Hello, I have a question about managing time during the test. English is my second language, and I tend to panic and lose focus toward the end of each section. Yesterday, I took a mock test and I almost had a panic attack towards the end (even though I am taking anxiety meds these days) that I had to step away from the desk to breath. I returned to the desk 5mins later and remove the time limit was able to solve all the problems in peace.
Now my problem is the time management. I watched Greg’s video suggesting skipping questions toward the end – get the hard ones out of the way and come back, but I’m unsure which number to go. Also, how much time should I allocate for the reading part (both Verbal and Quant) to ensure I give myself time to finish all effectively? I assume there is no clear cut but I am looking for leads, thank you so much.
First off, I totally get how stressful managing time on the test can be—especially when English isn’t your first language. It’s great that you were able to take a step back during your mock and finish the questions calmly after. That shows you can do this when you’re in the right headspace.
About time management, Greg’s strategy of skipping and returning to tougher questions is really solid, but figuring out what to skip and when takes a bit of practice. A good starting point is to skim through each question and decide quickly:
If it’s doable within a minute or so, work on it.
If it looks time-consuming or tricky, mark it, skip it, and come back later if you have time.
For Verbal, since the reading comprehension (RC) questions usually take longer, I’d suggest aiming to finish sentence equivalence (SE) and text completion (TC) first. Try allocating 8–10 minutes for those and leaving the rest for RC. Don’t spend too much time overthinking a single RC passage—if you’re stuck, pick your best guess and move on.
For Quant, skimming is also key. If a problem looks like a time-sink (e.g., heavy calculations or unfamiliar setups), skip it and focus on the ones you know how to solve. Allocate about 1.5 minutes per question, but don’t get too rigid—some will be quicker, giving you extra time for tougher ones.
The most important thing is staying calm. To practice this, try doing timed sections regularly and deliberately build skipping into your process. It will help you get comfortable with moving on without panicking.
And don’t beat yourself up if it takes time to adjust! Managing anxiety is a process, and you’re already taking great steps by practicing and figuring out strategies. You’ve got this—just take it one question at a time!