Maximize your GRE score with strategic skipping

Time management on the GRE: Strategies for quantitative and verbal success

Key takeaways

• On GRE Quant, time management, not just math skill, often separates top scorers. If a question isn’t clicking after ~30 seconds, marking it and moving on can protect easy points later.
• Flexible pacing beats rigid timing rules. Finishing easy questions quickly lets you “bank” time for harder ones.
• Quant timing strategies don’t automatically translate to Verbal. Each Verbal question type requires its own pacing approach.
• The highest scores come from balancing smart skipping with accuracy, not rushing or perfectionism.
• Mastering mark-and-return improves both scores and test-day confidence by reducing panic and mental fatigue.

Standardized tests like the GRE often hinge on timing. Even well-prepared students can run out of time, rush near the end of a section, or make preventable mistakes under pressure. The result isn’t a lack of knowledge: it’s poor time allocation.

Time management isn’t a last-minute trick; it’s a core testing skill. Effective pacing depends on understanding the GRE’s structure, recognizing where you personally lose time, and practicing deliberate decision-making under realistic conditions. In this guide, you’ll learn why time feels so tight on the GRE, how top scorers navigate each section, and how to manage mental traps like perfectionism and second-guessing.

Strategic skipping in GRE Quant: Protecting your easy points

For many students, the biggest Quant breakthrough comes from learning when to skip a question, temporarily. Strategic skipping means choosing not to fight with a time-consuming problem right away so you can secure points elsewhere first.

On GRE Quant, you have 35 minutes for 20 questions, about 1 minute and 45 seconds per question. Because questions aren’t ordered by difficulty, a hard problem can appear anywhere. Spending three or four minutes early on one tricky algebra setup can cost you multiple easier questions later.

A practical rule:

If after about 30 seconds you don’t know how to start, mark the question and move on.

For example, if you see:

• A long word problem with multiple variables
• A geometry figure that isn’t immediately familiar
• An equation that doesn’t simplify cleanly

…don’t force it. Mark it, answer the questions you recognize quickly, and come back later with a clearer head and more time.

This approach helps you:

• Maintain momentum early in the section
• Avoid panic caused by getting stuck
• Maximize total correct answers, not just effort per question

Strategic skipping isn’t giving up, it’s choosing to spend your limited time where your odds are highest.

Flexible pacing and time-banking: Stop racing the clock

Many students try to follow a rigid rule like “1:45 per question.” In practice, that often backfires. Some questions genuinely take 30–45 seconds; others require more than two minutes. Treating them equally wastes time.

Instead, aim for flexible pacing:

• Move quickly through straightforward questions
• Save that extra time for tougher ones later

For example, if you solve three easy arithmetic or algebra questions in under a minute each, you’ve just banked two extra minutes. That time can later be spent carefully working through a data analysis set or revisiting a marked question.

Use the GRE’s on-screen timer strategically:

• Check your progress every 5–7 questions, not every minute
• Know rough checkpoints (e.g., question 10 by about halfway)
• Adjust your pace if you’re falling behind or getting ahead

High scorers don’t rush, they reallocate time intentionally.

Personalizing time strategies for the Verbal section

The GRE Verbal section demands a different mindset. Applying Quant-style timing rules (equal time per question) often leads to trouble because Verbal question types vary widely.

Sentence Equivalence, Text Completion, and Reading Comprehension all place different demands on your time and attention.

Start by identifying your strengths:

• If vocabulary questions feel automatic, answer them quickly and move on.
• If Reading Comprehension is your strength, prioritize those questions to build confidence early.
• If certain passage types or question stems slow you down, mark them and return later.

For example, if you catch yourself rereading a passage multiple times without gaining clarity, that’s a cue to move on. Often, returning later with less pressure makes the structure and logic clearer.

The key is self-awareness. Your optimal Verbal pacing depends on how you process language, not on generic timing rules.

Vocabulary questions: Fast confidence, slow uncertainty

Vocabulary-heavy questions reward a balanced approach. Rushing leads to careless mistakes, while overthinking wastes time without improving accuracy.

Use a quick confidence check:

• If you recognize the words and the logic is clear, answer and move on.
• If you’re unsure between multiple choices or unfamiliar with key words, mark the question.

Many strong test-takers make two passes through Verbal:

1. First pass: collect confident points
2. Second pass: return to marked vocabulary questions using process of elimination

Often, distance helps. Seeing the question later, after your brain has relaxed, can make subtle distinctions clearer.

Using mark-and-return to reduce anxiety and stay in control

Mark-and-return isn’t just a time-management tool: it’s an anxiety-management tool.

When students feel trapped on a question, stress rises, focus drops, and timing spirals out of control. Marking the question gives you permission to move forward without panic.

To use this effectively:

• Decide in advance that it’s okay to skip
• Set mental checkpoints (e.g., “I want to reach question 10 by halfway”)
• Trust that returning later is part of the plan, not a failure

Students who practice mark-and-return consistently tend to make fewer rushed errors and finish sections with more confidence.

The big picture: Navigating the GRE strategically

Strong GRE performance isn’t about dividing time evenly, it’s about navigating the test intentionally.

• On Quant, protect easy points by skipping early traps and using banked time wisely.
• On Verbal, tailor pacing to your strengths and question types.
• Throughout the test, use mark-and-return to maintain momentum and reduce stress.

What to do next

In your next practice test:

1. Commit to skipping any Quant question that isn’t clear after ~30 seconds.
2. Track where you gain or lose time by question type.
3. Practice finishing each section with at least 2–3 minutes reserved for review.

Mastering these skills won’t just raise your GRE score, it will make the test feel manageable instead of overwhelming. And that confidence often matters just as much as content knowledge on test day.