As a whole, the test rewards the linear and intuitive thinker greatly. This article will present a linear, six-stage method of approaching problem solving questions. This method will take care of linear thinking, whereas knowledge-based intuition will have to come with time and practice.

Considering the unique question style, the huge experience of the official GMAT writers, and the ability to present large amounts of new questions on a regular basis, the questions we meet are aimed at making our lives miserable. The writers know exactly where we might go wrong, and they supply us with all the possible mistakes in the answers. The questions may contain redundant data we have to find and ignore. And the simplest questions are phrased in order to confuse us the most.

Furthermore, the writers are quite limited with the level and scale of math they may use, so they find the most creative ways to misguide us. The writers also need to write questions that will test your ability to use intuition along with the skill of using linear and orderly ways of solving problems.

As a whole, the test rewards the linear and intuitive thinker greatly. This article will present a linear, six-stage method of approaching problem solving questions. This method will take care of linear thinking while the knowledge-based intuition will have to come with time and practice.

Some test takers focus on finding the unknowns, or just collect data and start solving no matter what they are asked to find. The whole focus should be on the question and any action taken directly in order to answer it.

Stay as focused as possible!


The stages:

1. Read the question thoroughly.
   The purpose of the first reading is to get the main idea and focus on what they want you to find. Reread the question if necessary.
   
   
2. What are you looking for?
   This is critical. The whole process must focus on the question presented and work towards solving it.
   
   
3. Plan – How do I find what I’m looking for?
   This stage is where the method of solving is chosen from previous experience.
   
   
4. Reading the question one more time.
   The purpose of the second reading is to make sure the question is properly understood and to collect the data needed. Organize.
   
   
5. Solve carefully all the way through your plan.
   Use the answers for direction or to plug in if needed. You can also solve backwards from the answers.
   
   
6. Check – Review your answer before confirming it!
   Read more on how to review your answer wisely
   

At first, this 6-step method looks as if it is going to take a lot of time. Actually, once one gets used to working this way, it will save time and, more important, mistakes.
The main focus should be on the question. Everything else serves this purpose. Any unnecessary data is discarded.

Remember:
     1. In many questions you can plug in numbers and solve easily.
     2. Many questions can be solved backwards from the answers.

Both methods can be used in order to shorten the time needed to solve a question.

As human beings, our attention tends to drift away sometimes. This frequently occurs when we are close to the end of the question. We are less alert at this sensitive stage. Our mind is already done with the question, looking at the answer choices, and starting to imagine the next question. Many mistakes happen when we are sure we are almost finished. Remember to be very alert at the final stages of the question! Because we know that the final stage is critical, we must force our focus back to the solution before choosing an answer.
Read more about common mistakes at the final stage