Things you should know before belling the GRE CAT!@En?gma

Imagine a test where you can’t skip questions, all answers are final and there’s a penalty for not finishing on time— this is exactly what you will experience in GRE’s CAT!

Pacing strategies are more critical and difficult on the GRE-CAT than for any test you have ever taken. To quote the makers of the GRE, “Time management is key.” Your timing skills could make a world of difference to your final score. This is because the test has highly unusual pacing constraints. The things that you should keep in mind while you attempt the questions.

• DOUBLE PENALTY- for any unfinished questions at the end of each section when time expires. The penalty for unfinished questions is severe (worse than getting a question wrong). You should pace yourself to make sure that you finish all the questions in the allotted time.

• NO DOUBLE CHECKING- All answers are final. If you finish a section early, you cannot go back to double-check your earlier answers. For example, if you hurry and finish your section with 20 minutes left, you are stuck at the end of the test with 20 extra minutes.
• NO SKIPPING- When you hit a tough question or get a mental block, you cannot skip the question. Instead, you have to trudge through it, guess, and hope you don’t waste too much time.
• GO FASTER AND FASTER- The value of each question decreases as the section progresses. The first few questions will determine most of your score, so you have to start slowly and carefully and then accelerate as the test progresses.

So what is the best way?

Unfortunately, there is not best way. It all depends on your problem handling and solving skills. GRE CAT students complained that they had trouble learning the right pacing. You have to accustom yourself to the test conditions while taking practice tests and how when to stop wasting your time on a tough question and begin to make intelligent guesses. The only way to get acquainted with the pace is to solve as many tests as possible. Whatevertechniques you learn, whatever algorithms you follow, remember to follow your instinct.