Use an Analogue Watch – But Don’t Use It Wrong

(^ΦдΦ^) ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Shadies’ back!

( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (^ΦдΦ^)
Tell a friend.

(⌐O_O)
Oh hey you ppl!

(^ΦдΦ^)
Hold up.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So we talked about super most definitely using an analogue watch to keep track of time – how did you go with that?

(⌐O_O)
I tried it – but it’s not working, and it’s tripping me out.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Is it tripping your balls out?

(⌐O_O)
Um. 

(⌐O_O)
(Deliberates and gets in touch with feels) 

(⌐O_O)
Yes.

(^ΦдΦ^)
I’m sorry for the pain you’re going through- 

(^ΦдΦ^)     (⌐O_O)
No hugging (dodges hug).

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
How has it super been not working?

      (⌐O_O)
Well, with my smart-watch, I could have a countdown timer going, and say that there’s 60 minutes of Reading Time left, I can be like “ok 60 / 170 equally roughly ⅓, so I aim to only have ⅓ of the paper left. 

But with an analogue watch, all it gives you is the time – and you have to do all that complicated maths to convert it to “minutes remaining out of 170”… and it’s just too much to do that every time I want to check my progress!

I ended up trying to remember to check every 20 to 30 minutes.

(^ΦдΦ^)
“Trying to remember to”?

(⌐O_O)
I know right? I pretty much forgot after 2 checks.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Ok, just from hearing that, I can tell a few things that you’re messing up….

The Five Pillars of the Best GAMSAT Exam Time Management Strategy

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, there are five things that go into an effective GAMSAT exam time keeping strategy.

Pillar 1: Works Well With An Analogue Watch

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
As noted in a previous post, the GAMSAT literally states that you can’t use any time-keeping device other than an analogue watch. Snarks?

(^ΦдΦ^)
(Groans)

(^ΦдΦ^)
For those who are joining us late, it says so in the ACER info booklet, under What to bring on test day.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
And most young ppl these days don’t even wear watches on their hands, let alone watches with hands on them-

(^ΦдΦ^)
-Or watches on their hands with hands on them.

(⌐O_O)
(Are we talking hands on their hands?)

(^ΦдΦ^)
(You mean hands on your hand – you’re part of who we’re referring to)

(⌐O_O)
(Let’s not go there….) 

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
…So it can be hard to read during the stress of the exam.

(^ΦдΦ^)
The additional handicap with analogue watches, is that time is always relative: 

(^ΦдΦ^)
With stopwatches, if the time reads 0:23:50, you immediately know 23 minutes have passed, because the starting time is always 0:00:00.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
With countdown timers, if the time reads 1:47:40, you know you have 1 hour and 47 minutes left, because the starting time is always the total time of the exam.

(^ΦдΦ^)
With analogue watches, if the time reads 10:40:30, it could mean 40 minutes have passed, if you started at 10am sharp, or 1 hour and 53 minutes have passed, if you started at 8:47. So you will have to do mental arithmetic just to figure out your exam progress. 

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
And if it’s some annoying start time, like 11:38, then you’re really gonna have fun with all that maths in your head.

(^ΦдΦ^)
You mean your face.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Yes I do. So, the best GAMSAT exam time keeping strategy, will need to work well with analogue watches, for you to stand a chance.

(^ΦдΦ^)
So, you’re already trying (and failing, but hey, no judgement here) to keep time with an analogue watch, which is a good start – but there are some things we gotta fix.

Pillar 2: Factors In Review Time

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Number one thing to fix, you didn’t leave any time for review.

(⌐O_O)
That’s true.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Review Time is important: Not factoring in Review Time is like expecting everything to go perfectly – and when things don’t, suddenly:

• You don’t have time to: 
  • Take a sip of water
  • Check your progress
  • Go to the toilet
  • Take a breather and compose yourself
• Your emotions (frustration, anger, anxiety, negativity) get to you easily because you’re stressed that you’re not on progress, and you don’t have a safety net
• You piss away a bunch of marks because you didn’t get time for all the questions
• You don’t get to check your work and: 
  • You forget to write your name on the exam paper
  • You didn’t realise that there are a few pages left
  • You didn’t get to transfer the answers from the question booklet to the answer sheet
  • You skip a row by accident on the answer sheet, and every answer after that row is matched with the wrong question
• (Other examples of hilarity ensues)

(^ΦдΦ^)
And your performance goes down the drain.

(⌐O_O)
Ok, so a great exam time-keeping strategy needs to factor in Review Time too.

Pillar 3: Exam Progress Is Checked Regularly Enough

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Exactly – and the number two thing to fix: you’re not checking your exam progress regularly enough.

(^ΦдΦ^)
The point of checking your progress, is to notice if you’re falling behind, and have a chance to do something about it. 

(^ΦдΦ^)
If you check too rarely, then so much time could pass, and/or you fall behind on questions too much, that it gets too hard to catch up.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
As a side note, you also don’t want to check your progress too often: No matter how efficient your time-keeping strategy is, if you go overboard with checking, you’ll spend too much time and effort at the expense of the exam.

Pillar 4: You’re Naturally Reminded To Check Your Progress

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
The fourth thing, is that you’re needing to remember to check your progress. I mean, it’s nice when you remember – but if you leave it to memory, time can get away from you easily.

(^ΦдΦ^)
The best way, is to be automatically reminded to check – and that’s what we’re going to teach you.

(⌐O_O)
Does it involve app notifications?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
No, you can’t use smart-watches, remember?

(^ΦдΦ^)
Or have your phone on.

Pillar 5: Exam Progress Is Only Calculated Once

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
The number five thing to fix: You’re calculating exam progress as you go, every time you checked it.

(⌐O_O)
Wait, are you insinuating that I don’t need to do that?

(^ΦдΦ^)
Yes, cos calculating as you go, sucks ass.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Doing maths every time not only takes time (duh), it also takes energy, AND it also takes focus: You’re turning away from the exam, doing proper maths without a calculator, then going back to your exam.

(^ΦдΦ^)
We don’t want to be doing that, so we’re gonna teach you how to keep time effectively without doing that.

(⌐O_O)
Yay!

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
And we’re gonna do that, through the magical properties of Time Landmarks.

Keep Time Effectively With Time Landmarks

(⌐O_O)
What are Time Landmarks?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Time Landmarks are things that you write onto the question booklet, that tell you what time you’re supposed to be up to for specific questions, in order to keep to your planned progress.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
For example, let’s say that you were starting an exam at 8:00am, and there are 40 questions that you wanted to complete in 40 minutes, and you want to do 10 questions every 10 minutes: You can write down Time Landmarks at Q10 (“8:10”), Q20 (“8:20”), Q30 (“8:30”), and Q40 (“8:40”).

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
And during the exam, when you’re up to Q20, and you see the Time Landmark “8:20”, you can check the time: If it’s before 8:20, then you’re on progress; and if it’s after 8:20, then you need to hurry up.

(⌐O_O)
(Nods)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
This method works with analogue watches, cos your ideal progress is calculated ahead of time – so you only have to read the time, then decide if you’re ahead of time, or behind on time.

(⌐O_O)
(Nods?)

(^ΦдΦ^)
Wax, he’s not getting it.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
You’ll get the hang of it once we have you practice it.

(^ΦдΦ^)
And the best way to practice… is with a practice exam: Here is a new copy of the practice exam.

(⌐O_O)
Oh cool, thanks!

(^ΦдΦ^)
You’re going to sit this practice exam right now.

(⌐O_O)
But I just finished sitting one!

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Hey, I don’t make the rules.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Just kidding – let’s wait till tomorrow morning. 

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Doing practice exams at similar times of the day as the actual exam, counts as conditioning too.

(⌐O_O)
Sounds good.

(Next Day)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Are we set to start the practice exam now?

(⌐O_O)
Yep.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Ok, take your analogue watch off, and sit it up on the desk in front of you, so you can read it at all times.

(⌐O_O)
Done.

(^ΦдΦ^)
That was fun. Now, let’s move onto the actual setup.

Section 1

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, Section 1 has 75 questions and 100 minutes Writing Time.

Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20	Q35	Q50	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10	Q25	Q40	Q55	Q70
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30	Q45	Q60	Q75

(^ΦдΦ^)
This neatly divides into 75 questions in 75 minutes (1 question per minute), leaving 25 minutes for reviewing the paper.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, at 1 question per minute, that means 10 questions in 10 minutes.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
That means, you want to be up to Q10 at the 10th minute (after Writing Time starts), at Q20 at the 20th minute, and so on.

(^ΦдΦ^)
So, we want to mark down these Time Landmarks on the question booklet.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Too right! Gamster, flip to Q10.

Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20	Q35	Q50	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10	Q25	Q40	Q55	Q70
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30	Q45	Q60	Q75

(⌐O_O)
Done~

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
What time does your analogue watch say right now?

(⌐O_O)
Ummm… 9:23am.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Ok, let’s set the start time as 9:24, because it might take a minute to do the following setup.

Set start time as: 9:24
Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20	Q35	Q50	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10	Q25	Q40	Q55	Q70
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30	Q45	Q60	Q75

(⌐O_O)
So will I lose a minute?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Yeah you will – but this setup is important, so it’ll be worth it. Just take the minute off the Review Time.

(⌐O_O)
So instead of 25 minutes, I have 24 minutes instead?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Right you are~ Aren’t you glad we factored in Review Time?

(^ΦдΦ^)
Guys, it’s 9:24 now.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
…

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Let’s set the start time as 9:25.

Set start time as: 9:25
Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20	Q35	Q50	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10	Q25	Q40	Q55	Q70
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30	Q45	Q60	Q75

(^ΦдΦ^)
AKA 23 minutes of Review Time.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Tragic. Anyway, so at Q10, you want to write down the time 10 minutes after the start time – so what’s that?

(⌐O_O)
9:25 + 10min = 9:35?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Good, so write down 9:35 next to Q10.

Set start time as: 9:25
Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20	Q35	Q50	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10 9:35	Q25	Q40	Q55	Q70
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30	Q45	Q60	Q75

(^ΦдΦ^)
Now add 10min to that time, and write that down at the question that is the next multiple of 10, and so on.

(⌐O_O)
So, 9:45 at Q20, 9:55 at Q30, 10:05 at Q40, 10:15 at Q50, 10:25 at Q60, 10:35 at Q70, and… 10:40 at Q75?

Set start time as: 9:25
Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20 9:45	Q35	Q50 10:15	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10 9:35	Q25	Q40 10:05	Q55	Q70 10:35
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30 9:55	Q45	Q60 10:25	Q75 10:40

(^ΦдΦ^)
Good, you have math common sense.

(⌐O_O)
Thanks, I try.

(^ΦдΦ^)
This one’s a keeper, Wax.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
I’m grateful every day. Now, what’s the time, Mr Wolf?

(⌐O_O)
9:25.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Good, start work on S1 now. Glance back at the analogue watch regularly. And when you reach your Time Landmark (the first one will be 9:35 at Q10), check the time again.

Set start time as: 9:25
Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20 9:45	Q35	Q50 10:15	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10 9:35	Q25	Q40 10:05	Q55	Q70 10:35
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30 9:55	Q45	Q60 10:25	Q75 10:40

(^ΦдΦ^)
If you’re falling behind on time, go a bit faster for the next set of 10, and be more conscious about time.

(⌐O_O)
What do you mean by “be more conscious”?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
As in, know that you’ve allocated a certain amount of time to every question – so stick with that allocation. 

(^ΦдΦ^)
Specifically, it means:

• When you get stuck on questions, eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then move on
• When you see time-wasting questions, skip it for later
• Check the time more often

Set start time as: 9:25
Q1	Q16	Q31	Q46	Q61
Q2	Q17	Q32	Q47	Q62
Q3	Q18	Q33	Q48	Q63
Q4	Q19	Q34	Q49	Q64
Q5	Q20 9:45	Q35	Q50 10:15	Q65
Q6	Q21	Q36	Q51	Q66
Q7	Q22	Q37	Q52	Q67
Q8	Q23	Q38	Q53	Q68
Q9	Q24	Q39	Q54	Q69
Q10 9:35	Q25	Q40 10:05	Q55	Q70 10:35
Q11	Q26	Q41	Q56	Q71
Q12	Q27	Q42	Q57	Q72
Q13	Q28	Q43	Q58	Q73
Q14	Q29	Q44	Q59	Q74
Q15	Q30 9:55	Q45	Q60 10:25	Q75 10:40

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Now, finish Section 1 – we’ll check back later.

Section 2

( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (^ΦдΦ^)
Hey we’re back!

(⌐O_O)
Apparently so. So it’s essay time now, what do you recommend here?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
It depends on what works for you: I recommend using the Reading Time (5 minutes) to briefly brainstorm for the various quotes, decide on the Task A and B quote with the strongest essay ideas (or most ideas), and start brainstorming in depth for those Chosen Ones.

(^ΦдΦ^)
That should handsomely account for the 5 minutes.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Then comes Writing Time (60 minutes) – obviously, there’s two essays, so 30 minutes each. For each essay, I would use 5 minutes for planning, and 25 minutes for writing.

(⌐O_O)
Wait – so we’re not accounting for Review Time?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Well, at 30 minutes per essay, there’s not enough time to comfortably build in Review Time.

(^ΦдΦ^)
And plus, if there was any time you could spare for reviewing, it would be more useful to use it for planning instead, so you actually end up with a structurally-complete essay, and you don’t have to stop and think (or edit) while you write.

(⌐O_O)
Ok, so for S2, instead of Review Time, we have Planning Time instead?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Eeeeexactly.

(⌐O_O)
Ok, so writing is self-explanatory enough – what do you mean by planning?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, to get to the point where you can smash out an essay without stopping, there are 2 steps to planning in those 5 minutes – Brainstorming and Structure.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Firstly, brainstorming: You did some brainstorming already during Reading Time, but you couldn’t write anything. These next 5 minutes are for you to brain-dump all of your ideas onto paper, without judgement.

(⌐O_O)
So, even if they’re weak, or factually incorrect, or morally wrong, still write them down?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Too true – by writing down everything without judgement, you get into a more creative and “flowy” state, where ideas come easier to you. So keep on writing until you run dry.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Until your pen runs dry?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Use another pen.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Until your body runs dry?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Ewww.

Reggie

But I

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
QUICK, QUICK, PHASE HIM AWAY!!!

(^ΦдΦ^)
That was close.

(⌐O_O)
What if your ideas never run dry?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Then I envy you and you’ll need to teach me your secrets. In case you do have hax switched on, just pick the best ideas, and move onto the next step – Snarksy?

(^ΦдΦ^)
Secondly, Structure: Having the ideas in a puddle on the page isn’t the best format to refer to for writing an essay, so we need to tidy things up a bit.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
You know the generic essay format, yeah?

(⌐O_O)
Yeah, it’s:

• Title
• Introduction
• Body
  • Point 1
  • Point 2
  • Point 3
• Conclusion

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Yep that’s it – write that structure out, and add the relevant points, until you have a fleshed out skeleton that you can refer to to write out your essay.

(⌐O_O)
I see – also, question.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Go ahead, HQ.

(⌐O_O)
Do I have to do Brainstorm + Structure for Essay 1, then write Essay 1, then do Brainstorm + Structure for Essay 2, then write Essay 2?
(AKA 5min -> 25min -> 5min -> 25min)

(⌐O_O)
Or can I do Brainstorm + Structure for both essays, then just write both essays?
(5min -> 5min -> 25min -> 25min)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Great question, and that’s why I said it’s up to you: You might prefer one option, or find one option works better. You’ll have to try both ways out, and make up your mind.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Another thing: Since S2 isn’t like S1 or S3, in that there aren’t pages and pages to keep track of time for, just write down the landmark times on a piece of paper that you always have visible on your desk, and can readily glance at.

(⌐O_O)
Ok. (Tears off bit of paper from Quotes page)

(^ΦдΦ^)
You just damaged ACER property. Prepare for Consequences.

(⌐O_O)
Oh shi-

(^ΦдΦ^)
Oh that’s not an ACER test booklet – never mind.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, say that you’re doing “B/S, Write, B/S, Write”, that’s 5, 25, 5, 25. What’s the time now?

(⌐O_O)
10:48.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, assume Writing Time starts at 10:50. You know what you doing.

(⌐O_O)
For Great Justice. (Writes on piece of paper):

10:55

11:20

11:25

11:50

(^ΦдΦ^)
Great. Now start your Reading Time, and at 10:50, start Writing Time, and follow the Time Landmarks: When the time reaches the landmark, immediately finish off what you were doing, and move onto the next thing.

(⌐O_O)
Ok- wait. That means I only have less than 1 minute of Reading Time.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Oh you noticed. You didn’t notice not having any Reading Time for Section 1.

(⌐O_O)
HEY THAT’S RIGHT NO I DIDN’T

(^ΦдΦ^)
(Yawns) Do you want to recalculate your Time Landmarks?

(⌐O_O)
Well, it wasn’t that much effort….

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Gammy, time waits for no one. Start now- START NOW!

(⌐O_O)
Ok ok shit shit SHIT DAMN IT’S 10:50

(^ΦдΦ^)
We’re gonna go grab a snack.

Section 3

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
How’d you go, Gam?

(⌐O_O)
I think I freaked out for 1 or 2 minutes, then remembered Brainstorm and Structure, and calmed down and followed the process. But I blanked on the quotes for Task A….

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Ok, then what did you do?

(⌐O_O)
I swapped and did Task B first – and when I got around to Task A, I could brainstorm properly for it.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Cool, what changed do you think?

(⌐O_O)
I think my brain felt a bit more loose and creative. Also, some ideas I came up with for Task B helped inspire Task A.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Great stuff – you were being efficient, which is what FastGAMSAT is all about!

(⌐O_O)
Yay!

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
I just realised, if you want to be the most time efficient about it, it’s probably best to do Look Over All Quotes -> Task A B/S -> Task B B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing. 

That way, if you’re stuck on the B/S part for either Task, you will always have time to mull over it while you do something else.

Possibility 1:

Look Over All Quotes -> Task A B/S -> Task B B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing

(Suspect may get stuck on Task A, so do Task A first)

Look Over All Quotes -> Task A B/S -> Task B B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing

(Indeed stuck on Task A B/S, then do Task B B/S first)

Look Over All Quotes -> Task B B/S -> Task A B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing

(Still stuck on Task A B/S, then do Task B writing first)

Look Over All Quotes -> Task B B/S -> Task B Writing -> Task A B/S -> Task A Writing

(Nowhere to run now – grit your teeth and squeeze out essay ideas for Task A)

Possibility 2:

Look Over All Quotes -> Task A B/S -> Task B B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing

(Suspect may get stuck on Task B, so do Task B first)

Look Over All Quotes -> Task B B/S -> Task A B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing

(Indeed stuck on Task B B/S, then do Task A B/S first)

Look Over All Quotes -> Task A B/S -> Task B B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B Writing

(Still stuck on Task B B/S, then do Task A writing first)

Look Over All Quotes -> Task A B/S -> Task A Writing -> Task B B/S -> Task B Writing

(Nowhere to run now – grit your teeth and squeeze out essay ideas for Task B)

(⌐O_O)
Why do you recommend doing B/S first for the task you suspect you’ll get stuck on?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Because that helps you (a) become aware of all the stimulus material and (b) get started on the brainstorming process ASAP, so your subconscious has as much time as possible to get its creativity on and process the quote.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Now, go have some lunch and rest.

Section 3

(⌐O_O)
Hey I’m back.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Hey you’re back.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Ready for Section 3?

(⌐O_O)
I’m ready!

(^ΦдΦ^)
Ok, so it’s kind of like Section 1, in that you put Time Landmarks every few questions.

Q1	Q21	Q41	Q61	Q81	Q101
Q2	Q22	Q42	Q62	Q82	Q102
Q3	Q23	Q43	Q63	Q83	Q103
Q4	Q24	Q44	Q64	Q84	Q104
Q5	Q25	Q45	Q65	Q85	Q105
Q6	Q26	Q46	Q66	Q86	Q106
Q7	Q27	Q47	Q67	Q87	Q107
Q8	Q28	Q48	Q68	Q88	Q108
Q9	Q29	Q49	Q69	Q89	Q109
Q10	Q30	Q50	Q70	Q90	Q110
Q11	Q31	Q51	Q71	Q91
Q12	Q32	Q52	Q72	Q92
Q13	Q33	Q53	Q73	Q93
Q14	Q34	Q54	Q74	Q94
Q15	Q35	Q55	Q75	Q95
Q16	Q36	Q56	Q76	Q96
Q17	Q37	Q57	Q77	Q97
Q18	Q38	Q58	Q78	Q98
Q19	Q39	Q59	Q79	Q99
Q20	Q40	Q60	Q80	Q100

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
The difference is the numbers: There are 110 questions over 170 minutes of Writing Time. If you aim for 1 question per minute, then you’ll finish in 110 minutes, and end up with 60min of Review Time, and that’s way too decadent for our taste.

(^ΦдΦ^)
I hope you’re not making such assumptions for me.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Only the best cigars for Snarks. If you aim for 1 question per 1.33 minutes, then you’ll finish in around 145 minutes, and have 25 minutes of extra time – which is more our speed.

(⌐O_O)
Um. What exactly is 1 question per 1.33 minutes?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
There’s maths involved, but (handwaves) that’s not important. Basically, you aim to do 15 questions per 20 minutes.

(^ΦдΦ^)
By now, you know what you’re doing?

(⌐O_O)
On it – right now the time is 12:57pm, so round that up to 1:00pm. So:

Q1-15 1:20

Q16-30 1:40

Q31-45 2:00

Q46-60 2:20

Q61-75 2:40

Q76-90 3:00

Q91-105 3:20

Q106-120 3:40-

Start time: 1:00pm
Q1	Q21	Q41	Q61	Q81	Q101
Q2	Q22	Q42	Q62	Q82	Q102
Q3	Q23	Q43	Q63	Q83	Q103
Q4	Q24	Q44	Q64	Q84	Q104
Q5	Q25	Q45 2:00	Q65	Q85	Q105 3:20
Q6	Q26	Q46	Q66	Q86	Q106
Q7	Q27	Q47	Q67	Q87	Q107
Q8	Q28	Q48	Q68	Q88	Q108
Q9	Q29	Q49	Q69	Q89	Q109
Q10	Q30 1:40	Q50	Q70	Q90 3:00	Q110 ???
Q11	Q31	Q51	Q71	Q91
Q12	Q32	Q52	Q72	Q92
Q13	Q33	Q53	Q73	Q93
Q14	Q34	Q54	Q74	Q94
Q15 1:20	Q35	Q55	Q75 2:40	Q95
Q16	Q36	Q56	Q76	Q96
Q17	Q37	Q57	Q77	Q97
Q18	Q38	Q58	Q78	Q98
Q19	Q39	Q59	Q79	Q99
Q20	Q40	Q60 2:20	Q80	Q100

(⌐O_O)
Um.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
What?

(⌐O_O)
Section 3 only goes up to Q110.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Exactly. So you’re actually only calculating up to 3:20 for Q105.

(⌐O_O)
What about Q106 to 110?

(^ΦдΦ^)
So, 1:00 + 170min = 3:50. You get up to 3:20 for Q105, so you actually have 30 minutes of extra time – just use some of that heap of time to polish off those 5 questions.

(⌐O_O)
Sounds doable.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
If you really want that last Time Landmark though: We’re aiming for 15 questions per 20 minutes. 5 questions is ⅓ of 15 – so ⅓ of 20 is 6.67 – so just say 7.

(⌐O_O)
Ok, so Q106-110 is 3:20 + 7min = 3:27

Q5	Q25	Q45 2:00	Q65	Q85	Q105 3:20
Q6	Q26	Q46	Q66	Q86	Q106
Q7	Q27	Q47	Q67	Q87	Q107
Q8	Q28	Q48	Q68	Q88	Q108
Q9	Q29	Q49	Q69	Q89	Q109
Q10	Q30 1:40	Q50	Q70	Q90 3:00	Q110 3:27

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Sounds about right. Just be aware that Review Time is now 30 – 7 = 23 minutes. Remember to also deduct the time used to calculate Time Landmarks.

(^ΦдΦ^)
It’s 12:59 now, so ahead and start Section 3.

(⌐O_O)
I will- goddammit.

(^ΦдΦ^)
What?

(⌐O_O)
I get hardly any Reading Time again…. Actually, whatever, I’ll make do.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(Tears up) Our baby’s all grown up.

(^ΦдΦ^)
This empty nest is gonna feel real lonesome.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
How will you cope?

(^ΦдΦ^)
By gorging myself. Speaking of nests, let’s go for some chicken wings.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
A fine proposition – I’ll get the caviar.

Let’s Review

The best GAMSAT exam time management money can buy (for free) has five factors:

1. Works well even with analogue watch (the only type of watch permitted in GAMSAT)
2. Review Time is accounted for
3. Exam progress is checked regularly enough
4. You’re naturally reminded to check your progress
5. Exam progress is calculated once only, rather than every time you want to check your progress

And the best way, is to pre-calculate the Time Landmarks as soon as Writing Time starts, and follow it for the rest of the exam.

Time Landmarks mark the progress you want to be up to (or have surpassed) when you check the time.

E.g. Time Landmark of 9:45 at Q40: If at 9:45, you’re up to Q38, you’ll want to speed up and catch up. If you’re up to Q43, then you’re ahead of time, and can continue at the current pace.

Section 1 

S1 has 75 questions and 100 minutes Writing Time, and we want to aim for 10 questions per 10 minutes, and end with 25 minutes of Review Time. 

So, decide on a Starting Time near the start of Writing Time (e.g. 9:05), then at every 10 questions, write down a Time Landmark that increases by 10-minute increments from the Starting Time (9:15 at Q10, 9:25 at Q20, etc.)

Because the Starting Time (e.g. 9:05) you pick, will be later than the start of Writing Time (e.g. 9:03), the actual Review Time will be slightly shorter (by 2 minutes, in this case). There’s no need to calculate the length of the actual Review Time (since you’ll be reminded about the end of Writing Time) – just be aware that it’s shorter.

Section 2

S2 has 2 essays and 60 minutes Writing Time, and we want to aim for 30 minutes per essay.

Planning Time will replace Review Time, because we want to ensure the essay is engaging and complete the first time round, instead of having to stop and think while writing, or frantically rewrite stuff at the end. 

So, each essay will have 5 minutes for planning and 25 minutes for writing. 

It’s up to you if you want to plan both essays out in one go (5, 5, 25, 25), or plan and write one essay at a time (5, 25, 5, 25) – either way, write out and follow Time Landmarks the same way as with Section 1.

Section 3 

S3 has 110 questions and 180 minutes of Writing Time, and we want to aim for 15 questions per 20 minutes, and end with 30 minutes of Review Time. 

So, decide on a Starting Time near the start of Writing Time (e.g. 1:05), then at every 15 questions, write down a Time Landmark that increases by 20-minute increments from the Starting Time (1:25 at Q15, 1:45 at Q30, etc.).

Note that your Time Landmarks will end at Q105. 

For Q106-Q110, you have two options:

• Use some of the 30 minutes of Review Time to finish these questions
• Make a final Time Landmark for them, by allocating 7 minutes (~⅓ of 20) for these 5 questions (⅓ of 15). 
  • Note that you’ll have 23 minutes of Review Time, instead of 30.

Again, be aware that the actual Review Time will be slightly shorter than expected, due to time allocated to calculating Time Landmarks.