“2 minutes per question” – if you’re following this generic timing advice for GMAT Focus, you might be severely limiting your score potential. Here’s why.
Let’s talk about a question every GMAT test-taker grapples with: How much time should you spend on each question? The math seems simple:
- Verbal: 45 minutes ÷ 23 questions ≈ 2 minutes per question
- Quants: 45 minutes ÷ 21 questions ≈ 2.1 minutes per question
- Data Insights: 45 minutes ÷ 20 questions = 2.25 minutes per question
If only it were that straightforward!
The reality is that not all questions can (or should) be solved within these average timeframes. Some questions might need 3 minutes for you to crack them correctly, while others you might breeze through in 90 seconds. The key isn’t in forcing every question into a predetermined time box – it’s in knowing how to manage your overall time strategically.
But here’s where many test-takers get stuck:
- Spending too much time early in the test leads to a rush at the end
- Rigidly following “per question” time limits, potentially sacrificing accuracy
- Not adjusting their timing strategy based on question difficulty
The good news? Data from hundreds of successful GMAT Focus test-takers proves that high scorers don’t follow this “one-size-fits-all” approach. In this article, we’ll look at real evidence that shows why the 2-minute rule is a myth and what patterns actually emerge when we analyze how top performers manage their time.
1 The Evidence: How Top Scorers Actually Spend Their Time
Let’s look at real data from official GMAT Focus attempts that challenge this “2-minute rule.” Our analysis focuses on high performers – test-takers who scored in the 84th percentile or higher.
13 of the questions are outside this time zone, so the “2-minute per question” rule clearly fails even for top performers.
Let’s analyze what’s actually happening here:
- 8 questions took well over 2.5 minutes to solve
- 5 questions were completed in under 90 seconds
- The variation isn’t random – notice how the longer times often cluster around more challenging questions
- Despite this “irregular” timing pattern, this student achieved a stellar Q87
This isn’t an isolated case. Here is another graph of a student who scored Q90 showcasing something similar:
When we analyzed hundreds of high-scoring attempts, we found similar patterns consistently. Top performers aren’t watching the clock tick down 2 minutes per question – they’re adapting their timing based on what each question demands:
- Investing more time in complex questions that deserve it
- Moving quickly through questions they can solve efficiently
- Not forcing themselves to wrap up at the 2-minute mark
2 Different Questions, Different Times: What Difficulty Level Tells Us
Let’s move beyond overall timing patterns and look at something more specific: how question difficulty impacts solving time: a straightforward medium-difficulty question will take less time than a complex, hard question:
In this image, I have highlighted the average time taken to solve each question in CR correctly—you can clearly see that as the difficulty level of the question goes up, the average time taken to solve the question correctly also goes up!
The pattern is similar, but with different numbers, when we look at other sections:
Again, the difference is clear:
- Easy/ Medium questions with clear solution paths: ~1:00 – 1:44 minutes
- Complex, multi-step hard questions: ~2:15 minutes
The message is clear: difficulty level and question complexity, not some arbitrary “2-minute rule,” should determine how much time you spend. When a medium question has a clear solution path, you’ll naturally solve it faster. When you hit a hard question that requires multiple steps or deeper analysis, you’ll need more time – and that’s exactly what top scorers do.
3 Same Score, Different Speeds: Why Every Test-Taker is Unique
Here’s something even more fascinating: even among top scorers, solving speeds can vary significantly.
Let’s look at two students who both scored a Q90 on the test:
As you can see, while student 1 needs more time for Algebra questions, they are way quicker in the WP questions – unlike student 2, who is quicker in the Algebra questions.
Observe their Word Problem solving time for hard questions:
- Student 1: Average 1:54 minutes
- Student 2: Average 2:10 minutes
That’s a 16-second difference per question—significant, yet both achieved excellent scores. Why? Student 2 makes up for their slow time with a faster Algebra time. They take that additional time for WP questions but compensate for that additional time by quickly wrapping up their Algebra questions!
Why this difference?
Some test-takers naturally see through certain types of questions and arrive at answers more quickly. Others might not possess the same innate ability for those questions, but they make up for it in other areas. That’s perfectly fine – both paths lead to the same high score.
But here’s the key: neither approach is “wrong.” Till you are able to manage your overall time well, do not get into the per-question time trap. So, each student played to their natural strengths rather than forcing themselves into a predetermined timing box.
4 What Does This Mean For You? Find your Takt Time!
The evidence is clear:
- Top scorers don’t follow a rigid “2-minute rule” – some questions take significantly more time, others much less
- Question difficulty naturally impacts solving time – straightforward medium questions often take less time than complex hard ones
- Even among 90th percentile scorers, solving patterns vary significantly based on individual strengths
This is where the concept of “Takt Time” becomes crucial. Borrowed from manufacturing processes, Takt Time represents your optimal solving time for different types of questions in GMAT preparation. It’s your personal efficiency metric—not some arbitrary standard that everyone should follow.
Your Takt Time will be different for:
- Different question types (as we saw with our Q90 scorers)
- Different difficulty levels
- Different topics within the same section
Most importantly, your Takt Time might be different from another student’s targeting the same score—and that’s completely okay!
In our next article, we’ll do a deep dive into:
- How to calculate your personal Takt Time
- What’s a healthy range for different question types
- How to improve your Takt Time systematically
But remember – the first step is breaking free from the “2-minute prison” and understanding that your timing patterns are unique to you.
