{"id":59064,"date":"2026-10-15T17:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T11:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/?p=59064"},"modified":"2026-10-15T17:00:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T11:30:32","slug":"gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">A <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 10<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">min read <\/span><\/span>\n<style>\n.egcs .egcs-answer{background:#eef6f6;border-left:4px solid #0d6b74;padding:16px 20px;border-radius:4px}\n.egcs figure{margin:28px 0}\n.egcs figure img{width:100%;height:auto;border:1px solid #e1e5eb;border-radius:8px}\n.egcs figcaption{font-size:.9em;color:#5d6677;margin-top:8px}\n.egcs .egcs-table{overflow-x:auto}\n.egcs table{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;margin:20px 0}\n.egcs th,.egcs td{border:1px solid #e1e5eb;padding:10px 12px;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}\n.egcs th{background:#f6f7f9}\n.egcs .egcs-toc{background:#f6f7f9;padding:16px 20px;border-radius:8px}\n.egcs .egcs-toc ul{margin:8px 0 0}\n.egcs .egcs-video{position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;margin:28px 0}\n.egcs .egcs-video iframe{position:absolute;inset:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0}\n.egcs table thead th{background:#f6f7f9!important;color:#1b2638!important}.egcs [id]{scroll-margin-top:120px}<\/style>\n<div class=\"egcs\">\n<p class=\"egcs-answer\"><strong>Short answer:<\/strong> A 70% on a hard GMAT Critical Reasoning practice quiz is a strong starting point. For this case study, the next practice target is 80%: on 10 questions, one more right answer. Two e-GMAT students, Tara and Dev, both scored 7 out of 10, for different reasons. Tara got all 7 answered questions right but ran out of time: one very hard question took 3 extra minutes, almost exactly the time deficit flagged at the start of question 6. Dev had time left, but on both Inference questions picked the same kind of wrong answer: a prediction the passage does not support. More CR practice would have fixed neither of them.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png\" alt=\"Two hard GMAT CR quiz results, both 7 out of 10. Tara got all 7 answered questions right and left 3 unanswered when time ran out. Dev answered all 10 with 1:11 left and got 3 wrong.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"840\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Same score, different causes. Each square is one of the 10 questions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You finish a hard Critical Reasoning quiz. 70%. The results screen labels it Strong and shows a 90th-percentile quiz ranking. Most of us would stop right there.<\/p>\n<p>This article shows where the next question is hiding, using the real results screens of two e-GMAT students. Their names are changed.<\/p>\n<nav class=\"egcs-toc\" aria-label=\"In this article\"><p><strong>In this article<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"#is-70-on-a-hard-gmat-cr-quiz-good-enough\">Is 70% on a hard GMAT CR quiz good enough?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#why-do-you-run-out-of-time-on-gmat-cr\">Why do you run out of time on GMAT CR?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#should-you-review-cr-questions-you-got-right\">Should you review CR questions you got right?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#were-dev-s-wrong-answers-really-silly-mistakes\">Were Dev&#x27;s wrong answers really silly mistakes?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-do-you-review-a-wrong-cr-answer\">How do you review a wrong CR answer?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#should-you-just-practice-more-inference-questions\">Should you just practice more Inference questions?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-should-you-do-after-your-next-gmat-cr-quiz\">What should you do after your next GMAT CR quiz?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>\n<p class=\"egcs-answer\"><strong>About the benchmarks:<\/strong> Quiz percentile labels are specific to these practice results. The 80% target here is a coaching target, not a conversion to the 99th percentile on the official GMAT. GMAT scoring also considers question difficulty and other response characteristics. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mba.com\/exams\/gmat-exam\/scores\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">See GMAC\u2019s scoring explanation.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"is-70-on-a-hard-gmat-cr-quiz-good-enough\">Is 70% on a hard GMAT CR quiz good enough?<\/h2>\n<p>It is strong, and <strong>80%<\/strong> is a useful next practice target for this case study. On a 10-question quiz, that is <strong>8 right instead of 7<\/strong>. One more question.<\/p>\n<p>Tara and Dev took the same kind of quiz: <strong>10 hard CR questions in 30 minutes<\/strong>. Both scored <strong>7 out of 10<\/strong>: 70%, with a quiz result labelled 90th percentile and Strong. But they lost their three questions in different ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tara<\/strong> answered 7 questions and got all 7 right. Every point Tara lost was a question Tara never got to answer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dev<\/strong> answered all 10, with time left. On each of the 3 wrong ones, Dev spent the usual time or more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ask them what went wrong, and you get two confident answers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tara: &#8220;I ran out of time. I am slow at CR. I need a lot more CR practice.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Dev: &#8220;I had the time. The three wrong ones were just silly mistakes.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both sound sensible. Both are wrong. If Tara and Dev just practice more CR, neither of them will find that eighth question. And for both of them, the trouble was in the same topic, <strong>Inference<\/strong>. So should both practice more Inference? We come back to that below.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-do-you-run-out-of-time-on-gmat-cr\">Why do you run out of time on GMAT CR?<\/h2>\n<p>Start with Tara&#8217;s question 8. Tara spent <strong>2:09<\/strong> on it, about the usual time of 2:10. Then the clock ran out before Tara could pick an answer. It was not a very hard question either: about <strong>6 in 10<\/strong> students get it right. PRiSM Coach, the coach that sits down with every e-GMAT student on the results screen the moment a quiz ends, marks it &#8220;No review needed&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>So is Tara slow at CR? Look at the time chart.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/tara-gmat-cr-time-chart-clock-tight.png\" alt=\"PRiSM Coach time chart for Tara&#x27;s 10-question CR quiz. Bars for questions 2, 3, 4 and 5 rise far above the dashed usual-time line of 2:10. Note on top: Clock tight from Q6, 7:57 left, 10:50 needed. Questions 8 to 10 have no answer.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"620\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Tara&#x27;s time chart. The dashed line on each bar is the usual time for that question.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The dashed line on each bar is the usual time for that question, from how long other students take on it. Four of Tara&#8217;s bars go far above it:<\/p>\n<div class=\"egcs-table\"><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Question<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Topic<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Tara&#8217;s time<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Over the usual (2:10)<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Result<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Q2<\/td>\n<td>Weaken<\/td>\n<td>3:58<\/td>\n<td>+1:48<\/td>\n<td>Right<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Q3<\/td>\n<td>Inference<\/td>\n<td>6:16<\/td>\n<td>+4:06<\/td>\n<td>Right<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Q4<\/td>\n<td>Inference<\/td>\n<td>3:44<\/td>\n<td>+1:34<\/td>\n<td>Right<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Q5<\/td>\n<td>Strengthen<\/td>\n<td>5:10<\/td>\n<td>+3:00<\/td>\n<td>Right<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Total<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><strong>+10:28<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>The note on top of the chart says it plainly: &#8220;Clock tight from Q6 \u00b7 7:57 left, 10:50 needed.&#8221; Tara was short by about <strong>3 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Now look at question 5. It is a Strengthen question that only about <strong>1 in 4<\/strong> students gets right. Your PRiSM Coach labels this a <strong>score booster<\/strong>: a very hard question, and a bonus when you get it. Tara got it. Well done, Tara. But it took <strong>3:00 more<\/strong> than usual, and the chart flagged a <strong>2:53 deficit<\/strong> at the start of Q6.<\/p>\n<figure><div class=\"egcs-table\"><table><caption>Tara\u2019s time comparison<\/caption><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Measure<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Time<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Extra time on Q5 (5:10 taken; 2:10 usual)<\/td><td><strong>3:00<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Deficit at the start of Q6 (7:57 left; 10:50 usual time needed)<\/td><td><strong>2:53<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><figcaption>The Q5 overrun is close to the deficit flagged at Q6. This compares a checkpoint estimate, not a measured final shortfall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A bonus is worth it only if it does not cost you a question at your own level. Here, the overrun contributed to Tara running out of time before selecting an answer to question 8.<\/p>\n<p>The other three tall bars are right answers too. Your PRiSM Coach calls these <strong>speed gaps<\/strong>: right answer, but it took too long. Question 3, an Inference question, took 6:16, almost <strong>3 times<\/strong> the usual time.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"should-you-review-cr-questions-you-got-right\">Should you review CR questions you got right?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, when they took far longer than they should. Every question on Tara&#8217;s review list is a right answer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I need a lot more CR practice&#8221; is one big, vague problem. And more CR at the same pace gives the same result: 7 answered, 3 blank. PRiSM Coach gives Tara something else: <strong>4 questions to review, in order<\/strong>, each with its own question to ask.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/tara-gmat-cr-review-order-speed-gaps.png\" alt=\"PRiSM Coach question list for Tara in review order: 1, question 3 Inference, 6:16, speed gap; 2, question 2 Weaken, 3:58, speed gap; 3, question 4 Inference, 3:44, speed gap; 4, question 5 Strengthen, 5:10, score booster. All four right. Questions 8, 9 and 10 are cascade.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"788\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Tara&#x27;s 4 questions to review, all right answers, in the order PRiSM Coach gives them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Most CR questions on e-GMAT have a full teaching solution in four parts: <strong>passage analysis, logical structure, thinking it through<\/strong> (where you pre-think the answer) and <strong>answer choices<\/strong> (where every choice is explained). Tara puts each of Tara&#8217;s own steps next to those parts.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Question 3, Inference (speed gap).<\/strong> Which part took so long? Did I read the passage again and again? Or did I skip the pre-thinking and go back and forth between the choices?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Questions 2 and 4, Weaken and Inference (speed gaps).<\/strong> The same question. For question 4, one more: is it the same part as in question 3? If it is, that is Tara&#8217;s Inference habit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Question 5, Strengthen (score booster).<\/strong> What cracked it? And was it worth 3 extra minutes, with 5 questions still to go?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Questions 8, 9 and 10 are <strong>cascade<\/strong> questions: rushed or skipped because time ran out. No review needed.<\/p>\n<p>So instead of &#8220;a lot more CR practice&#8221;, Tara has 4 questions and a clear reason to review each one. &#8220;Go faster&#8221; is not on the list: when the process gets shorter, the time gets shorter too.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"were-dev-s-wrong-answers-really-silly-mistakes\">Were Dev&#8217;s wrong answers really silly mistakes?<\/h2>\n<p>No. Dev&#8217;s results tell a different story from Tara&#8217;s. Dev used <strong>28:49 of 30:00<\/strong> and left nothing blank.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dev-gmat-cr-quiz-time-taken.png\" alt=\"Top of Dev&#x27;s results screen: Strong result. Time taken 28:49 out of 30:00. To review: 3. No unanswered questions.\" width=\"905\" height=\"520\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Dev used 28:49 of 30 minutes and left nothing blank.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Dev&#8217;s review plan has only one box to work on: <strong>3 ability gaps<\/strong>. PRiSM Coach describes them as &#8220;You had the time, but the method didn&#8217;t work.&#8221; The other 7 questions are <strong>mastery<\/strong> questions: right and on time.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dev-prism-coach-review-plan-ability-gaps.png\" alt=\"Dev&#x27;s review plan in PRiSM Coach: Priority 1, ability gaps, 3 of 10 questions, You had the time, but the method didn&#x27;t work. Verify, mastery check, 7 of 10 questions.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"438\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Dev&#x27;s review plan has only one box to work on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"egcs-table\"><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Question<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Topic<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Dev&#8217;s time<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Usual time<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Students who get it right<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Q4<\/td>\n<td>Weaken<\/td>\n<td>4:21<\/td>\n<td>2:10<\/td>\n<td>46%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Q3<\/td>\n<td>Inference<\/td>\n<td>2:18<\/td>\n<td>2:10<\/td>\n<td>41%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Q5<\/td>\n<td>Inference<\/td>\n<td>2:43<\/td>\n<td>2:25<\/td>\n<td>38%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dev-ability-gaps-gmat-cr-question-list.png\" alt=\"PRiSM Coach question list showing Dev&#x27;s three ability gaps, all wrong: question 4 Weaken, 4:21 against a median of 2:10; question 3 Inference, 2:18 against 2:10; question 5 Inference, 2:43 against 2:25.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"379\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Three wrong answers, each after the usual time or more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Every one took the usual time or more; question 4 took <strong>twice<\/strong> the usual time. If Dev had rushed them, PRiSM Coach would show <strong>judgment gaps<\/strong>. There are none. And these are not score boosters, which only about a third of students or fewer get right. They are questions at Dev&#8217;s level, and Dev gave each one a full try.<\/p>\n<p>Then look at what Dev picked on the two Inference questions. Both times, <strong>choice E<\/strong>. And both times, the same kind of answer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Question 3:<\/strong> if the company&#8217;s research staff had more diverse educational experiences, the company would rank higher on innovation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Question 5:<\/strong> if the school changes its teaching methods, most students will be motivated to come to the extra classes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dev-gmat-cr-inference-prediction-trap.png\" alt=\"Dev picked choice E on two Inference questions. Both are predictions of the form if this changes, that will happen, and neither passage supports them. The right answer was D both times.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"840\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Two wrong answers, one habit: picking a prediction the passage does not support.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Both are predictions: if this changes, that will happen. Neither passage says that. So these were not two silly mistakes. It is <strong>one habit, showing up twice<\/strong>: picking an answer that goes beyond what the passage says. And Dev is not alone: on question 5, <strong>33%<\/strong> of students picked the same choice E.<\/p>\n<p>That is where Dev&#8217;s eighth question is. In Inference.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-do-you-review-a-wrong-cr-answer\">How do you review a wrong CR answer?<\/h2>\n<p>Find the <strong>first point of failure<\/strong>: the first step where your thinking split from the solution. In CR, a wrong answer starts at one of four points, and each one matches a part of the teaching solution:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You did not fully understand the passage (passage analysis).<\/li>\n<li>You missed the exact conclusion, or how the argument fits together (logical structure).<\/li>\n<li>Your pre-thinking was off (thinking it through).<\/li>\n<li>You missed a small detail in the choices (answer choices).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Everything after the first point goes wrong with it. So that is the step to fix, and the one that goes into your error log.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/where-a-gmat-cr-mistake-starts-four-points.png\" alt=\"The four points where a GMAT CR mistake can start, each matched to a part of the teaching solution: understanding the passage (passage analysis), the conclusion and how the argument fits (logical structure), the pre-thinking (thinking it through), a detail in the choices (answer choices).\" width=\"1600\" height=\"840\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Find the first point where your thinking split from the solution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;I just need to be more careful.&#8221; Careful how? On which questions? PRiSM Coach gives Dev <strong>3 questions to review, in order<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Question 4, Weaken.<\/strong> More than 4 minutes, and still wrong. Where is the first point my thinking split from the solution?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Question 3, Inference.<\/strong> Why did E look right? Did I pin down what the conclusion actually says? The solution names the trap: &#8220;a hypothetical prediction about future outcomes, which goes beyond what the conclusion states.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Question 5, Inference again.<\/strong> Is it the same split as in question 3? The solution says it plainly: there is &#8220;no information given to support the prediction made in this statement.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-inference-choice-e-explanations.png\" alt=\"e-GMAT solution explanations for choice E on Dev&#x27;s questions 3 and 5. Question 3: a hypothetical prediction about future outcomes, which goes beyond what the conclusion states. Question 5: no information given to support the prediction made in this statement.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"825\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Both solutions name the same trap.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The other 7 are right and on time: just a quick check. So instead of &#8220;be more careful&#8221;, Dev has 3 questions and a clear reason to review each one.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"should-you-just-practice-more-inference-questions\">Should you just practice more Inference questions?<\/h2>\n<p>Not as the fix. Put the four Inference questions side by side:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tara:<\/strong> both right, but slow (6:16 and 3:44, against a usual 2:10).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dev:<\/strong> both wrong, after a full try (2:18 and 2:43, against a usual 2:10 and 2:25).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-inference-same-topic-different-fix.png\" alt=\"Inference questions side by side. Tara: 6:16 and 3:44, both right, against a usual 2:10. Dev: 2:18 and 2:43, both wrong, against a usual 2:10 and 2:25. Tara needs to get faster at Inference; Dev needs to get Inference right.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"840\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Same topic. Different cause. Different fix.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If they just do more Inference questions, Tara gets more right answers, just as slowly. And Dev keeps picking predictions without knowing it.<\/p>\n<p>What both of them need to build is Inference <strong>ability<\/strong>. Ability means two things: getting it right, and getting it right in the time the question needs. Dev needs the first. Tara has the first and needs the second.<\/p>\n<p>The time you take is a result of your skill. So you do not practice for time. You practice for skill. That is why PRiSM Coach reads accuracy and time together.<\/p>\n<p>For Tara, that means the pre-thinking. Many students skip it because it feels slow, but pre-thinking is what makes you faster: without it, the five choices pull you back and forth.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-teaching-solution-passage-analysis.png\" alt=\"The passage analysis table from an e-GMAT CR teaching solution. For the first part of the passage it gives the simple meaning, a visualization of the season months, the role the sentence plays and its source.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"602\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Part of a CR teaching solution: the passage analysis table.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>About <strong>7 in 10<\/strong> CR questions on e-GMAT now have this full teaching solution. Its passage analysis gives each part of the passage with its simple meaning, a picture of it, its role and its source.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-should-you-do-after-your-next-gmat-cr-quiz\">What should you do after your next GMAT CR quiz?<\/h2>\n<p>Think about your own last quiz. Do you know which of your right answers took too long? Which question you should have let go? Most students cannot tell, because every question has to be read in three ways at once: <strong>right or wrong<\/strong>, <strong>how hard it really was<\/strong> (from how other students did on it), and <strong>your time against the usual time<\/strong>. Any quiz result shows you the first one.<\/p>\n<p>PRiSM Coach reads all three after every quiz and puts each question in one of six groups. Tara and Dev showed you five of them. The sixth is judgment gaps.<\/p>\n<div class=\"egcs-table\"><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Group<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">What it means<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">What to ask yourself in CR<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Ability gap<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>You had the time, but the method did not work.<\/td>\n<td>Where is the first point my thinking split from the solution?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Speed gap<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Right answer, but it took too long.<\/td>\n<td>Which part took so long? Did I reread the passage, or skip the pre-thinking?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Judgment gap<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Answered too fast while you still had time.<\/td>\n<td>Did I pick a choice before I checked it against the passage?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Score booster<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>A very hard question: a bonus when you get it.<\/td>\n<td>What cracked it, or when did I know I was stuck? Was it worth the time?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Cascade<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Rushed or skipped because time ran out.<\/td>\n<td>Nothing. No review needed. Fix what used up the time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Mastery<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Right and on time.<\/td>\n<td>A quick check that I really knew it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>As you work toward stronger performance, your review plan should get emptier, quiz after quiz: no judgment gaps, no speed gaps, nothing lost to cascade, very few ability gaps. What is left are the score boosters: a bonus when you get one, but never at the cost of a question at your level.<\/p>\n<p>After your next quiz:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Review right away, while the passage is still fresh.<\/li>\n<li>Open your review plan and start with Priority 1.<\/li>\n<li>For each question, ask the question for its group from the table above.<\/li>\n<li>Write the first point of failure into your error log. Be strict with yourself.<\/li>\n<li>Keep your eye on one number: your accuracy, against the target for the percentile you want.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Quiz after quiz, you start to catch &#8220;too long&#8221; and &#8220;too fast&#8221; during the quiz instead of after.<\/p>\n<p>More practice won&#8217;t fix it. Knowing why you lost each question will.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What is a useful next accuracy target on hard GMAT CR practice quizzes?<\/h3>\n<p>For the practice quizzes in this case study, use 80% as the next target. On a 10-question quiz, that means 8 right instead of 7. Practice-quiz accuracy and quiz percentiles do not directly convert to an official GMAT percentile.<\/p>\n<h3>Are my &#8220;silly mistakes&#8221; in GMAT CR really careless?<\/h3>\n<p>Not if the same kind of wrong answer shows up more than once. Read the explanation for the choice you picked. Dev picked a prediction the passage does not support on two different Inference questions: one habit, not two slips.<\/p>\n<h3>Should I review CR questions I got right?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, when you took far longer than the usual time. A right answer that takes 3 times as long uses up time you need for later questions. Put your steps next to the teaching solution and find the part that took so long.<\/p>\n<h3>Does pre-thinking slow you down on GMAT CR?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Pre-thinking makes you faster. With it, you know what the right answer should look like before you read the choices, so the five choices do not pull you back and forth.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I need to review questions I did not reach because time ran out?<\/h3>\n<p>No. PRiSM Coach marks these cascade questions &#8220;No review needed&#8221;. Review the questions that used up your time instead.<\/p>\n<h3>Should I aim for 2 minutes per GMAT CR question?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Every question needs its own time, which is what the usual (median) time on each question shows. The time you take is a result of your skill, so practice for skill: right answers, in the time each question needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What is a useful next accuracy target on hard GMAT CR practice quizzes?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"For the practice quizzes in this case study, use 80% as the next target. On a 10-question quiz, that means 8 right instead of 7. Practice-quiz accuracy and quiz percentiles do not directly convert to an official GMAT percentile.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Are my \\\"silly mistakes\\\" in GMAT CR really careless?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Not if the same kind of wrong answer shows up more than once. Read the explanation for the choice you picked. Dev picked a prediction the passage does not support on two different Inference questions: one habit, not two slips.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Should I review CR questions I got right?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Yes, when you took far longer than the usual time. A right answer that takes 3 times as long uses up time you need for later questions. Put your steps next to the teaching solution and find the part that took so long.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Does pre-thinking slow you down on GMAT CR?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"No. Pre-thinking makes you faster. With it, you know what the right answer should look like before you read the choices, so the five choices do not pull you back and forth.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Do I need to review questions I did not reach because time ran out?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"No. PRiSM Coach marks these cascade questions \\\"No review needed\\\". Review the questions that used up your time instead.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Should I aim for 2 minutes per GMAT CR question?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"No. Every question needs its own time, which is what the usual (median) time on each question shows. The time you take is a result of your skill, so practice for skill: right answers, in the time each question needs.\"\n      }\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Short answer: A 70% on a hard GMAT Critical Reasoning practice quiz is a strong starting point. For this case study, the next practice target is 80%: on 10 questions, one more right answer. Two e-GMAT students, Tara and Dev, both scored 7 out of 10, for different reasons. Tara got all 7 answered questions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74405,"featured_media":59059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gmat-critical-reasoning","category-gmat-exam-strategies","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Payal Tandon","author_link":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/author\/payale-gmat-com\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ran out of time or made silly mistakes on GMAT CR? Two students scored 70% for different reasons. See what each one fixed to aim for 80% on hard quizzes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ran out of time or made silly mistakes on GMAT CR? Two students scored 70% for different reasons. See what each one fixed to aim for 80% on hard quizzes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"e-GMAT Blog | Best GMAT blog on the planet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/E-Gmat-499275643430980\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-15T11:30:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-15T11:30:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"840\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Payal Tandon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@e_GMAT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@e_GMAT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Payal Tandon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Payal Tandon\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/635587085709ff349ba74421d4f98793\"},\"headline\":\"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-15T11:30:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-15T11:30:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2545,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"GMAT CR\",\"Tips and Strategies\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-15T11:30:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-15T11:30:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Ran out of time or made silly mistakes on GMAT CR? Two students scored 70% for different reasons. See what each one fixed to aim for 80% on hard quizzes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":840,\"caption\":\"Two hard GMAT CR quiz results, both 7 out of 10. Tara got all 7 answered questions right and left 3 unanswered when time ran out. Dev answered all 10 with 1:11 left and got 3 wrong.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Homepage\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GMAT Preparation\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/news\\\/gmat-prep\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"GMAT Verbal\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/news\\\/gmat-prep\\\/gmat-verbal\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"GMAT CR\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/news\\\/gmat-prep\\\/gmat-verbal\\\/gmat-critical-reasoning\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/\",\"name\":\"e-GMAT Blog | Best GMAT blog on the planet\",\"description\":\"Prepare for your GMAT and MBA journey\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"e-GMAT\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/logo-full.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/logo-full.png\",\"width\":908,\"height\":802,\"caption\":\"e-GMAT\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/E-Gmat-499275643430980\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/e_GMAT\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/rajat-sadana-ba459a\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/eGMATconcepts\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/635587085709ff349ba74421d4f98793\",\"name\":\"Payal Tandon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/097c7dba01d10e16baea1dfe147e52a6aaa66fabf3a32c1263cd45f32563d9f2?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/097c7dba01d10e16baea1dfe147e52a6aaa66fabf3a32c1263cd45f32563d9f2?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/097c7dba01d10e16baea1dfe147e52a6aaa66fabf3a32c1263cd45f32563d9f2?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Payal Tandon\"},\"description\":\"Payal Tandon, co-founder and COO of e-GMAT, has revolutionized GMAT preparation through her innovative, process-driven teaching methodology that has helped over 50,000 students achieve their dream scores since 2010. From the very beginning, Payal laid the foundation of e-GMAT's success by instilling a process-driven approach to GMAT preparation, becoming a Six Sigma aficionado who believes in \\\"doing things right the first time.\u00a0 Her quantifiable impact speaks for itself: on GMAT Club\u2014the largest online GMAT forum\u2014she is ranked as the #1 rated GMAT expert globally, with e-GMAT maintaining over 1,800 reviews and Payal sustaining a 4.8\\\/5 instructor rating as of 2024-25.\u00a0 Payal holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious BITS Pilani and brings analytical rigor from her engineering career at Honeywell, where her experience managing complex projects\u2014including multi-million dollar NASA programs\u2014instilled the systematic precision she now applies to GMAT instruction.\u00a0 Her GMAT expertise spans across all sections of the test, with particular specialization in verbal sections where she pioneered her signature \\\"pre-thinking strategy\\\" for Critical Reasoning, while also introducing a novel framework of six core \\\"process skills\\\" for Quantitative reasoning and innovative approaches for the new Data Insights section that help students systematically tackle problems rather than relying on brute-force repetition.\u00a0 Passionate about education, Payal left her lucrative engineering career to pursue her vision of making quality GMAT preparation accessible to all, believing that students should \\\"give 200% or don't take on the task at all\\\"\u2014a philosophy that permeates every aspect of her teaching.\u00a0 Her success metrics speak volumes: e-GMAT delivers more 700+ scores than any other prep provider, with students consistently crediting her strategies for dramatic score improvements. She has authored over 2,000 GMAT practice questions, conducted 1,000+ hours of webinars, and regularly contributes strategic articles to the e-GMAT blog.\u00a0 \u00a0\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\",\"linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/payal-tandon-9810512\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@egmat\\\/videos\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/e-gmat.com\\\/blogs\\\/author\\\/payale-gmat-com\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR","description":"Ran out of time or made silly mistakes on GMAT CR? Two students scored 70% for different reasons. See what each one fixed to aim for 80% on hard quizzes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR","og_description":"Ran out of time or made silly mistakes on GMAT CR? Two students scored 70% for different reasons. See what each one fixed to aim for 80% on hard quizzes.","og_url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/","og_site_name":"e-GMAT Blog | Best GMAT blog on the planet","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/E-Gmat-499275643430980","article_published_time":"2026-10-15T11:30:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-15T11:30:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":840,"url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Payal Tandon","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@e_GMAT","twitter_site":"@e_GMAT","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Payal Tandon","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/"},"author":{"name":"Payal Tandon","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/635587085709ff349ba74421d4f98793"},"headline":"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR","datePublished":"2026-10-15T11:30:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-15T11:30:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/"},"wordCount":2545,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png","articleSection":["GMAT CR","Tips and Strategies"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/","url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/","name":"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png","datePublished":"2026-10-15T11:30:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-15T11:30:32+00:00","description":"Ran out of time or made silly mistakes on GMAT CR? Two students scored 70% for different reasons. See what each one fixed to aim for 80% on hard quizzes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gmat-cr-quiz-70-percent-two-causes.png","width":1600,"height":840,"caption":"Two hard GMAT CR quiz results, both 7 out of 10. Tara got all 7 answered questions right and left 3 unanswered when time ran out. Dev answered all 10 with 1:11 left and got 3 wrong."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/gmat-cr-ran-out-of-time-silly-mistakes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Homepage","item":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"GMAT Preparation","item":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/news\/gmat-prep\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"GMAT Verbal","item":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/news\/gmat-prep\/gmat-verbal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"GMAT CR","item":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/news\/gmat-prep\/gmat-verbal\/gmat-critical-reasoning\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Ran Out of Time or Made Silly Mistakes? How to Go from 70% to 80% on Hard GMAT CR"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/","name":"e-GMAT Blog | Best GMAT blog on the planet","description":"Prepare for your GMAT and MBA journey","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#organization","name":"e-GMAT","url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/logo-full.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/logo-full.png","width":908,"height":802,"caption":"e-GMAT"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/E-Gmat-499275643430980","https:\/\/x.com\/e_GMAT","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rajat-sadana-ba459a\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/eGMATconcepts"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/635587085709ff349ba74421d4f98793","name":"Payal Tandon","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/097c7dba01d10e16baea1dfe147e52a6aaa66fabf3a32c1263cd45f32563d9f2?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/097c7dba01d10e16baea1dfe147e52a6aaa66fabf3a32c1263cd45f32563d9f2?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/097c7dba01d10e16baea1dfe147e52a6aaa66fabf3a32c1263cd45f32563d9f2?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Payal Tandon"},"description":"Payal Tandon, co-founder and COO of e-GMAT, has revolutionized GMAT preparation through her innovative, process-driven teaching methodology that has helped over 50,000 students achieve their dream scores since 2010. From the very beginning, Payal laid the foundation of e-GMAT's success by instilling a process-driven approach to GMAT preparation, becoming a Six Sigma aficionado who believes in \"doing things right the first time.\u00a0 Her quantifiable impact speaks for itself: on GMAT Club\u2014the largest online GMAT forum\u2014she is ranked as the #1 rated GMAT expert globally, with e-GMAT maintaining over 1,800 reviews and Payal sustaining a 4.8\/5 instructor rating as of 2024-25.\u00a0 Payal holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious BITS Pilani and brings analytical rigor from her engineering career at Honeywell, where her experience managing complex projects\u2014including multi-million dollar NASA programs\u2014instilled the systematic precision she now applies to GMAT instruction.\u00a0 Her GMAT expertise spans across all sections of the test, with particular specialization in verbal sections where she pioneered her signature \"pre-thinking strategy\" for Critical Reasoning, while also introducing a novel framework of six core \"process skills\" for Quantitative reasoning and innovative approaches for the new Data Insights section that help students systematically tackle problems rather than relying on brute-force repetition.\u00a0 Passionate about education, Payal left her lucrative engineering career to pursue her vision of making quality GMAT preparation accessible to all, believing that students should \"give 200% or don't take on the task at all\"\u2014a philosophy that permeates every aspect of her teaching.\u00a0 Her success metrics speak volumes: e-GMAT delivers more 700+ scores than any other prep provider, with students consistently crediting her strategies for dramatic score improvements. She has authored over 2,000 GMAT practice questions, conducted 1,000+ hours of webinars, and regularly contributes strategic articles to the e-GMAT blog.\u00a0 \u00a0","sameAs":["https:\/\/e-gmat.com","linkedin.com\/in\/payal-tandon-9810512","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@egmat\/videos"],"url":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/author\/payale-gmat-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59073,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59064\/revisions\/59073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}