Effective time management is essential for success on the GMAT exam. However, many test-takers approach time management incorrectly, leading to unnecessary stress and suboptimal performance. Instead of obsessing over the clock, it’s better to focus on managing your process. Here’s how you can do that.
First, let’s understand the GMAT exam structure
Before diving into time management strategies, it’s important to understand the structure and timing of the GMAT. The GMAT Focus Edition is a 2-hour and 15-minute test with one optional 10-minute break. It consists of three main sections:
- Quantitative Reasoning: 21 questions in 45 minutes
- Verbal Reasoning: 23 questions in 45 minutes
- Data Insights: 20 questions in 45 minutes
The more you know about how the various types of questions in each section operate, and how they’re structured to distract you with time consuming side thoughts, the quicker you’ll be at solving problems on the exam.
Why Is It Important to Know the Problem Structure?
The GMAT is primarily about time. On a long enough timeline, you should be able to get most of the problems correctly. For those that are
1) just time consuming, you would be able to do so with an inefficient solution path, and
2) the more challenging ones, having extra time to creatively solve them would be key.
The GMAT therefore tests how you address each of these:
1) leverage more creative and time-efficient solution paths for the problems that are in the realm of the familiar, and
2) how well you think on your toes when encountering something new and challenging. With limited time both of these skills need to be practiced.
If you’ve been self prepping hoping to get faster on dead-end solution paths you’ve missed the point. That’s like showing up to a car race on a bicycle. You’ll get there, but you’re not competitive even at the start of the race.
We like to focus on both these challenges as core pillars of our program, but the second is the most beneficial for top-tier performance (getting a 700+), and translates to a skill that you can use in other spheres of your life, specifically as thought leadership in the workplace and your MBA program.
Fluency with these skills helps you allocate your time effectively and reduces anxiety on test day.
GMAT Timing Breakdown for Each Section
Time Management For The Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section provides about 2 minutes and 8 seconds per question. While it’s easy to think you should spend roughly 2 minutes on each question, in reality, you’ll end up spending less time on many of the questions and a bit more time on a few of the more challenging ones.
It’s important to develop a game plan for each problem in the first 20 to 30 seconds and then make a determination how much more time you’d be willing to invest in solving it. This is much better than wasting two minutes on a problem and getting nowhere only to guess or walk away from it without anything in return.
The goal is to handle most generic problems rapidly and “bank” time that you can deploy on particularly challenging problems that require more creative thought, or those that you don’t have a strong solution path, where you’ll be trading 2-3 minutes of time to go the slow way. Having access to alternative solution paths is essential. Finally, practice mental math and estimation as additional time savers.
Time Management For The Verbal Section
In the Verbal Reasoning section, you have close to 2 minutes (1 minute and 57 seconds) per question. To manage your time effectively, read the passages proactively, focusing on the main idea and key details. Don’t get bogged down in unfamiliar words or complex sentences. If a question is taking too long, make an educated guess and move on early before you find yourself sitting and staring at the problem waiting for inspiration. Taking active control over your decision process and trusting your instincts is more important than anything else. Also, avoid second-guessing yourself once you’ve reached a conclusion.
Time Management For Data Insights Section
In the Data Insights section, you’ll be given roughly 2 minutes and 15 seconds per question. The Data Sufficiency questions should take up less time, while the others will take up a bit more. Begin by understanding what you need for each problem, before quickly assessing the data and identifying the key insights. This active framing is essential. Don’t get lost in the details; focus on the big picture of what you’re seeking to solve the problem and then hunt specifically for that information. If a question seems too complex or time-consuming, realize it on the first read and move on before investing time that could be better spent on another problem. In this section, organize your thoughts to solve problems efficiently, and be diligent about using writing and the calculator sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.
Leveraging Situated Cognition
Situated cognition explains why your test-taking experience at home often differs from the actual exam environment. This means you’re likely to perform better in an environment similar to where you studied. To counter this, create a “mind palace” where you anchor thoughts and solutions to familiar objects or symbols.
By mentally associating thoughts and ideas with objects around you during your study sessions, this “mind palace” or “person palace” can be accessed during the exam. This technique allows you to trigger deeper themes, processes, or phenomena that you’ve studied, enhancing your performance on test day.
For example, if you solved a difficult type of problem (let’s say a work/rate problem) while looking at a specific book on your shelf, visualize that book during the test to recall the solution path.
Manage Your Process, Not Your Time
One of the biggest secrets to successful time management on the GMAT is that actively managing your time is counterproductive. If you find yourself constantly checking the clock or worrying about time, you’re doing it wrong.
Instead, focus on managing your problem solving approach, and let the process manage the time for you. This allows you to maintain your focus entirely on the problem in front of you, avoiding the attention-switching that can be a HUGE drag on your performance.
The Cost of Attention Switching
Constantly checking the time can drag down your performance due to the attention-switching required. When your attention is divided between solving problems and monitoring the clock, neither task gets your full focus. This divided attention can lead to mistakes and wasted time, and each time you switch there’s a “reset period” where you need to reengage with the problem. Think of the clock the same way you would a buzzing fly or someone coughing in the room. Try your best to ignore it, and don’t ever get worked up thinking about the fly when it’s not buzzing.
How to Manage Your Process?
When discussing the importance of managing your process rather than actively managing time, Mike Diamond, co-founder of APEX explains:
“Let’s take a deeper look at what it means to manage your process. Many of you out there drive. Just about everyone here rides in a vehicle from time to time and we all know what it’s like to be stuck at a traffic light.
Normally, you don’t really think about the wait but every once in a while you’re sitting at a light, and sitting and sitting, and sitting, and eventually, this thought creeps into your head: “My god this is a really long traffic light.” It’s this background neural mechanism, that sense of time in the sense of something taking a little too long that is at the heart of what process time management is about. As you’re preparing for the GMAT keep this process focus in mind and eventually, you’ll begin to calibrate to the GMAT time frame and realize, without thinking about it, when you’re in a position where you’re spending an outsized portion of time on a single problem.”
Developing Time Sensitivity
As Mike said, when you prepare for the GMAT focus on becoming sensitive to the time you’re spending on each problem. The goal is to recognize when something is taking too long and to act before wasting too much time on a problem that might not be worth it. The second level of this skill is noticing before you’ve allocated too much time that your pacing is slow or that you’re not pursuing an efficient solution path on a particular problem.
Skipping a problem is a strategy many top scorers use, and it’s important to not feel bad about it, in moderation. While the new GMAT is more sensitive to skips, it’s not unreasonable to skip on an intractable problem once per section. Remember, some problems may naturally take longer than others, and that’s okay. The key is to balance the time spent across the entire section effectively and not over allocate your temporal resources on a single problem when all the problems count the same, the classic putting too many eggs in one basket.
Avoiding Perfectionism
It’s important to remember that the GMAT is not about achieving perfection (or precision) on every question. Pursuing certainty can lead to spending too much time on a single question, which can jeopardize your performance on the rest of the test section.
Instead, aim for a balance between accuracy and efficiency. If you’re reasonably confident about your answer, move on to the next question. This is especially true when you “see” an answer clearly and intuitively. It’s folly to try to talk yourself down from that insight, and even more folly to spend time justifying it when you already “know” it. Even if you’re wrong, the clarity of the “seeing” means that you’re unlikely to get to “right”, so take your shot and move on.
Guessing Strategies
Knowing when and how to guess strategically on questions can save you valuable time. If a question appears to be too time-consuming, it’s better to make an educated guess and move on rather than getting stuck.
To make an educated guess, eliminate any obviously wrong answers to improve your odds of selecting the correct one from the remaining choices. Keep in mind that every question is worth the same amount of points, so spending too much time on one difficult question can detract from time spent on easier questions you could answer correctly.
Getting down to two or three answer choices from the original five significantly enhances your equity on a given problem.
Importance of Practice
Practicing time management strategies during mock tests and practice sessions is helpful in developing a strong time management practice and calibrating your decision process. This helps you develop a better sense of pacing and time allocation for each question type. By simulating test conditions, you can identify and address any timing issues before the actual exam. Try doing sets of 10 problems on a clock (about 20 minutes) to calibrate your timing decisions. After the set, evaluate where you got held up and where you rushed, and then attempt to remedy on the next set.
Mental Preparation
Mentally preparing for the GMAT involves cultivating calmness and a positive mindset. Remind yourself of your strengths, the hard work you’ve put into your preparation, and your ability to overcome challenges, on the GMAT and elsewhere in life. Replace negative thoughts with empowering affirmations to boost your confidence and reduce GMAT test anxiety.
Incorporate mindfulness and breathing exercises into your pre-exam routine. Take a few minutes to focus on your breath, allowing yourself to be present in the moment.
Ensure you get good sleep, eat well, and stay hydrated. Small things like a balanced meal and adequate hydration can have a significant impact on your cognitive performance.
Approach the GMAT with a growth mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement. Embrace the idea that your abilities can be developed through dedication and effort.
Remember, your mental approach is just as important as your content knowledge and problem-solving skills. By taking proactive steps to manage stress, maintain focus, and build self-confidence, you’ll be better equipped to tackle the challenges of the GMAT and perform to your fullest potential.
GMAT Exam Breaks and Time Management Strategies
It’s important to keep in mind that during your GMAT exam, you will have limited time to reset between each section. While you are given a short break between sections, you are not permitted to write anything on your scratch pad. During the optional 10-minute break in the GMAT exam, it’s recommended to use the restroom, stretch and relax, and have a quick snack to boost your energy. Be mindful to return promptly, as exceeding the break time will cause the exam clock to start and you may lose time on the next section.
Apart from this optional break, you must remain seated in the testing room (if you’re taking the exam at a testing center). This policy is in place to ensure the integrity of the exam and prevent any potential unfair advantages.
However, there is a brief 30-second introduction screen, often referred to as a “breather” screen, which appears right before the start of each section. This is your chance to close your eyes for a moment and mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming challenges, time management and strategic. Take advantage of these precious moments to rest and remind yourself or jot down any key strategies you’ve been working on during self prep.
During this 30-second window, take a deep breath and center yourself. Visualize your study environment and activate your “mind palace” or “person palace” to tap into the knowledge and strategies you’ve acquired during your preparation. By anchoring your thoughts and ideas to familiar objects or sensations, you can quickly get into the right mindset and focus on the tasks at hand.
By being mindful of the exam break and utilizing the introduction screens wisely, you can maintain your focus, manage your time efficiently, and approach each section with confidence and clarity. Stay poised, trust your abilities, and let your preparation shine through as you navigate the challenges of the GMAT exam.
Post-Exam Reflection
After completing the GMAT, take some time to reflect on your time management performance. Identify areas where you excelled and areas that need improvement. Ask yourself questions like:
Which sections did I manage well? Where did I lose the most time? Did I find myself frequently running out of time toward the end of a section?
This reflection will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to make more targeted improvements for future practice sessions or test attempts.
This is important to do after practice exams and problem sets, but also after your official exam. Make some notes on a piece of paper, because, like a dream, it’s easy to forget your impressions after a remarkably short time.