Poor time management is a problem for many, perhaps even most, test takers on the GMAT and GRE. There are 2 main ways to deal with such difficulties. One is to get better/faster at approaching individual questions. This is obviously important and something we will discuss in a separate article. The other way is to have better “global” time management strategies, in other words, to be better at how you allocate time throughout the sections of the tests. This latter factor is all-important, is underappreciated by most test takers, and is a major focus of what we teach at Reason Test Prep.
What Most People Do Wrong on the GMAT and GRE and What You Can Do Right
Most people have one of two outcomes when they work through the sections of the GMAT or GRE, and this is particularly true of Quant on both tests and of Data Insights on the GMAT. Some people simply don’t finish the section(s). They get 2 or 3 or 4 questions from the end of the section and then run out of time and make random guesses or, worse, don’t even answer the remaining questions (for an understanding of the penalty for leaving questions unanswered on the GMAT, see our article on that). Others finish the sections just in the nick of time, but they literally select their answer for that last question seconds before time runs out and have no time to go back to any questions in the section.
But there is a third option that is far better than the above two. That is to get to the end of the section with a handful of minutes to spare so that you can go back to questions that you let go of. It’s difficult to overstate just how much better and even empowering this can be. We’re not saying it’s easy to implement. It takes practice. But most test takers feel like they’re taking a different test once they know they can get to the end of the sections with time to spare. It’s a completely different, almost enjoyable, experience compared to the panic of not knowing whether you will finish the section(s).
The key to being able to do this is approaching the sections with the right mentality. Let us explain…
Accept that You WILL Get Questions Wrong
First, it’s important to accept that there will likely be questions that, no matter how hard you try, you will not get right! This can be a hard pill to swallow, but it’s almost certainly true for nearly every test taker. Conceptually, most people would likely acknowledge this fact, but you need to do more than acknowledge it. You need to “prime” yourself before starting a given section with a sort of mantra: “no matter how badly I want this, I am about to get some of the questions that I am about to see wrong.” How many you are likely to get wrong will depend on you and on which section of which test you are taking. For GMAT test takers, most people are likely to miss at least 4 or 5 questions on the Quant section, possibly many more than that.
If you accept that you will miss some or even many of the questions that you are about to face, it makes it a bit easier to let go of questions and make guesses. If you are going to miss 5 questions anyway, why not try to anticipate at least a few of them and not spend a ton of time on them? Spending excessive amounts of time on questions that you end up getting wrong is just about the worst thing that you can do on the GMAT or GRE. And, it also happens to be one of the most common occurrences for test takers on either test.
The Goal is to Outperform other Test Takers Who Are Taking the GMAT or GRE
Another mentality shift that you may need to stop thinking that your goal is to get every question right. Rather, your goal should be to outperform other test takers. That’s all. Remember, your GMAT or GRE score is meaningless except in how it compares to OTHER people’s scores. A 165+ on the GRE Quant or Verbal section or a 700 on the GMAT are great scores only because so few people get them. If most people scored 700 on the GMAT, that would cease to be a great score.
So, consider what happens to most people when they face a VERY difficult question. Most people will sink a lot of time into that question and then get it wrong. Therefore, when you choose to let go of such a question much more quickly than others, even if you get the question wrong, you will have outperformed most test takers on that question. In a way, this really “flips the script.” What might seem like a failure (getting a question wrong) is really a victory if you get the question wrong in 1 minute while others spend 3 minutes on it! Seriously, folks, it’s a win!
You Are Not “Giving Up.” You Are Purposefully and Cleverly Choosing the Question Order!
We have had students tell us, “I am not a skipper. I don’t skip questions.” Well, both the GMAT and GRE afford the ability to go back to questions that you “skip.” The tests have slightly different ways in which they accomplish this, but the outcome is basically the same. The GRE is straightforward and allows test takers to go back and forth at will, whereas the GMAT only allows test takers to go back AFTER they reach the end of the section. One additional difference is that on the GMAT you are only allowed to change your answer to 3 questions per section, but in practice almost no one has the time or inclination to change more than 3 answers anyway, so the ability to “let go” of questions and go back is pretty similar on both the GMAT and GRE.
The point is that you need to change your mentality such that you see letting go of questions not as though you are permanently accepting defeat. Rather you are temporarily passing on the question but may choose to come back to it later. What you are REALLY doing is simply choosing the order in which to attack the questions. Why should you be compelled to do the questions in the order in which they are given? This is especially true on the GRE, where you could literally do the questions back to front instead of front to back if you wanted. Given that most test takers DO NOT think like this and robotically answer each question in the order in which they are presented, often to their own detriment, you will have a significant advantage if you choose to attack the questions in a more efficient and strategic order.
Embodying Calm and Seeing Things with Fresh Eyes
One benefit of the above is that, if you do have time to go back to questions, you will likely be MUCH more calm at that point, and that might just be the reason you get the question right. Often test takers are in a bit of a panic as they work through the section, worried that they will run out of time and not make it to the end. Well, once you’ve made it to the end of the section and have at least answered every question (or almost every question if you are a GRE test taker and completely skipped a couple of questions without selecting an answer) you will feel MUCH less panicked because you’ll only have that one hard question or couple of hard questions left to deal with and don’t have to worry about “not finishing” the section. This effect cannot be overstated. Our students often report feeling “much more in command” of the section when they operate like this.
Additionally, often on an initial attempt at a question, test takers go down an ineffective path or even just misread or misinterpret something in the question. In the moment, however, they will be flustered by the clock and the fear of not finishing the section and will be completely unable to see their mistake or think of a more effective approach. But, upon coming back to the question later with a fresh set of eyes, test takers will often see their mistake or have a light bulb moment and see an approach that they were blind to the first time they encountered the question.
Again, it’s hard to overstate how liberating and empowering this can feel. Test takers often look back at questions from their practice tests AFTER the test is over (without the pressure of time) and realize how easy the questions actually are. Well, you can sort of have that feeling if you leave such questions behind and come back to them, with less pressure and a new vantage point, after answering the rest of the questions in the section!
How to Cultivate and Apply This Mentality on the GMAT and GRE
Obviously having the right mentality regarding time management is not sufficient. It’s necessary but not sufficient. One needs to practice applying the mentality in a timed setting to really make it manifest on the actual GMAT or GRE. We have a couple of articles on strategic guessing that will help you apply better time management practices: Practicing Strategic Guessing on GMAT and GRE Questions and The 2 Types of Strategic Guessing on the GMAT. And our next article, coming out in November, will go deeper on how to practice the above mentality and how to make it actionable on the exam! Stay tuned!