This feature is implemented using section-wise time scale factors (TSF’s), a proprietary and exclusive feature of GMAT Score tests. The user can change time allotted for different sections of the test for either speed-testing or for slow-testing.

By changing the TSF’s in a test, the user can optimize time constraints so that there are no unanswered questions at the end of the test. This allows the user to get a meaningful score in the test, and is a good priming strategy for a user in the early to intermediate stages of test preparation.

The user can change the TSF’s to allow speed-testing, which is a useful strategy for users aiming for a high score, and for users in the final stages of test preparation.

Whatever the strategy, preparation stage, or user aptitude, this unique feature puts the user in control. The user can tailor time constraints of the test to reflect circumstances that are unique to the user.

The user can adapt and tailor each test by setting section-wise time-limits for the test

For traditional CBTs, if a test taker leaves some questions unanswered at the end of a section, or if the test taker is forced to guess on the last few questions in the section, the section score is adversely affected. This is because in a traditional CBT, the test taker is slave to the time constraints already built into the test.

Once a user has taken a CBT and has received a less than meaningful score on account of running out of time, retaking a test to record a consequential score is not an option. The previous exposure of the user to the test questions renders scores on subsequent retakes meaningless. Even if the test is purportedly user-adaptive in that it pulls questions off a pool (database), it is usually not possible to avoid complete non-recurrence of questions. Previous exposure to recurring questions renders the score on the retake nonsensical.

The GMAT Score simulated tests permits adjustment of time constraints so as to avoid the above undesirable situation. This flexibility means that the test taker can minimize instances where there are unanswered questions or random guesses due to lack of time. However, this flexibility has to be used with caution; it can be a double-edged sword. A flex-time test is appropriate when the preparation regimen is carefully controlled, and the scoring on the test is interpreted in the light of imposed time constraints.

GMAT scores for admission to top business schools have increased steadily. Even though only 2% of all GMAT test takers score a 725 on the GMAT, a prospective applicant should aim for that exclusive tier in order to obtain admission to top MBA programs. Competition for admission to prestigious MBA programs has intensified, along with an increase in the average GMAT scores of students admitted to these schools.

GMAT Score simulated tests give the test taker a powerful tool for effective, targeted, and individualized test preparation. The TSF technology is an exclusive feature included in all GMAT Score full tests.

A Verbal portion and Math portion TSF of 1.0 allows the standard and normalized 75 minutes for completing each section. A TSF greater than 1.0 gives more time to complete the section, thus facilitating early-stage preparation by making it more focused and effective.

On the other hand, a TSF less than 1.0 allots less than the normalized time for the specific section, thus allowing speed-testing. Advanced users can test their upper limits in the quest to obtain higher scores in the real test. As an example, a TSF of 0.8 allows a test taker 60 minutes to complete a section, less than the normally allotted 75 minutes.

Mary is a fine-arts major, and a native English speaker. She is fairly confident of scoring well in the Verbal and AWA portions of the GMAT test, but she needs extra practice in the Math sections of the test. Mary has set herself a time-period of 3 months to prepare for the test.

Mary takes the first GMAT Score simulated test. She sets a TSF of 1.0 for the Verbal portion of the test, which gives her 75 minutes to complete the section. She sets a TSF of 1.4 for the Section 3 Math portion, which gives her 105 minutes (1.2 x 75 minutes) to complete this section. Mary manages to finish Section 4 Verbal portion in the allotted time, but gets too many questions wrong. She finishes the Section 3 Math portion with about 5 minutes to spare, and gets 5 questions wrong.

Mary then takes the second simulated test in GMAT Score test suite, and sets the TSF for the Verbal portion to 1.2 (allowing her some extra time in the Verbal portion) and the TSF for Math portion to 1.2 (raising the bar, giving her less time than in the first test).

By the time Mary is ready to move on to simulated Test # 3, she is getting more confident in the Math portion, and has become quite comfortable with the GMAT-style of Verbal questions. She then sets the TSF’s for Verbal section to 1.0, and keeps the Math TSF at 1.2 because she is still getting more than 5 wrong out of 37 questions in this section. She scores a 620 in the third test, but this score has to be interpreted in the light of relaxed time constraints set for the Math section of the test.

Mary then takes Test # 4 with TSF’s for both the Math and Verbal portions at 1.0, which represents the conditions under which the real GMAT test is administered. She is able to complete the test with no unanswered questions, and without having to randomly guess on any question. She is still making intelligent guesses though, but only when she gets stuck on a particularly tough Math question, or on some Verbal questions where she is able to narrow down options, but cannot eliminate all the wrong answers. Mary scores a 610 in Test #4.

Now Mary feels that she is ready for some speed-testing. She sets the TSF for the Verbal portion to 0.8, which gives her only 60 minutes to complete the section. She leaves the Math TSF at 1.0, because she knows her limits. She scores a 620, but she knows her actual score could be higher because it is some what muted by the Verbal TSF.

Two weeks to go. Mary takes the last 4 tests, but now she always sets the TSF’s to 1.0, because she needs to know her score accurately, and needs to test under real-test conditions. For the last 4 simulated tests, Mary is able to train herself to be extra careful in the beginning (say the first 10 questions) of a section, in order to not make careless mistakes. She is able to tabulate her scores and correlate them to what questions she got wrong and which part of the section they were in.

Mary gets a scaled score of 720 in the last simulated test she takes before the real exam (2 days before the real test).

Mary scores 750 on the real GMAT test, with a AWA score of 6.0.

Ali is an engineer aspiring to get his MBA in order to get into technology management practice and further his career in a Fortune 500 company. He has strong analytical and math skills, but his Verbal skills are less than par. He has about 2 months to prepare for his GMAT exam, and the Round 1 application deadlines are fast approaching.

He starts by taking the first test of the GMAT Score's tests, and leaves the TSF’s at their default of 1.0. He scores abysmally in the Verbal portion (scaled score of 30) and does reasonably well on the Math portion (scaled score of 44). His Math score is unreasonably low because of his unfamiliarity with DS (Data Sufficiency) questions, but he is quickly getting the hang of these. In the Verbal portion he is doing well only in the CR (Critical Reasoning) questions. RC (Reading Comprehension) questions are also stumping him, but his Achilles' heel is the Sentence Correction (SC) portion of the Verbal.

He is (understandably) worried, and sets the following TSF’s for the next GMAT Score simulator test he takes at TSF (verbal) = 1.4 and TSF (math) = 1.0. He finds that just by familiarizing himself with the question format his Math scaled score has jumped to 46. Ali’s verbal scaled score is 33, in spite of getting 30 extra minutes to tackle the Verbal section (he gets 105 minutes by setting the TSF at 1.4, which is 30 minutes more than the normally allotted 75 minutes).

Next, Ali takes another GMAT Score simulated test, this time setting TSF (verbal) = 1.2 and TSF (math) = 1.0. Ali gets a scaled score of 42 in verbal, but tempers that with the fact that he got a 15-minute handicap to complete the verbal portion on time.

Ali is now ready to test under normal testing conditions, with TSFs in the verbal portion set to 1.0. It is unrealistic for him to do any speed-testing in the Verbal portion. This time, Ali gets a scaled score of 49 in Math, and he is reasonably satisfied with his Math preparation.

Ali then takes another GMAT Score simulated test, setting the TSFs for both Math and Verbal sections at 1.0. He scores reasonably well in both sections. Ali knows that his above average math skills can pull up his score, so decides to do speed-testing in Math.

For his next GMAT Score simulated test, Ali sets the TSF (verbal) = 1.0 and TSF (math) = 0.8. With these settings, Ali scores 40 in the verbal and 47 in the math portions of the test. He is quite happy with his Math score because he is able to finish the section in the allotted 60 minutes.

For the last 4 simulated tests, Ali focuses on questions that he gets wrong. Ali can see that making careless mistakes early on in the Section (Questions 1 through 10) costs him dearly, whereas getting the last three questions wrong in a test almost does not budge his score.

Ali trains himself to be extra careful in the beginning of the sections, in order to not make careless mistakes. He is able to build his stamina and stay focused, concentrated, and energetic for the last section, the Verbal section that he dreads.

For the last two GMAT Score simulated tests, Ali decides to keep the TSFs at 1.0, so that he does not have to rush through the Math section. Ali feels it is very important for him to not run out of steam by the time he reaches the Verbal section.

In the last GMAT Score simulated test he takes 1 day before the real test, Ali scores 720.

Ali scores 760 on the real GMAT test, with a AWA score of 5.0.