How do I manage my time on the GMAT?

Answer 1

On the math, my advice is:

1. Simplify all algebraic expressions and fractions. You an often "see" the answer (no matter if calculation or sufficiency) once a bunch of terms cancel out
2. Zero in on what is being asked. There's often unneeded information. Many times you are tempted to fill in ALL regions of a set, or calculate values of ALL algebraic unknowns. Save time and focus on the shortest road to get the answer, and stop once you get it!
3. In certain types of questions (such as sets, probabilities, counting # of ways, calculating areas), the question often asks for an aggregate of several parts/cases. It could be a very easy and quick calculation to get to the INVERSE of what's being asked and subtract from total than go at it directly and calculate different components/cases.
4. When need to solve several equations and unknowns, or in general express one variable in terms of another algebraically, remember MULTIPLICATION is faster to perform under pressure than division. Thus try to express everything in terms of a variable x that looks to have the smallest value, and the others would be 5x, 3x etc. instead of x/5 or x/3. Saves time!

On the English, for me personally the biggest time trouble comes if I get a reading passage of some archaic language -- I am tempted to skim over it and then search for answers to questions as they come along, but that pretty much always means re-reading the text in its entirety. I advise to apply MAX CONCENTRATION to the text, (however much you may hate it) and understand it all at FIRST reading, not just the meaning, but the tone and position of the author relative to various possible points of view. Then you'd just know that there's a place in the text that supports the answer to the question being asked, and it's just a quick parsing of material to get to that point and extract the exact needed detail.