Skipping Questions on the GRE
Part One: The Two-Pass Strategy
Skipping and Why It’s Important
Skipping difficult and time-consuming questions and returning to them later is one of the most important strategies on the GRE, but it’s one that gives many students the most trouble. It’s important to skip, whether your target score is 155, 160, or a perfect 170. All questions are weighted the same on any section of the GRE; therefore, since some questions take much longer to solve, you want to solve all the easiest, fastest questions first, which means you must skip some questions as you go.
Important Note: On this blog, every time I say “skip”, I mean guess, mark the question (using the “mark and review” feature), and move on. You can return to the skipped questions after you have completed the easy questions.
Does Everyone Need to Skip?
Yes. Everyone should skip. Many people incorrectly assume that top test takers don’t skip. When I take the GRE, I am realistically aiming for a perfect score on each section. But the only way I can achieve such a score is by solving the easiest questions first and leaving myself plenty of time for the harder questions. I can quickly complete about 18 of the 20 questions on the first section and then 15 or so on the second section. After I finish the easier questions, I can approach the trickier or more time-consuming questions (which I have marked) in a relaxed fashion and calmly figure them out.
For those test takers NOT going for a perfect score, the skipping strategy is even more important. You may be able to answer 2 or 3 easier questions in the time you would have struggled to answer just 1 harder question. Furthermore, you won’t get bogged down and frustrated by the most difficult questions, so you will be sharper on those you do answer.
If letting go of questions seems like failure to you, think of this approach as a two-pass strategy. If you are going for a perfect score, skipping doesn’t mean that you are abandoning a question entirely: it means that you will get to it after picking up all the easier questions first. The end result of this strategy is that all test-takers will maximize their number correct per section. Whatever your score goal, skipping questions will be a key factor in your success, and the two-pass strategy will improve your score.
Two Passes: Accepting the Psychology of Skipping
Although many students feel anxious about skipping any question, the two-pass strategy is actually a way to take control of the test and maximize your score. Every time you skip a question, you are approaching the test intelligently. Rather than going in the order provided and getting stuck on a tortuous data analysis question or a sentence equivalence question with several words you have never heard before, you are using a creative approach to avoid a potential minefield in your path. Rather than letting the test intimidate you, you are taking control of your testing experience. Once you internalize this approach and practice it! It becomes easier to skip, and you will see the difference it makes in your score.
How Many Questions Should I Skip?
It depends upon your realistic target score. Let’s take an example of a student who is trying for 160 on the Quantitative Reasoning section and see how he can use the two-pass strategy:
- He sets a goal of 17 or 18 questions correct on the first Quantitative Reasoning section.
- For his first pass, he targets the easiest 14-15 questions.
- On his second pass, he works through the “skipped” questions from easiest to hardest.
- He sets a goal of 15 questions correct on the second Quantitative Reasoning section.
- For his first pass, he targets the easiest 12 questions.
- For his second pass, he works through the “skipped” questions from easiest to hardest.
So remember: Plan to skip as often as needed and as quickly as possible to take control of your testing experience!
The next blog in this series focuses on Identifying the Skippers
Part 2: Identifying the “Skippers”
As discussed in Part 1 of this blog post, skipping is one of the most important strategies you can use on the GRE. While it’s easy to recognize some questions as “skippers,” in other cases, it’s not so easy to identify them. Here’s a guide to help you decide when to skip.
Important note: On this blog, every time I say “skip”, I mean guess, mark the question (using the “mark and review” function), and move on.
Finding Your Own “Skippers”
Questions that you should recognize as “skippers” are those where you lack key knowledge. Here are a few examples:
- On a Sentence Equivalence question, if you don’t know a key word in the sentence or any of the answer choices provided, SKIP IT!
- If you don’t know a math term in a Quantitative Reasoning question, SKIP IT!
- If you read an entire passage on the Verbal Reasoning section and don’t understand it at all, SKIP IT!
- If you don’t know where to start on a math question, SKIP IT!
Skipping questions like these may seem like a no-brainer. But what about those questions where it’s not so easy to tell? In many cases, you don’t know a question is difficult until you’ve actually worked on it. And when you’ve worked on a difficult math or vocabulary question for a while, you’re invested in it. Part of you knows you can crack that question. This is where the 2-minute hard stop rule comes in.
Incorporating Skipping Questions on the GRE Into Your Testing Strategy
In order to build the habit needed for this strategy, time yourself on each question when you work through test sections so that you become more conscious of how long you are spending on questions. If you haven’t cracked a difficult question in 2 minutes, and you’re not almost done, you need to move on! Yes, you could probably solve that question given more time. But, if you’re in the middle of the section, there are almost certainly several easier questions to come. Questions that you could do more quickly. Guess quickly, mark the question, circle your work on your scratch paper (you can always pick it up again later if time allows!), and move on.
In addition to those questions that YOU determine are “skippers,” there are three specific types of GRE questions that you should consider skipping:
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Data Interpretation Questions
Data Interpretation questions usually come in one set of three questions. Of all the questions on the GRE, the last one or two of this set often take the longest. You will spend valuable time just figuring out what the question is asking. Then, in many cases, you must sort through lots of data to find the information you need. Often synthesizing elements from different parts of the data set. You may have to use a series of operations to solve the question. Finally, just when you think you have solved the question, you often find that you haven’t answered the question at all—the question is actually asking for a percent change from a different base number than you have calculated. If you’ve been prepping for the GRE for a while, you’ve almost certainly been through this process and seen this type of question. Skip it fast and come back to it last!
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Fill-in-the-Blank Math Questions
These questions come up on every Quantitative section, and they are often deceptively difficult. With answer choices, they might be easy. However, these questions require you to solve the question without any answer choices. So, you must get the answer exactly correct, and there is almost no chance of guessing correctly. Often, one of these comes up in the last five questions, but you might be able to solve two multiple choice questions in that same time. Unless you know exactly how to solve these questions, SKIP them and come back to them if time allows.
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Reading Comprehension Questions
In most cases, Reading Comprehension questions take longer than vocabulary questions, even Text Completion questions with three blanks, so I always skip the reading questions and do them last. Because the GRE is adaptive, if you’ve done well on the first Verbal section, you’ll get a harder second section. The passages you see on the second one are likely to be more difficult to understand and the questions are likely to feel more subjective. If you’ve thoroughly prepped your vocabulary words using Marks Education’s vocabulary resources, you can do the vocabulary questions much more quickly.
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Text Completion Questions with Three-Blanks
Three-blank text completion questions (the ones where you must pick three correct words to get credit) are often difficult due to the convoluted sentences and obscure vocabulary used. Consider skipping these questions and doing them last if you cannot quickly tell what you are looking for in each blank or if you are unfamiliar with more than two of the answer choices.
Feel Good While Skipping – skipping means you are taking charge of your test.
Remember: Knowing when skipping questions on the GRE and returning to them later is the right thing to do is the biggest gift Marks Education graduate tutoring can give to you. Use your gift early and often. Every time you skip a question, especially after 2 minutes of effort, give yourself a pat on the back!
By Nitin Sawhney and Shaun Stiemsma