The first 10 questions are very important

The greatest fluctuations in your score depend on how you fare on the first 10 questions of a given section because of the GMAT s computer adaptive format. It s important to make sure that you take your time on these questions, because they carry the most weight on the test. That doesn t mean, however, that you should spend nearly all of your time perfecting these questions. Just because performing well on them raises your low score floor that doesn t necessarily mean you want to be sitting on that floor when the test is over. Leaving questions blank near the end of the test because you didn t have enough time to answer them can cost you valuable points that will drastically lower your percentile rank. It s best to pace yourself, ensuring that you have time to give each question a thorough look. You re harshly penalized for having questions unanswered, says Mitchell. Oftentimes, people will devote tons of time to the first questions, but then they really fall behind. You ve got to finish strong as well.