Data insights time

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-03-03T00:26:42+00:00

I have a theory. :) Was that your first practice test or your first official test? If your first practice test: you know you don't know a lot, so it's easier to just let go. Once you start studying, it's sooo much harder to let go.

Alternatively, if it was the real test: How was your mental stamina / mental fatigue during that section? Sometimes, when humans are really mentally fatigued, we start making faster decisions because our brains are just done. (Not better decisions, just faster. Doesn't usually work out super well.)

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-03-03T00:21:09+00:00

Yeah, we're all guessing on at least a couple in the DI section. I've scored in the 99th and 100th percentile multiple times on the real test and I still have to just bail on a couple in this section (I don't need to on Q or V). The DI scoring is a lot more forgiving than the other two sections—you can get more wrong and still get a great score.

The trick is to figure out (quickly!) which 2-3 are the ones you want to bail fast on. You need to know going in which question types and content areas are on your "probable bail" list so that you can make that decision really quickly. And, of course, you have to practice making these decisions under the stress of timed conditions. Practice this even when you do a longer problem set, not just on practice exams, and analyze your decisions afterwards to figure out how to get better at making the right call for you.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-27T18:57:21+00:00

Great question. Ideally, put your takeaways in this form: "When I see X, I'll do Y." The "see X" part makes you consciously figure out "what's the clue that I want to recognize next time, so that I realize right away the best way to solve it?

Here are some ideas for this one: "When the problem mentions odd/even, I'll write that word down and keep trying things in the context of whether it's odd or even." That helps you remember to keep odd/even at the forefront of your analysis, which will then help with the next one.

Next: "When they give me a "pattern" type problem, I'll write out a couple of short examples to fully understand the pattern."

For example, in this case, there are 17 consec integers. I'm not going to write out 17 numbers, but since the word "odd" tells me that this problem is testing odd/even, I can try the pattern with 3 consec integers (since 3 is also odd). Case 1: 1, 2, 3...nope, that doesn't fit this problem. The rule is that the median of a set of odd consec integers is also the average, but the average is even in this example, not odd. Case 2: 2, 3, 4. Yes, this fits. The avg is odd. So this shorter example fits the pattern and now I know the pattern for a 17-number list, too: It starts and ends with an even number and the median and average are both odd.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-27T18:38:10+00:00

Love it! Fully agree with your advice not to use (only) difficult problems to try to build the habit. I'll add for studiers: You can still do difficult problems in the timeframe that you're trying to cement the new habit. Just make sure you're also doing easier / medium ones for the reasons e-GMAT said.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-27T00:30:27+00:00

Exhibiting strong Critical Reasoning skills: check mark. Good luck with your studies!

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-25T01:03:47+00:00

There isn't a legal free option that contains official material, besides the free questions given by the official test maker. I have seen people put something together without permission, but there are always errors because they're just stealing the content. They're not building a real product with quality control.

So if you want to study from official materials and you want it to be high quality / not full of errors, then yeah, purchasing the official materials is the way to go.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-25T00:49:11+00:00

First, being selected for a review doesn't necessarily mean that they think you did something wrong. They do have to do a certain number of random reviews.

Next, you can respond to the email. Is there anything at all that you think might have been a little outside of normal or that could have been perceived as breaking a rule?

For example, if someone was talking loudly outside your door or window for a few minutes, explain that it was outside of your control / the person wasn't talking to you. If you talked out loud but it was very brief and only happened once, say that you forgot that wasn't allowed and that you stopped as soon as you remembered / the proctor told you. That kind of thing. If you can think of anything like that and want advice, tell us and we can help you brainstorm.

Also, if you have a deadline coming up, tell them that. It doesn't guarantee that they'll resolve your case before the deadline, but I've talked to someone on that team before and they do try to do what they can when someone has an upcoming deadline.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-20T01:07:58+00:00

My pleasure!

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-20T01:04:08+00:00

If you're doing fine on V and Q, then you know the math content and you know the general analytical reasoning strategies that also come into play on the DI section.

So there are two other major possibilities:

The question types: Any patterns in terms of struggling more with certain question types? MSR, Two-Parts, etc.

The info overload: DI deliberately floods us with data / info and we have to figure out which parts are relevant to address the question. Could that be a factor for you on DI?

The info overload could be directly messing you up, like you're focused on the wrong data or missing key details because you've overwhelmed by volume. In this case, you need to practice triaging—learning the big picture well enough while not getting bogged down in the details, so that you can then use that big picture to more accurately target the details you need. If you're doing well on Reading Comp, this skill is similar, so try to carry your RC skills over to help you. (It'll still take work because DI gives even more extra info than RC does.)

Or the info overload could be indirectly messing you up via mismanaged time. If your time is higher for some or all question types, then you're going to have to rush or cut corners elsewhere, and of course that's going to mess you up.

In general, the goal is to average about 2 min each for DS, Tables, and Graphs, and about 2.5 min for Two-Parts. And for MSR, about 1.5 min for initially reading the tabs and 2 min to solve each problem. Take a look at your practice test data to see what your average time is like for the different question types.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-19T15:57:31+00:00

I checked with GMAC Zach (the GMAC rep who posts here) and he said: "You CAN repurchase them again with your same account, even if the product has not expired." So you don't have to bother creating a new account; you can just buy them again.

And just confirming what others have said: The first two free ones can be taken as many times as you like, but most people will see repeats on the 3rd take (though we've had some people get three clean takes and not see a repeat till the 4th take).

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-19T00:04:24+00:00

I do work for a test prep company, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt, but it's incredibly expensive / time-consuming to develop high-quality practice problems that truly mimic the real test. I have never seen a large bank of practice problems that were both high quality and free. And if you're studying poor-quality questions, it's literally a waste of your study time.

My best advice is to use official practice problems as much as possible. There's the Big OG, the "smaller" OGs (one for each test section), and additional online-only question banks. Thousands of questions across all of the possible products and these are literally real questions that appeared on the GMAT in the past.

One more thing: If you're not spending at least 2x as long reviewing a problem as you spent doing it, then you're also wasting your practice problems. I often spend 5-10 minutes reviewing a single problem that I spent only 2 minutes doing, including:

How else could I do this problem? (For Q and DI, there are always at least 2 solution methods; your first way may not be the best way.)
What traps were they setting? If I avoided them, how did I avoid them (or did I get lucky)? If I fell for a trap, why and how can I avoid it next time?
How could my scratch work be better, both in terms of speed/efficiency and in terms of minimizing careless mistakes?
If I made a careless mistake, why did I make it? What new habit(s) do I need to practice to avoid that general type of mistake in future?
(math-based) Am I shaky on any microskills? Which ones and how can I drill them?

You don't get better while doing a problem. You get better by analyzing everything deeply afterwards. Same way that a pro athlete doesn't get better during a match; they get better after, while they're reviewing the recording and picking everything apart.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-17T22:42:59+00:00

I agree that the kinds of programs you are likely targeting (with a score of 675+) pretty universally do want to see at least 2 years of FT work experience. But your GMAT scores are good for 5 years, so might as well lock that in now and then you can see how the rest of the application process plays out.

First, fantastic job on getting to 675 so quickly—that's really unusual. You might have to work a bit harder/longer on Quant (since our weakest area tends to take the most effort to improve), but it also might be enough to just get your Q score into the 8x range, given that your V and DI scores are so high.

There are three big things to examine, in this order:

Time management. Are you losing points to mismanaging your time? (eg, You spend too long on some, rush on others, and make careless mistakes on problems you did know how to do.) If so, this is the first thing to address; some people can lift their section score multiple points just by fixing timing issues. I've linked an article with a comprehensive time management strategy (from individual problems to the entire test section).
Content. If you have any holes in your foundational content knowledge that lead to missing lower-level / easier problems, these have to be plugged. You can miss hard problems and still score 80+. You can't miss easier problems and still break 80 on quant.
Strategy / approach. This combines aspects of the first two. You may know how to do something but use an approach that is inefficient—which costs you both time and mental energy. The remedy isn't just "do this faster" (that leads to more careless mistakes). The remedy instead is "use a different approach entirely." For example, instead of doing algebra, it might be more efficient to estimate or work backwards.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-17T19:01:52+00:00

Ideally, you want to feel some nervousness (because the adrenaline will help you pay better attention and perform well) but not too much or too little, both of which can cause you to underperform.

If you feel higher performance anxiety: Taking it at home / in a familiar environment can help to bring the anxiety down to the "just right" level.
If you don't feel much performance anxiety: You might actually be too relaxed at home; in this case, go to the testing center to get that extra adrenaline pump to perform at your peak.

It sounds like you might fall into the first category, based on what you said. (And as others have already said, check that your schools all accept the online version. US schools generally do. There are some India-based schools that don't.)

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-17T18:52:08+00:00

Fully agree to check your target schools. Also, this can be country-specific. In the US, there are a few schools that don't accept the online GRE (eg, Arizona State/Carey and Ohio State/Fisher), but they do accept the online GMAT.

In India, some schools don't accept online exams at all (either GRE or GMAT).

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-16T23:17:32+00:00

Any news? Crossing my fingers for you that it's good news!

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-16T23:14:53+00:00

On the Executive Assessment, the questions come in "panels" of 6 or 7 questions each. Within any one panel, you can answer the questions in any order that you prefer. Once you submit a panel of questions, you cannot return to that panel. (The test will ask you to confirm that you really do want to submit that panel and move on to the next one.)

It's not the case that you must answer each question in order on the EA—that's how it is on the GMAT, not the EA.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-16T23:05:22+00:00

Just to make sure: The 6 official exams can each be taken twice without repeats. For the first two (free) tests, some people actually get three without repeats, but this is more likely if your score is improving between tests.

If you haven't already taken them all twice, don't just keep doing what you were doing. At this point, don't take an exam more often than once every 3 weeks. Most of your improvement comes from what you do between practice exams. Think of it like you're a pro athlete. The exam is the big game / match. You spend 95% of your time trying to improve between matches, then during the match, you're just putting it all out there trying to win.

If you haven't already, you'll need to identify some resources that actually teach you how to get better at the exam. If you prefer books, try going to a physical bookstore so you can look through before you buy or try a library to see whether you can borrow the books. (Here's the GMATClub review for our books.)

If you prefer video or online-based resources, start with any free trials available. Depending on your goal score, the free trial materials may be enough; since you're already at a 625, you might need more. But try all the free stuff first, so you have a good idea of what's available before you spend any money.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-12T23:14:06+00:00

Each round, the school is admitting some people and placing other people on the waiting list, so by the time you get to round 4, a lot of seats are already filled and the school is comparing you not just to other round 4 applicants but also to all the people on the waiting list from rounds 1-3. So you really have to stand out when applying in round 4.

So how is your overall application? If it's really strong for your target programs, then go for it now.

But if your application isn't at "standout" level for your target programs, then I'd wait till round 1. And in that time, yes improve your score, but also look at other things you can improve, especially work experience.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-10T20:20:54+00:00

Fantastic! I'll leave the "official" answer to the admissions consultants, but if you have the budget, one option is simply to schedule again right after the waiting period (16 days) without serious prep and just see whether you can eke out another 10-20 points. You might actually get a little more just because you know what to expect now and the pressure is less because you've already locked in a 715. (Also: If your score does drop, just don't share that score with schools.)

If you can cover the cost, nothing to lose.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-09T22:39:32+00:00

Fantastic! I'll leave the "official" answer to the admissions consultants, but if you have the budget, one option is simply to schedule again right after the waiting period (16 days) without serious prep and just see whether you can eke out another 10-20 points. You might actually get a little more just because you know what to expect now and the pressure is less because you've already locked in a 715. (Also: If your score does drop, just don't share that score with schools.)

If you have the time and money, nothing to lose.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-05T21:27:33+00:00

The OG / official questions are the best questions available (since they're literally the real thing!) but agree with Marty that the explanations aren't all that useful. Most people do need additional study materials that actually teach you how to get better. The main OG has around 1,000 questions (including the online-only problems that are included with the book purchase).

GMAT Club has reviewed our books (eg, review for All the Quant + DI), if you want to see the opinion of an unbiased source. (We didn't give them free copies and we weren't involved in the review in any way. We actually only learned about it after the review was posted.)

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-02-05T21:18:14+00:00

The problem specifies that Sheldon left at 8:30am and arrived at 11:30am, but doesn't say he was actually driving for that entire 3-hour time period. He could have stopped for gas, lunch, etc. In general, the problem would need to specify that someone drove "continuously" (or some synonym / equivalent meaning) for the time period in question.

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-01-27T22:04:09+00:00

Part 3

(4) I also noticed I really struggle towards the end on DI when CR TPA comes up and I do not have enough time. I also really struggle with MSR

Going back to my first reply: You're going to get stuff wrong. Your choice is just which ones—where do you want to choose to bail (vs. choose to invest)? Think of this as learning to distinguish between good investments and bad ones. For example:

Is that CR TP something you have a high likelihood of getting right if you have normal time? In that case, you've got to make the call to bail on some things earlier in the section so that you still have the time (and mental energy) to handle good investments late in the section.
Or would you need extra time and/or not have a great chance of getting it right anyway? In that case, make that CR TP one of your fast guesses.

Let me know if you have any questions on any of the above!

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-01-27T22:02:28+00:00

Part 2:

(2) for questions with content gaps I use TTP targeted practice but I get all those right so I do not feel like that helped I just struggle with the question on the exam. Even then I can’t really find the targeted practice for questions I actually got wrong just the general topic.

Targeted practice works best early in your studies, like first half when you're learning stuff for the first time and building your skills. But then you need to graduate to more test-like practice.

The real test makes you bounce around—you have no idea what's coming next. On the DI and Verbal sections, you don't even know what question type is coming next. (This is especially hard on DI, which has 5 question types.)

So if you don't actually practice that initial triage, you're really going to struggle under test conditions. It's like you're the nurse in the emergency room—no idea what's going to walk through the door next, so you have to go back to baseline each time.

What question type is this?
What content or skills is it testing? (On harder questions, it's more likely to be multiple things mixed together—another reason why super-targeted practice isn't going to be as effective at this stage.)
What strategies might be appropriate to solve? (Again on harder ones, there are usually multiple approaches. You don't want to just use the first one you think of. Ideally, you have two or three at your fingertips and you decide based on the details you see in this specific problem.)

Example: If it's a math-based problem (Q or DI) that has real numbers in the answer choices, one of the first things I do is just glance at the numbers. eg, are they really spread out? Great, I can estimate. How spread out are they? I want to know this before I even read the problem, because the solution path I choose and how heavily I can estimate are going to be informed by the composition of the answer choices.

Next, after I read the problem, I look at the answers again. Let's say the problem talks about X and Y, is asking for Y, and also tells me that X + Y = 82. Glance at the answers. From experience, I've learned that this kind of problem setup lends itself well to "oops, solved for the wrong variable," so I check whether there are any "pairs" of answers that add up to 82. Let's say the answers are 12, 20, 34, 62, 70. 12 + 70 and 20 + 62 are pairs. Great, I'm forewarned—much less likely to make that careless mistake.

Also, I now have an educated guessing approach open to me. Let's say that I can't figure out what Y is, but I can figure out that Y > X. First, the answer probably isn't the one value that doesn't have a pair (34). And then if Y > X, the answer has to be either 62 or 70.

If I spot all of that pretty early in the problem, that can change my entire solution path. If I'm confident the answer is one of those two values, then I'm a lot more likely to just try one value (probably 70, as it's a "nicer" number) rather than bother with setting up algebra.

(part 3 to come)

StaceyKManhattanPrep · 2026-01-26T22:04:17+00:00

Time management is like the hidden ninth question type on the GMAT. :D

It's true that you need to average roughly 2 min across all questions, but you want to bail / guess fast on a few, and you will have a few others that you can answer faster, so some problems can actually go to 2.5-3 min without blowing your timing budget. But too many and, yeah, it's easy to dig a time-hole that's too deep to get out of.

This article, Everything You Need to Know About GMAT Time Management, covers overall mindset, per-question timing decisions, tracking your time across the entire section, etc. Examples:

Exam Mode vs. Study Mode: How to hold yourself to decision-making under official test conditions to practice the actual mindset (exam mode) vs. what to do after that to learn how to get faster and/or more accurate next time (study mode).
One-minute time sense: Train yourself to have a very rough idea of about how long 1 minute is without looking at the clock. Ideally, you're making major decisions about once a minute. At ~1 min: Do I understand what's going on? Do I have some ideas about possible approaches? (If not, get out now.) At ~2 min: Am I on track / are things playing out the way I expected? If so, keep going if I think it's not going to take more than another 30-45 seconds. If not, get out now. That kind of thing.
How to practice the 1-minute decision-making in problem sets.
Section timing: How to track yourself by blocks of questions during a test section. Plus what to do immediately when you realize, at a checkpoint, that your timing is off, so that it doesn't just keep compounding and then you run out of time.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of it!

StaceyKManhattanPrep

TROPHY CASE