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The Ultimate Guide to GMAT Time Management (2020)

Written by  Piyush Bhartiya, MBA

Published on Wed, February 21, 2018 10:43 AM   Updated on Thu, January 30, 2020 10:32 AM   4 mins read

 GMAT Time Management: Why is it essential to manage time?

Source: Dominate the GMAT

Bertrand Russell correctly said that “To realize the unimportance of time is the gate to wisdom.” In addition, the trick is to understand the importance of time. This is said to be the pathway to a high GMAT score. Those with a basic knowledge or idea of the GMAT test would agree that it is just a game of the time. Apart from a good score, the real task is to complete the test well within the given time. Of course, for such a crucial test, you would want to complete the test by answering all questions and with a great flair. Read here about how to score well in GMAT essays.

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Rule #1: Never leave any questions unanswered.
Time management is the key to all such competitive exams. One of the criteria tested is your management skills of time and work (here, the given questions) together. The GMAT score will definitely be higher if you answer the lesser-known questions randomly instead of answering one of them correctly and leave the rest unanswered. In addition, one trick you should definitely try is the apportioning of time per question.

Rule #2: Learn all relevant theory.
The next rule is one you should definitely swear by. This is because if you run away from theories, the desired GMAT score too will seem far away. Therefore, you need to learn as much theory as possible. However, a relevant theory is something you will have to research well for.

Rule #3: Know when to give up.
Persistence is worthy of respect, but so is the judgment to stop beating your head against a wall—judgment you will need on the GMAT. You should always keep in mind that no one, yes no student/applicant can know the correct answer to each and every single question on the test. If you know the how to solve a question and are confident about it then go ahead. But if you are unsure of any question or its technique, then head on to the next question without wasting more time.

Rule #4: Practice a lot, and time your practice.
Timed practice will accustom you to time limits and help develop an intuitive sense of time. If you practice a lot and know GMAT question formulations along with learning to recognize the most common and most effective solution algorithms. Don’t practice thoughtlessly; review all tests you take, read explanations, and repeat the theory you needed to answer the questions you missed. Even if you answered a question correctly, read the official explanation in case there might be a more efficient approach that could save you time in future.

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In addition, here are four more ideas that work effectively for GMAT Preparation.

  1.  Familiarize yourself with techniques such as back-solving and picking numbers. Prior knowledge of these techniques helps in the Problem Solving sections of the GMAT test.
  2. It would be great if you could remember your answer choices for the Data Sufficiency questions. There are chances that they get repeated over the years and come as the same. In addition, there is no need to go through them each and every single time. This time-saving technique requires a great amount of practice.
  3. Do not solve Data Sufficiency questions. The point of such questions is not to find the answer but to determine whether information given is sufficient to find the answer. In many cases, you have to do some calculations, but most often, you do not have to solve them until the end. Understanding the underlying math principles will nearly eliminate the need for any calculations at all. Practice, practice, and practice until your understanding of what’s needed is instinctive, and you will gain time on the test.
  4. For the Critical Reasoning section of the GMAT test, it is suggested that you start with reading the question stem. Next, you can proceed to the argument part. Therefore, in this manner, upon reading the argument you will already know the flaws in reasoning or missing links that the question asks you to identify.

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These are the key strategies to score well in GMAT exam. Read here about the GMAT scores for top universities in the USA. Which strategies have you put in action and they have worked for you? Share in the comments section. Also, don’t forget to add your suggestions and feedback.

Also Visit:-

  1. GMAT- Everything you need to know
  2. GMAT Syllabus
  3. GMAT Registration
  4. GMAT Results and Scores
  5. GMAT Dates
  6. GMAT Test-Centres
  7. GMAT Practice-Papers
  8. GMAT Preparation-Tips
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About the Author & Expert

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Piyush Bhartiya

Author • MBA • 20 Years

Piyush values education and has studied from the top institutes of IIT Roorkee, IIM Bangalore, KTH Sweden and Tsinghua University in China. Post completing his MBA, he has worked with the world's # 1 consulting firm, The Boston Consulting Group and focused on building sales and marketing verticals for top MNCs and Indian business houses.

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