Time management is one of the most important factors in CET success. Focused on getting every problem right and trapped by traditional methods and scrupulous consistency, some dramatically underperform because CET rewards the quick-witted and punishes those who hesitate. Careless of details and falling into predictable traps again and again, others race to destruction, neglecting the critical pauses. Top CET performance is about knowing when to pick up the pace and look for the shortcut vs. when to slow down and be careful. We will consider below general mistakes that students make in managing their time on the math section.
Error 1: Clock-Watching
Yes, timing is important. But when timing itself becomes a major source of anxiety, mistakes multiply as the attention that should be going into calculations, careful reading, and cleverness gets eaten up in counting seconds. By the time you sit down for the real CET, you should no longer be thinking a great deal about timing – you must develop and practice a timing strategy that ensures you get to the end of the section and that involves looking at the timer not more than every 10 questions. I have found it most effective to divide the math section into three parts: beginning, middle, and end, and to set a timing goal for each. Get in the habit of checking the timer after question 12 and 24 to see if you are keeping pace. It is amazing how much ceasing to worry about timing can actually improve timing (and accuracy!)
Error 2: I need to get everything right!
If you are the one gal /guy who is going to get a perfect score on the CET, you do not need to be reading this. Unless you are the rare test-taker who has plenty of extra time in the math section, part of correct strategy involves being willing to let questions go. The adaptive nature of the test and the competitive applicant pool mean that occasionally, extremely difficult questions may appear. It is OK to miss these and in fact I encourage you to practice doing so. Practice what it feels like to see a question you do not know how to approach and, in under 30 seconds, simply decide to move on. Of course a strong start is important, but so is being prepared to guess and move on. My policy for students is to start with a baseline of three skipped problems. By this I mean that the expectation is that the student will simply guess on three difficult questions to ensure comfortable timing. It is amazing how much of a psychological difference that extra cushion of time can provide, while improving the overall score. Of course, if during CET preparation, timing comes to be no longer a problem, then the number of skipped questions may be reduced.
Error 3: But I know I can do it!
Of course you can. If you had unlimited time and were not feeling any pressure and could just remember that ratio trick you learned . . . . But the fact is, that sometimes techniques go wrong. What looked like a straightforward algebra problem falls apart or the problem seems to require a ridiculous number of calculations. Part of effective CET strategy is knowing when a problem is not going well. Always focus on exactly what the question asks and what information you would need to answer it. But if you spend a minute without making significant progress on a question, it is time to move on.
Error 4: Easy=Speedy
It is the easiest question that you miss that will hurt your score the most, both because of the adaptive nature of the test and because you are giving up a right answer that was well within your range. Yes, easy questions are sometimes opportunities to gain time. Many data sufficiency questions can, if one fully understands the concepts, be done in under 30 seconds. But it is so easy to ride the confidence of an easier question to a wrong answer by missing some minor trick or, as so often happens when one rushes, answering the wrong question. Particularly on easy questions, a pause before confirming the answer just to quickly rethink the problem can help catch critical mistakes.
Error 5: Neglecting the Mighty Pen
Given that most CET preparation is done using books, the efficient use of note-taking from a problem read off of a computer screen is often neglected. Many students are both slower and more careless when working computer problems, in part because they write too much or too little. There is no reason to copy every bit of information from the problem. This can be time consuming and may in fact distract from the primary task of understanding and synthesizing the information provided and the question asked. I recommend deciding on an approach before writing anything. But it is generally a mistake to go more than one step in your head without making notes. This can lead to skipped steps, sloppy calculations, or confusion. You should not need to write down every single calculation, but setting down the primary equation you are using, the main structure of the problem, or, for data sufficiency, your evaluation of the individual statements will help both focus your thinking and, if something goes wrong, regroup and find your mistake. Penmanship and organization do count. If after a practice test, you cannot follow your own thought process on your scratch paper, you are probably not using it as effectively as you should be.
Error 6: Clapping with only one hand
The solution to a problem solving question involves bringing together the facts and question given with the correct answer choice. The right answer is like the missing piece, that brings unity and fulfillment to the problem. Yet many students act as if the answer choices are invisible and you are supposed to finish the problem before you are allowed to peek at them and see if you got it right. The fact is that on many problems the best method involves an engagement between the answer choices and the question. Often answer choices are obviously too big or too small given the scope of the question. If the answer choices are fractions or all have a square root, that tells you something about the problem. If they are spaced far apart, then approximation may be an option. If they contain variables, then that is a signal that you should not be trying to solve for those variables and may be able to choose a simple value to work with. And if you are stuck, always consider whether it is possible just to try out an answer choice, preferable one that makes for easy calculations. Do not forget that the answer choices are tools that may help you to find the most efficient route to your right answer.
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