Hi
Fish181Where are you in your prep journey? Have you thoroughly covered all the content, and do you feel confident about it in untimed situations?
If there are
content areas where you feel unsure, I'd suggest circling back on those to resolve doubts and practice solving some more challenging problems WITHOUT the timer. And if you haven't covered all the content, please don't do timed mixed practice on stuff you don't (yet) know how to handle.
If there are certain
calculations where you are unsure or know that you're slow (long division, exponents, working with fractions or decimals),
do drills on just those calculation types to get faster and more confident. Khan Academy can be a good resource for that. (And it's free. As my aunt would say, the price is right.)
For content areas where you feel
solid but slow, I'd suggest two paths:
1) Look for more efficient strategies: After correctly solving a problem (but slower than you'd like), look back at your work and see if you can notice unnecessary steps. Then review expert solutions of the same problem to see if they've taken different approaches that were shorter, easier to think about, and/or easier to calculate. (Note that
the Official Guide explanations do not count as expert solutions; they are not trying to teach you how to be better at solving the questions, just trying to prove that the correct answer is indeed correct.) If possible, read through multiple expert solutions and choose an approach that you best relate to. Write it down, and then try to solve the same problem later using the expert approach you liked. Then try that again in 3 days to retain it.
2) Work on incremental improvement: Give yourself 3 minutes per question instead of two. While you are fixing this problem, do questions in shorter sets, like a pack of 3 instead of 10. Set the timer for 9 minutes for 3 questions, for example; don't time every single question. If that's fine, reduce the time per Q incrementally for later sets. As you improve, add to the length of your sets until you're back up to 10-question sets.
MINDSET - now here is my jam - What are you saying to yourself about the time, friend? If the words in your head are "I don't have time to think about this fully", "I don't have time to do this right," "I can't think when the timer is staring at me," etc, you may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you aren't sure what you are saying to yourself about the time (and I mean WHILE you are in the midst of solving problems), pay special attention. Write down the things you hear yourself thinking. Analyze them: are they objectively true? What would you say if a friend said that about themselves: what advice would you give that friend?
Put the
management in time management: When you're managing a project, you may have constraints of financial resources, human resources, technical resources, etc. As managers, it's often our job to work within those constraints. (Ok, yes, sometimes we need to advocate for more resources. That only works on the GMAT if you have a documented learning difference that would justify an extra time accommodation.) The point here is Be A Manager. You manage the GMAT. Don't let it manage you.
CHOOSE one or more new
time management mantras to replace the unhelpful thoughts you may have been having. Here are some examples that have resonated with my students:
"I use the time to show what I know and what I can do."
"The time is a resource I can use. I'm using it wisely."
Does any of this help? Happy to hear back from you.
Best, Jennifer
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16 Apr 2024, 07:49
