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When it comes to the GMAT CAT (computer-adaptive test), timing and pacing has never been more crucial. You are not allowed to skip questions, you can’t go back to change answers and if you don’t finish in time they will slap you with a penalty! Learning how to ace your time management for the GMAT is half the battle. There is no doubt that this is a slightly unusual exam in the way you receive penalties.

Knowledge is power, so the better you know the structure and the rules of the exam, the more successful you will be. This is why we’ve included a list of the exam’s strict rules and what they mean for you.

Double Checking is Not Allowed

Once you have selected an answer choice, your answer is final. The difficulty with this exam is, if you come across a tricky question you can’t just skip it and come back to it later. Furthermore, if you finish early, you aren’t allowed to go back and check over your answers. It’s natural to want to leave a little bit of time at the end to double check your answer choices, but the GMAT doesn’t allow you this luxury. The worst thing you can do is rush through a section, finish fifteen minutes early, then be left with fifteen minutes to complete the last question.

Double Penalty for Unfinished Questions

This is another common problem test takers face! If you don’t finish all the questions on a section within the allotted time, you are stuck with a big penalty. The penalty for unfinished questions is higher than getting a question wrong. Make sure you keep up the pace; even if a question is difficult, use deduction or elimination to make an educated guess. It’s better to get the answer wrong than not answer at all.

After reading the above, please don’t have a panic attack. Equipped with this knowledge, you know that this exam is just as much about content as it is about time management.  For example, on the mathematical section you are given 75 minutes to complete 37 questions. That means on average, you need to be spending two minutes per question if you want to complete the section in time! The only way to get this technique down is to practice with a limit of two and a half minutes for every GMAT practice question you do. Soon, your brain will know exactly what a limit of 120-150 seconds feels like.