“Anshuman, I have no idea how to go about this one,” exclaimed my student during a GMAT Quant session, giving up on that problem altogether. When I offered her the slightest of nudges in the right direction, she solved the problem quickly, much to her surprise. I inquired whether she could have arrived at that key insight by herself, and she replied, ‘I probably could have, had I given myself a bit more time to think it through.’
‘Not being able to come up with a solution to the problem instantly’ is often misunderstood as ‘not possessing the skills required to solve that problem’, which is antithetical to what GMAT Prep is about. GMAT problems require the test takers to FIGURE OUT the path to the answer. So the next time you confront a problem you don’t have a readymade solution for, don’t beat yourself up for it; Instead, treat such a problem as a building block for your prep. Rather than fret about finding yourself in an unknown situation, focus on developing skills that help you navigate an unfamiliar terrain.
I can’t stress this enough: ‘Take your time!’ During the initial stages of your prep, in particular, prioritise LEARNING over ACCURACY, CLARITY over TIMING, and APPLICATION over SPEED.