The selective test is a competitive exam that students must complete within a specified timeline. Most students fail to ace this exam due to time running out. The exam tests a student’s capability to process certain information within a limited time. In other words, it captures a child’s critical thinking and problem-solving power.
If you’re appearing for this exam, be ready to face questions that you may not have seen earlier. The motive behind adding such questions is to examine how well a student can conceptualize things and filter unnecessary information to solve a complex problem. This test has three parts, and each section has a set time limit.
- Mathematics (40 questions) – 40 minutes
- Reading (45 questions) – 40 minutes
- General ability ( 60 questions) – 40 minutes
Test takers who lack skills and enough practice often perform silly mistakes because of loss of focus and time pressure. This is why most experts recommend that candidates take selective entry practice tests. These mock tests help familiarize you with the exam structure, question formats, and strategies to answer them.
In this blog, we will tell you how you can practice time management. We will talk about the students’ challenges and recommend a solution for the same.
Recommendations by Selectivetrial for Practicing Time Management for Selective Test
Let’s look at the various challenges/problems you might encounter while writing a selective test. Such challenges may also be faced during other competitive exams such as the OC test, ACER exam, etc.
Challenge 1: You spend more time on one question, which affects your confidence and increases your palpitation, ultimately leading you to solve the rest of the questions in a hurry. When you solve complex questions in a hurry, the chances of silly mistakes are high.
Solution: If a question takes more than one minute, skip that question and move on to the next. Mark a circle so that you can return to this question once you finish the paper and have time in the end. Try out practice papers and see which questions are taking more time. Accordingly, you can review the concept behind those questions. You may also take our selective school tutoring services for doubt clearing. Attempt easy questions first and then the harder ones.
Challenge 2: You feel enticed to answer all the questions correctly, even at the cost of your time
Solution: It’s true that a student who is aspiring to get into a selective school will feel the urge to answer all the questions correctly. It’s alright if you take at least one minute to solve a particular question. But make sure you devote less time to other questions. This will ensure that the time is properly adjusted. When questions take you longer to think, elimination and guessing will work the best.
Challenge 3: You constantly look at your watch. Remember: when you do this, you’re simply pushing yourself to think more and feel anxious.
Solution: The best solution is to avoid looking at your watch. Yes, you need to track your time, but that doesn’t mean you’ll look at your watch after each question. Refer to your watch after 15 minutes. Remember: if you can attempt 15 questions in 15 minutes, you’re on the right track. If you’re falling behind the time limit, eliminating and guessing would be an ideal choice.
If you see the set time limit for each section as pointed at the beginning of this article, then you’ll know that you have less than a minute to spend on each question. However, with constant selective test practice, you can manage time and also achieve the deserving marks.
