SSAT and ISEE Tip of the Week: How to Manage your Time

Time management is one of the keys to success on the ISEE/SSAT. Attempting timed sections can be less daunting with our simple time management strategy:

Answer Easy Questions First

The first time you go through a section, answer the easy questions: all the questions that you feel confident about answering. Skip difficult questions, flagging or making a note of them. In general, if a question takes longer than a minute to answer, consider skipping it.

Make Educated Guesses

After you have answered the easy questions, go back through the section and guess on the more difficult questions. Even if you are not sure of an answer, see if you can eliminate answers to improve your chance of guessing correctly. As you fill in these answers, double-check your answer sheet to make sure you are marking your answers correctly.

Use All Your Time

If you finish early, spend the rest of your time on that section checking your answers. On the other hand, if you are running short on time, focus on answering the questions that are easiest. It can take a few practice tests to figure out your time management balance!

Remember that improving and adjusting your time management comes through practice. You can learn to slow down or speed up as needed. Each practice test or timed section will get you closer to your goal!

Photo credit: Peter Balcerzak