is assigned a 25-minute mark. Hence, you must have answered question #1 through #12 for the first 25 minute-mark, and #13 through #25 for the 50-minute mark. With 25 minutes remaining and maintaining consistent pace, you will have ample time for the last 12 questions. Seeing the whole test as a 3-part test allows you to check your pace and techniques, and make corrections along the way.

4. Get a clear picture.

Don’t let the test rush your nerves and your mind. Read the questions carefully and attentively. Familiarity with test formats and problem types would have taught you to digest every given data and write them on the scratch paper at the first run of the question. Even without making computations yet, look over the answer choices and think critically about how improbable, how significantly apart the values are, and how exact your computation has to be. For instance, if the choices present answers in the pi (π) format, it suggests that you can solve for the formula (say, a circular area) in terms of pi and you will not need to stress yourself unnecessarily with precise computations.

5. Familiarize with commonly used fractions, percent, square and cube roots, and exponents.

Knowing like second nature how a number in percent converts to fraction without computing manually will definitely save you time.

In GMAT time management, we have emphasized the value of making educated guess in some instances. However, avoid making 2 or more guesses in a row. If you get your guesses wrong, your score will suffer penalties.