13/06/2019 GRE Time Management on the Early Questions - Chegg GRE Prep

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GRE General Study

How to Maximize Time Efficiency on the GRE Early Questions

By: Chegg Test Prep

Four hours might seem like a long time to spend taking a test.
But even with all that time, to score well on the GRE, you’ll need to come prepared with strategies to maximize
your efficiency.
Why?
Because you can boost your score signi cantly by mastering time management strategies tailored to each
section of the test.
The most tragic (but avoidable) way to lose points is by failing to budget enough time to answer every question.
When you leave answers blank, especially at the end, you end up missing points for questions you could have
easily aced with a better strategy.
Your goal is to avoid missing points by designing a test-taking strategy that works for you.
In the following resource, we will walk you through a history of the GRE and the test’s easy-to-hard progression
before moving on to an overview of best practices for strategic time management in both the Reading
Comprehension and Quantitative Reasoning sections. These tips and tricks will help create a personalized plan
for optimizing your time on test day!

“Why Do I Have to Take the GRE?”:  A History of

Standardized Tests
Though famously loathed by students, standardized tests have a long and storied history in education.
Initially, these tests were designed in pursuit of fairness. Everything is “standardized,” including the questions,
the grading, and even the instructions read to you by proctors. At least in theory, this standardization helps to
level the playing eld for equal opportunity among test takers.
The bene ts of standardized tests fall into three categories:
Comparing the academic merits of test takers.
Evaluating instruction in school districts.
Figuring out key areas for improving education in these districts.
Dating back to the 1800s, standardized tests have been gradually integrated into the American education
system. But it wasn’t until the 20th century that they became ubiquitous as a measure of excellence for students
and school districts. By the 1980s, college admissions tests like the SAT and the ACT were implemented at the
national level.
How does the GRE t into this history?
The Graduate Record Examination (yep, that’s what the GRE stands for, in case you were curious) was created
by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in 1949.
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The GRE was designed to assess the types of critical thinking that will be required of you by graduate-level
scholarship. Hence, the tests for verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.
For a long time, GRE scores were evaluated on a scale from 200 to 800.
But in 2011, major revisions were made to the GRE that resulted in the test you take today. Now, the test is
scored on a scale between 130 and 170.
The most signi cant revision, however, was to the adaptive nature of the test. The easy-to-hard progression was
revolutionized, and understanding this aspect of the test’s mechanics is critical to maximizing your efficiency for
a higher score.

How to Master the GRE’s Easy to Hard

Progression
In 2011, the GRE was revised to adapt the difficulty of the test on a section-by-section basis, rather than
adapting after each answered question.
What does this mean for you?
The Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are split into multiple sections. Your success in the rst sections
of both Verbal and Quantitative reasoning determines the difficulty of questions you will face in subsequent
sections.
It also means that it’s good news if the test gets more difficult as you proceed. In fact, if you do well in the rst
half, it de nitely will get harder. To receive the highest score possible, you will need to ace both the rst wave of
questions and the signi cantly harder second wave.
Being mentally prepared for this shift will help prevent you from being overwhelmed when the tougher
questions start to crop up. Having effective time management strategies will also help ensure that you wield
every minute to your advantage for a high score.
The most important tip that most test-taking experts agree on is:
You should always start by answering as many easy questions as possible. If a question takes you too long to
complete, ag it and revisit it later.
We get it. Skipping a question is hard. Especially for perfectionists who can’t stand the thought of leaving a
question unanswered. But you can always return to it later. And, if you have time remaining at the end, you
de nitely should.
Within each section, all questions are weighted equally. Because of this, it’s far worse to run out of time and
miss any remaining easy questions simply because you spent too long on a question that you may have gotten
wrong anyway.
Though focusing on easy questions rst is a good general rule of thumb, we have more speci c strategies for
helping you recognize and solve the easy questions on the Reading Comprehension and Quantitative
Reasoning sections of the GRE.  Let’s look at those now.

Tips & Tricks for Recognizing and Solving Easy

Reading Comprehension Questions
One great way to maximize efficiency on the Verbal Reasoning portion of your test is to develop a solid plan for
approaching the Reading Comprehension questions. For some test-takers, this section can be daunting because
of the long and verbose passages you’re expected to analyze. Developing a strategic process for this section
can help save you time and boost your score.
Before we dig into tips and tricks for this section, let’s rst talk about a couple of myths about the Reading
Comprehension section:
Myth #1: Longer Passages = More Difficult
It’s tempting to panic at the sight of a long passage. While it may seem like the longer passages would be more
difficult, this isn’t necessarily the case. Don’t let the size fool you. It’s actually the shorter passages that are
usually considered most difficult.
Why?
Because in short passages there is less contextual information provided for you to pull from when answering
tricky questions.
Myth #2: Esoteric Subjects = More Difficult
Likewise, it may seem like passages on an unfamiliar subject (advanced astrophysics, for example) would be
more difficult than a subject you’re familiar with.
But, once again, it would be erroneous to make this assumption. The Reading Comprehension questions are
designed to require no outside knowledge for understanding the provided passage.
Therefore, possessing outside knowledge can be a liability on this section of the GRE. You should be able to
answer all questions strictly based on the information provided in the passage. If you’re drawing on external
sources, you might be making assumptions and selecting the wrong answer. Be wary of this factor if you
encounter any passages and think, “Hey! I already knew that!”
So now that we’ve discussed what not to do, here are some concrete tips that will help you effectively manage
your time.
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Tip #1: Familiarize Yourself with the Three Question Types

There are three types of questions you will face on the Reading Comprehension of the GRE:
Literal Questions (Easiest)
The easiest questions you will be asked to solve are the literal These questions evaluate your ability to interpret
the literal meaning of a passage. You might be asked to summarize basic information provided in an article.
Some example questions for this category include:
Which of the following best states the author’s main point?
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
You can breathe a sigh of relief when you stumble upon a question like this because you’re simply being asked
to regurgitate what you just read. These questions should take the least amount of your time.
Inferential Questions
Inferential questions are perhaps the most common category on the Reading Comprehension section of the
GRE. Here, you will be asked to use your inferential skills to extrapolate based on what you have learned from
the passage. For example, you could be asked to analyze the author’s intentions for a particular line.
Example questions for this sub-category are:
The author of the passage is primarily concerned with …
The author’s main purpose is to …
The example given in line XX is intended by the author to …
Or, instead, you might be asked to draw conclusions based on the passage you just read. A few examples of
questions in this sub-category include:
You can infer from the passage that. . .
The author implies that …
It can be inferred from lines XX-XX that …
While these questions might not be as straightforward as the literal questions, you should be able to gure
them out with a little bit of critical thinking. The toughest questions, however, are the critical questions.
Critical Questions (Most Difficult)
The questions that might give you the most trouble on the Reading Comprehension section are the critical
questions. This category will ask you to analyze the arguments presented in the passage and suggest ways that
this argument could be strengthened or weakened.
 Some examples of this question include:
The author’s assertions about X would be weakened if …
Which of these ndings would best support the author’s hypothesis?
The author’s argument would be strengthened if …
These questions may take you longer to answer than the other two types. Be especially careful here not to make
assumptions or supply external information. It’s okay if these questions take you longer than the others, but
don’t waste too much time trying to gure them out.
Remember: All questions are weighted equally toward your score.
These are the three main Reading Comprehension question types, but we can’t promise every single question
will fall neatly into these categories. Based on previous tests, however, these will account for a large proportion
of the questions you see on test day.
For a few other variations on these categories and more example questions, check out our resource for testing
your GRE Reading Comprehension skills.
Good test-takers know that analyzing the intentions of the test’s designers is key to strong performance. By
asking yourself, “What is being expected of me in this question?” you will develop a propensity for evaluating
which questions are easy and which are trickier.
For example, ask yourself: Is this question asking me to perform a literal analysis of the passage? Or is it asking
me to be critical of the argument presented?
Having a sense of this pattern and design of the test will help you adjust your priorities and tackle easy
questions rst.
Tip #2: Consider the Number of Questions Per Passage
Another tip to consider when tackling the Reading Comprehension section of the GRE is how many questions
correspond to each passage.
Reading each passage carefully takes time.  But, again, since each question is weighted equally, it makes sense
to devote more time to reading passages with more questions. And less time for reading passages with fewer
questions.
If you have a long passage with 5-6 questions corresponding to it, it’s fair to devote a decent chunk of time to
ensure that you fully understand the meaning and implications of this passage.
But if there’s another passage with only one corresponding question, you shouldn’t waste too much time
critically reading it before taking a stab at the answer. It’s simply not worth as much of your time as the passage
with multiple questions.
Tip #3: Develop Active Reading Strategies
To ace this part of the test, it’s also important that you have a strong handle on active reading strategies.
Here’s the link to our resource on active reading strategies.

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Why does active reading matter?
Active reading is a process by which you’re reading and analyzing at the same time. By using strategies like
focusing on the opening and ending sentences of each paragraph and asking critical questions as you go, you
force yourself to stay focused throughout the reading process.
The key here is not to zone out while reading!
We get it. It’s incredibly easy to zone out when reading jargon- lled passages on esoteric subjects.
But rather than passively absorbing the information, you must be aware and analytical as you go. While reading,
you are already anticipating the types of questions you might get asked after you nish the passage.
To maximize efficiency, you should be actively reading every passage. That way, you don’t get to the end of the
passage and think, “What did I just read?”
Tip #4: Make a Mental Movie of the Passage
Here’s one active reading strategy that we nd helpful. If possible while reading, try to visualize a mental movie
of the events that are happening in a passage.
For example, if you’re reading a description of the ecosystems of geese, imagine the details described by the
author, particularly the cause and effect relationships portrayed.
Making this mental movie will help you recall what is going on in the passage when you move to answer the
questions. It helps make the passage more concrete and tangible so that you can feel con dent in performing a
literal, inferential, and critical analysis of what was described.
Tip #5: Eliminate “Bad” Answers
Another tip for maximizing your efficiency on the Reading Comprehension section is to start by eliminating
“bad” answers. Since this section is multiple-choice, you’ll save time by ruling out which answers will likely not
be correct.
Here are some shared characteristics of “bad” answers:
They are extreme in nature (using words like “always” or “never”).
They rely on outside information (information that wasn’t mentioned in the article).
They rely on assumptions (assumptions are a big no-no on the GRE, which aims to strictly evaluate your
reasoning skills).
After analyzing the question to ensure you know what it’s asking, start out by ruling out any “bad” answers.
Then, when you have 2-3 remaining, walk through each one before deciding on the most accurate answer.
Tip #6: Practice, Practice, Practice
While memorizing vocabulary words is one effective way to study for the Verbal Reasoning portion of the GRE,
it’s not enough on its own. You should also take many practice tests to familiarize yourself with the types of
questions you will be faced with.
Taking practice tests will also help you with time management when it comes to test day. It’s important to be
familiar with how long each question takes you and how much time is too much time to spend on any given
question.
Having a sense of this pacing will be crucial when it comes to getting a high score.
Tip #7: Find a Good Course or Tutor
If you’ve taken several practice tests and still aren’t satis ed with your score, consider taking a course or getting
a GRE tutor to help boost your scores.
Chegg offers a $99, one-month prep course which includes two adaptive GRE practice tests, over 2,800 practice
problems, four live and recorded classes and more designed by Kaplan Test Prep exclusively for Chegg students.
This package also includes access to 24/7 GRE tutors so you can really drill down on problem areas with a live,
online tutor.
… And there you have it! Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you’re ready to conquer the Reading
Comprehension of the GRE both quickly and accurately for an amazing score.
Now on to the Quantitative Reasoning section.

Tips & Tricks for Recognizing and Solving Easy

Quantitative Reasoning Questions
Unlike with Reading Comprehension, it’s more difficult to say de nitively which questions will be “easiest” and
which will be “hardest” when it comes to the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE.
Why?
Because there might be one person who excels at algebra but gets lost when it comes to geometry. Likewise,
maybe someone else may be a boss at data interpretation but struggles with all the other categories.
What one person nds “hard” and another nds “easy” in this section is a little bit more subjective.
But we can give you some general guidelines to help you develop your plan for battling the math-heavy portion
of the test.
Four subjects are tested on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE:
Data interpretation
Arithmetic
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Geometry
Algebra
Here are a few general tips for maximizing your efficiency on the Quantitative Reasoning section:
Tip #1: Familiarize Yourself with the Four Question Types
On the Quantitative Reasoning portion of the GRE, you will see four different types of questions.  Having a
strong grasp on the difference between these question types—and best practices for conquering them—will
help you manage your time effectively on this section.
Type 1: Quantitative Comparisons
This question type asks you to compare two quantities—Quantity A and Quantity B—and determine which is
larger or smaller. Unfortunately, it’s never as easy as:
Which quantity is larger: 2 or 5?
The nice thing about these questions is they’re always followed by the same predictable set of multiple choice
answers:
Quantity A is greater.
Quantity B is greater.
The two quantities are equal.
The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Memorizing these options will help you mentally prepare for each question as you analyze the quantities, as
well as save time rather than reading all the answer choices each time you see them.
You should be especially careful about that last one: “The relationship cannot be determined from the
information given.” It’s a good idea to start with this option—determining whether or not it will be possible for
you to determine with certainty that one quantity is larger than the other—before moving back up to the rst
three choices.
Another tip for this section:
Geometric gures are not necessarily drawn to scale. It might look, for example, like two angles are identical, but
you should trust your mathematical knowledge, not your eyes.
To solve this type of question quickly, you should master simplifying each quantity if possible, as well as practice
plugging in numbers to test out whether A or B is larger than the other.
Type 2: Multiple Choice – Select One
There are two different types of multiple-choice questions you will see on the Quantitative Reasoning section of
the GRE. The rst asks you to select only one correct answer out of the options provided.
The good news is that you always know what to expect from these questions: There will only be one correct
answer. And this fact will help you determine your strategy for solving it efficiently.
When answering these questions, it’s always a smart choice to carefully read the available options before
getting to work on solving the problem. Doing this will help you get in the right ballpark of your answer before
you even begin.
Another best practice for this section is to try plugging the choices into the equation to reverse engineer the
problem. This strategy won’t work for every multiple-choice question, but when it does work, it will save you
time.
Type 3: Multiple Choice – Select One or More
Especially when you’re rushing, it’s incredibly easy to mix up this category of questions with the previous one.
But the “or more” quali cation turns out to be an important one. If you remember anything about answering
multiple-choice questions, remember this:
Always, always, always read the instructions carefully to make sure you know whether you’re supposed to select
one answer or if there is more than one correct answer.
If you don’t read carefully, you risk picking too few or too many answers and losing points for a mistake that was
easily avoidable.
You can still try reverse engineering the question by plugging in some of the different options to see which ones
work as solutions and which ones do not.
Another great tip for this question type is to try to establish a range of acceptable answers. If you know, for
example, that any values between 1 and 100 will work, you can quickly skim the list of options and select all
choices that fall within this range.
Type 4: Numeric Entry
These questions are arguably the most difficult you’ll face in the Quantitative Reasoning section.
Why?
Because there are no multiple-choice values for you to plug in. Instead, you have to solve the problem yourself
and enter the correct value in the text box provided. This means the sea of options to pick from is nearly
limitless.
No need to fret, however. When you see a numeric entry question, take a deep breath and consider the
following:
Once again, ensure that you read the question carefully. It’s easy to accidentally misread the question and waste
time by solving a problem you were never asked to solve. You could have a perfectly correct answer that is
perfectly wrong because it answers a different question.

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While this is always a risk, it’s exaggerated with numeric entry questions because you don’t have multiple
choices to narrow down your options.
You also need to check whether or not you’re being asked to round your answer. You may be asked to round
messy numbers down to the second or third decimal point.
Before you hit “Submit,” be sure to double check your answer. There’s more room for error with numeric entry
questions, so taking the extra 30 seconds to check your work could save you from losing points due to silly
mistakes.
There you have it: The four types of questions you will see on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE.
Before test day, we challenge you to have a good grasp of these different types of questions and come
equipped with an array of strategies to tackle them.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses on these question types will help you on test day. You’ll know which
questions you can breeze through, and which ones you may want to ag for later because they will inevitably
take up more time.
Tip #2: Start with the Easy Questions
Even more so than other sections, it’s important that you begin with the easy questions on Quantitative
Reasoning for optimal efficiency.
With enough practice, you should have a really strong sense of when a question is going to be easy for you and
when it’s going to be difficult. We encourage you to ne tune this barometer and design your test-taking
strategy around the easy questions.
Consider setting a time limit for yourself on your rst pass through each section. For example: If any question
takes me more than two minutes to solve, I’ll ag it for later. You can personalize this limit to the speed that
works best for you.
Statistically, this will increase your score because you will have ensured that you aren’t missing out on easy
questions lingering at the end of a section simply because you ran out of time. This strategy will also help
loosen up your math muscles, so you have the con dence and brain power you need to tackle the tough
questions on your second pass through the section.
Tip #3: Focus on What You Already Know and What You Still Need to
Know
If you’re ever overwhelmed by a question, another strategy is to calm down and focus on what you already
know and what you still need to know about that question.
For solving each question, ETS recommends that you follow three simple steps:
Understand the Problem
Create a Strategy for Solving the Problem
Double Check Your Answer
Rather than getting lost in a whirl of numbers and variables, following these steps will help you stay focused on
the end goal. Understanding the problem is half of the battle of getting to a solution. It’s easy to forget, but
important that you return to this rst step whenever you’re lost or stuck.
Tip #4: Keep Your Scrap Paper Organized
Another tip for maximizing your mathematical efficiency is to keep your scrap paper organized. It’s a simple
suggestion, but if you organize your notes in an orderly fashion—for example, in a numbered grid—it will be
easier for you to return to questions you agged for later without getting lost in your own illegible scrawling.
You can always ask for more scrap paper, so don’t hesitate to ask!
Tip #5: Avoid Lengthy Calculations
Generally speaking, you should avoid lengthy calculations on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE.
While you do have access to a calculator, the test isn’t designed to test your ability to perform 50 steps to get to
the answer.
Usually, if you’re spending an excessive amount of time on your calculator, it might be a red ag that you’re
making a mistake and going down an unnecessary rabbit hole. While it could lead you to the right answer
anyway, there is probably a simpler way to do it that you’re forgetting.
Tip #6: Memorize Your Multiplication Tables
If you want to be extra prepared for this portion of the GRE, consider returning to your mathematical roots and
refreshing your memory of the multiplication tables. Again, while this tip is a simple one, it could save you time
to know off the top of your head that 12 x 9 = 108, rather than having to type it into the calculator every time.
Tip #7: Practice, Practice, Practice
We can’t overstate the value of taking practice tests in preparation for the GRE. It’s helpful, of course, to study
concepts and do example problems.  But to get into the rhythm of the test and know how much time you’ll
need to allocate for each question, practice tests are important.
These practice tests will help you become accustomed to agging questions that are taking too much of your
time for later. It can be hard to get used to admitting defeat, even temporarily. But it’s an important skill to have
for test day so that you can get your best possible score.

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Tip #8: Find a Good Course or Tutor

If you’re still struggling to manage your time after following all these tips, you should consider nding yourself a
class or a tutor to help you master the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE.
Chegg’s one-month prep course with two adaptive GRE practice tests and over 2,800 practice problems is a
budget-friendly option for students needing some extra help.
The Rest of the Story is Up to You!
This completes our resource on maximizing efficiency on the GRE. We hope these suggestions help you
manage your time to reach your personal best score.
When in doubt, always remember:
Start with the easy questions.
Always ensure you understand the question you’re answering before solving it.
Don’t be afraid to ag a question for later.
And stay calm! You’ve got this.
We believe in you. Here’s to rocking it out on test day and getting into your dream school!
 

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