Is Test-Taking a Science or an Art or Both?

Test-taking is an art as well as a science. The science has to do with the amount of time given to take a test and the art has to do with the use or allocation of that time.

The Science of Test-Taking

I define science as the technical part. In other words, the technical part of test-taking is about the amount of time we have to take the test. For this exam. we have:

30 minutes each to complete 2 writing samples
75 minutes to complete 37 Math questions
75 minutes to complete 41 Verbal questions

Thus, on average, a student has slightly over 2 minutes to complete each math question and slightly under 2 minutes to complete each verbal question. That's it for the science, now the rest of test-taking skill is art!


The Art of Test-Taking

I say the rest is art because the use of one's time on the exam may vary for each individual. Just like you must tailor your study session time to meet your individual needs, you must tailor your time during test-taking to maximize efficiency.

Here's just one of many combinations of allocations of time:

Possible allocation of time for each writing sample could be:
5 minutes to determine the content
15-20 minutes to write the content
5-10 minutes to proofread/put final touches on the sample

Possible allocation of time for the Math Section:
First 18 questions: spend on average 2.5 minutes on each question
Last 19 questions: spend 1.5 minutes on each question

Possible allocation of time for the Verbal Section*:
Sentence Correction: 1.5 minutes per question
Reading Comprehension: 2 minutes per question
Critical Reasoning: 2.5 minutes per question
* Given that a 1/3 of questions are SC questions, 1/3 of questions are RC questions and 1/3 of questions are CR questions

So plan some time to develop your test-taking skills and remember to study smart, not hard!