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Homework review should be a big part of every GMATer’s study plan. While most students will do some review, they almost always focus on the questions that they got wrong. However, there are several big test-taking skills benefits that can be gained by reviewing questions that you have already got right. 1. To start, just because you got a question correct doesn’t mean that you actually understood it. To get through each section of the GMAT in a timely fashion, GMATers sometimes have to guess on questions (especially if they’re unsure about how to proceed on a given prompt). It might be that the question was ‘gettable’, but you just didn’t realize it at the time. It might also be that the question was too hard – so learning to spot those same types of hard questions in your study plan can save you even more time if you end up having to guess again on test day. 2. Even when working through questions in your study plan or on test day that you’ve already got correct, you have the opportunity to rework the step
Homework review should be a big part of every GMATer’s study plan. While most students will do some review, they almost always focus on the questions that they got wrong. However, you can hone your test-taking skills by reviewing questions that you have already got right.
1. To start, just because you got a question correct doesn’t mean that you actually understood it. To get through each section of the GMAT in a timely fashion, GMATers sometimes have to guess on questions (especially if they’re unsure about how to proceed on a given prompt). It might be that the question was ‘gettable’, but you just didn’t realize it at the time. It might also be that the question was too hard – so learning to spot those same types of hard questions in your study plan can save you even more time if you end up having to guess again on test day.
2. Even when working through questions in your study plan or on test day that you’ve already got correct, you have the opportunity to rework the steps involved, which will help you to hone your test-taking skills. In that way, you could respond even faster when similarly-themed questions show up. There might also be other test-taking skills that you could have used (a tactic, number property or other pattern) that could have helped you get to the correct answer even quicker than the approach that you originally used.
3. Since the GMAT is a consistent, predictable exam, it tests the same material and concepts again-and-again throughout your study plan. On the tougher questions, those patterns often appear ‘trickier’ – and you might not immediately realize what the pattern actually is unless you’ve honed your test-taking skills in the areas that you’re already comfortable with.
To that end, take the following example:
A^2 – 6A + 5 = 0
This equation can be factored down using typical Quadratic math (placing an ‘A’ in each parentheses and looking for two numbers that have a product of +5 and a sum of -6)…
(A – 1)(A – 5)
If you can do that work relatively quickly, then it’s likely because you know that type of algebra fairly well. What would you do if you saw the following (rarer) example though:
2A^2 – 9A + 10 = 0
It’s still a quadratic, but now we have to deal with the 2 at the beginning. You’ll end up using the exact SAME math steps though. Start by placing an ‘A’ and a ‘2A’ in the parentheses…
(A )(2A ) = 0
Can you find two numbers that, when properly placed, will give you a product of +10 and a sum of -9?
The final answer is:
(A – 2)(2A – 5) = 0
While this example is fairly simply (and rare), you could see something like it on the official GMAT. It serves to show how the GMAT writers can test the thoroughness with which you understand a concept or rule. Thus, it’s beneficial to make sure that you’ve planned to spend some time reviewing ALL of the questions that you work through, including the ones that you’ve already answered correctly.
GMAT Test-Taking Skills: Reviewing Correct Answers
By QS Content Writer
Updated February 1, 2024 Updated February 1, 2024Homework review should be a big part of every GMATer’s study plan. While most students will do some review, they almost always focus on the questions that they got wrong. However, you can hone your test-taking skills by reviewing questions that you have already got right.
1. To start, just because you got a question correct doesn’t mean that you actually understood it. To get through each section of the GMAT in a timely fashion, GMATers sometimes have to guess on questions (especially if they’re unsure about how to proceed on a given prompt). It might be that the question was ‘gettable’, but you just didn’t realize it at the time. It might also be that the question was too hard – so learning to spot those same types of hard questions in your study plan can save you even more time if you end up having to guess again on test day.
2. Even when working through questions in your study plan or on test day that you’ve already got correct, you have the opportunity to rework the steps involved, which will help you to hone your test-taking skills. In that way, you could respond even faster when similarly-themed questions show up. There might also be other test-taking skills that you could have used (a tactic, number property or other pattern) that could have helped you get to the correct answer even quicker than the approach that you originally used.
3. Since the GMAT is a consistent, predictable exam, it tests the same material and concepts again-and-again throughout your study plan. On the tougher questions, those patterns often appear ‘trickier’ – and you might not immediately realize what the pattern actually is unless you’ve honed your test-taking skills in the areas that you’re already comfortable with.
To that end, take the following example:
A^2 – 6A + 5 = 0
This equation can be factored down using typical Quadratic math (placing an ‘A’ in each parentheses and looking for two numbers that have a product of +5 and a sum of -6)…
(A – 1)(A – 5)
If you can do that work relatively quickly, then it’s likely because you know that type of algebra fairly well. What would you do if you saw the following (rarer) example though:
2A^2 – 9A + 10 = 0
It’s still a quadratic, but now we have to deal with the 2 at the beginning. You’ll end up using the exact SAME math steps though. Start by placing an ‘A’ and a ‘2A’ in the parentheses…
(A )(2A ) = 0
Can you find two numbers that, when properly placed, will give you a product of +10 and a sum of -9?
The final answer is:
(A – 2)(2A – 5) = 0
While this example is fairly simply (and rare), you could see something like it on the official GMAT. It serves to show how the GMAT writers can test the thoroughness with which you understand a concept or rule. Thus, it’s beneficial to make sure that you’ve planned to spend some time reviewing ALL of the questions that you work through, including the ones that you’ve already answered correctly.
This article was originally published in November 2015 . It was last updated in February 2024
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