Hi, all -
I don't have problems finishing all the questions in a timed section, and I have gotten very efficient at completing the first 15 questions in 15 minutes. Would it be smart to start with question 20 and try to tackle the hardest questions when I am freshest?
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6 comments
In my opinion, I’d say no, but everyone is a different type of test taker. The way I see it, why would you use your freshest time and energy on the more complicated problems? I feel like that could make you overthink the easier ones because you’ve already gotten your brain into “hard question mode.”
I also find it way more time-efficient to go through the easiest questions/the ones you’re most confident with first. Then, you can use whatever extra time you have on the harder ones and really take your time understanding them, rather than spending too much time on the difficult questions in the beginning and then having to rush through the easier ones at the end.
If you find that you prefer to start with the hardest questions, and that you're warmed up and ready to tackle them right when you start the section, then go for it! One danger of starting with the harder questions first is that you may end up spending too much time on them and then rushing through the easier questions you'd normally be able to get right. If timing isn't an issue though, you might not have trouble. You may also find that the first 15 questions are a good warm-up to get you ready for the later questions, and so they might be valuable to do first.
On the other hand, if you find your endurance waning through the section, or find it helpful to get the hardest questions over with first, then go ahead and do them first! I've had a number of clients love this strategy because it helped take the stress off the rest of the section. I've also had clients who needed more warm up time, and preferred to do the section in order (I've even had someone find that doing the section backwards was best!). In the end, it is truly whatever works for you! So I highly recommend trying out the strategy you suggest, and comparing it to a section where you solve in the usual order. See what feels & works best, and go with that!
Thank you!
Try it. It's not what I'd recommend in general but it's an interesting idea and if it works better for you, then it works for you.
Could you share a bit more on how you got efficient at completing first 15 q-s in 15 minutes? Was it just lots of untimed practice?
Lots of practice tests and seeing the cookie-cutter nature of the questions. You really can go into hunt mode in the first 10-15 questions after reading enough of the stimuli to get a sense of what the test writers are looking for. Good luck, and you got this!