TIME MANAGEMENT

The GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test. Simply put, a Computer Adaptive Test adapts to your performance while you are taking the test. A correct answer will increase the difficulty of the next question. A wrong answer will lead to an easier question.

Spend your time effectively

If you focus on getting all questions correctly, you will eventually face questions that are too difficult. This will put you at risk of running out of time before you’ve finished the test. This should be avoided at all costs: your score will decrease significantly with each unanswered question.

This means you need to learn to pace yourself. You simply don’t have enough time to answer all questions correctly, so you need to spend your time wisely. You should not spend too much time on questions that are too hard for you. Instead, you should spend time on the questions that you are certain you can answer correctly.

So, how do you do this?

Know yourself

First, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Watch the videos describing our self-study method to learn the best way to achieve this.

Use freebies

Secondly, you should get comfortable with guessing questions, in other words: using freebies. When you read a question and realize you have no clue how to tackle it: don’t waste your time! Just take a random guess. Allowing yourself freebies gives you extra time on questions that you will be able to answer correctly. It also saves energy and brainpower. Allow yourself approximately 5 freebies on the Quantitative section of the GMAT.

Build in benchmarks

Finally, you should build in benchmarks. Keep track of how many questions you’ve finished and how much time you have left. With every 10 minutes passed, you should have completed approximately 5 questions. Write down these and regularly check if you are on track. This will ensure that you keep your pace and are not left with unanswered questions in the end.

In addition to the above tips, we recommend our Quantitative Bootcamp and Verbal Bootcamp. This is because these are specifically focused on endurance. During these bootcamps, you will learn how to increase your efficiency and make good use of your time.