GMAT Focus Edition — Exam Survival Guide

Window: Global | Sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Data Insights | 64 Q in 2h15m (plus optional 10-min break)

Must-do topics

Quantitative Reasoning (21 Q / 45 min)

Core: arithmetic, algebra, word problems.

Concepts that pay rent: ratios, percentages, equations/inequalities, simple functions, exponents/roots, basic statistics.

No geometry circus: geometry is lighter than old GMAT; focus on algebraic thinking, not obscure shapes.

Verbal Reasoning (23 Q / 45 min)

Critical Reasoning: strengthen, weaken, assumption, evaluation, inference.

Reading Comprehension: main idea, structure, tone, detail, inference.

Sentence-correction-style grammar is not tested the old way; it’s more about logic and meaning than tiny grammar rules.

Data Insights (20 Q / 45 min)

Data interpretation: charts, tables, multi-source reasoning.

Data sufficiency in a new wrapper: decide if info is enough to answer.

Light stats & probability, percent change, averages, trends.

Top traps (avoid)

Studying from old AWA/IR-heavy plans and under-prepping Data Insights.

Refusing to guess — the adaptive format punishes time-wasting more than skipping and moving.

Over-doing “hard” quant and ignoring medium-difficulty consistency.

Reading RC like a novel instead of a business brief: structure > flowery details.

In Data Insights, treating every chart as if it needs full calculation instead of relative comparisons and elimination.

Time split

Total: 2h15m (64 Q)

Quant (21 Q / 45 min) → ~2:00 min per question, but aim for 1:45 on easier ones.

Verbal (23 Q / 45 min) → ~2:00 min per question.

Data Insights (20 Q / 45 min) → ~2:15 per question; beware multi-tab charts.

Practical pacing:

Check timer every 10 questions: you should be roughly on schedule, not perfect to the second.

If one question crosses ~3 minutes, mark mentally and move — don’t sink the whole section.

Last-48h checklist

Do two 30–40 Q mixed blocks per day (Quant + Verbal + Data Insights).

For every wrong question, write a 1-line “why I missed it”: misread? concept gap? careless?

Skim your own formula + logic sheet:

Percent change, ratios, average, combinations basics, inequalities, DS thinking.

Do 1–2 Data Insights sets each day — focus on reading the chart before doing math.

Quick frames

Before solving any quant item:

“What is actually being asked?” (target expression / variable / comparison)

For CR:

Conclusion?

Evidence?

What’s the hidden assumption?

For Data Insights:

“Can I kill 2–3 options just by comparing trends or ranges?”

Speed tactics

Use estimation shamelessly — GMAT loves answers that are far apart for that reason.

If an RC passage is dense, anchor: first paragraph (setup), last paragraph (payoff), then skim the middle for signposts (“however”, “but”, “therefore”).

For questions where you’ve narrowed to two:

Pick the one that tracks the exact wording of the question, not the one that feels “sort of true.”

Day-of mini-plan

20-minute warm-up:

4 quant, 4 verbal, 2 Data Insights — medium difficulty only.

In-test:

Treat each section as a separate exam; don’t carry a bad quant question into verbal.

Last 5 minutes of each section:

Clear any blanks, don’t re-open fresh time-sinks.