Logic Reasoning Time Management

[mes08]

Recently I've realized that I have a tendency to get at least two of the last few questions of each LR section wrong. I think one of the reasons is because towards the end of the section I start running out of time and probably have only around 1min 15 seconds or less per question. I feel like with more time I could avoid some of my mistakes. Do you think it would be a better strategy for me to tackle the last few questions (for ex, the last 3-5 questions) of the section first in order to allot myself more time on those questions? I'm usually able to correctly answer questions 1-10 in 10 minutes, so if I were short on time and I had to answer those last, I don't think I'd risk losing points on easier questions. Thanks in advance for your advice!

[Jon Denning]

Hey mes,

Thanks for the question, and welcome to the Forum! It's certainly a common problem for people to run out of time (or at least feel rushed on the final few questions), but let me tell you why saving the early questions for last might be a mistake: those questions, as you mention, are generally easier than later questions, and you want to do all you can to ensure you get those points! Saving the easier questions for the very end means potentially running out of time before you get to them, or having to rush through them as time runs out, leading to a greater likelihood of mistakes.

Put another way, if you're going to feel time pressure for a handful of questions, better they be questions you're less likely to get correct anyway, than easier questions where you'd have gotten the points with more time.

So my suggestion is to do the questions in order, but when/if you encounter some difficulty or confusion, whether it's question 12 or 20, don't hesitate to move on to the next question and keep working. That should allow you a chance to see and attempt everything, and you'll find that the few questions you have remaining as time is running out are the ones that were the most difficult for you anyway (the ones you skipped as you moved through the section).

Let me know if any of that is unclear, or if you have any further questions! Thanks!