Far too often, I have spoken with students after a failed GRE test who have mentioned that they ran out of time. However, their explanation was not that they did not know the material or had test anxiety. It was that they double-checked their work! Remember, you have an average of only one minute and 45 seconds for each GRE math question. Many questions will take you at least that long, and some will take longer. So, as you can imagine, you won’t have time left to check your work. If you finish a question quickly, you’ll want to “bank that time” to use on a later problem that may take you longer than 1:45 to complete.

Now, does this mean you should never look over your work? Not exactly. If you spot something clearly off in the process while solving or as you enter your final answer, by all means, fix it. But don’t fall into the trap of second-guessing every answer or reviewing each step of your solution just for peace of mind. That habit is a guaranteed way to run short on time — and potentially miss several questions you never even get to attempt.

Instead, trust your preparation. Be deliberate and focused while solving, and once you’ve selected your answer, move on. Save your precious seconds. You’ll need them for that long geometry or number properties problem waiting for you later in the section.

Reach out to me with any questions about your GRE prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep