Problem Solving Questions
Problem-solving questions follow the American style of multiple choice tests, with 5 answer-choices, only one of which is correct.
WHAT IS TESTED ON PS?
PS questions, as these are known, are based on topics from the standard American curriculum of Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics, at an elementary level. The GMAT uses these subjects to test a variety of thinking skills, such as short-term memory, attention to detail, and lateral thinking. Thankfully, there are many techniques to allow you to scale up quickly, so that this type of IQ test can be beaten.
PS TIME CONSTRAINTS
For any quant question, the average time constraint is 2 minutes per question. However, this is only an average, and in reality you are free to spend more or less time, so long as you finish within the total time budget of 32 minutes for the quant section. Nonetheless, most people regard the timing as aggressive, and struggle to complete the test at their regular thinking pace. As expected in a performance sport, techniques and skills are required.
SKIPPING QUESTIONS
Since the adaptive test algorithm is adjusting itself to your performance, it will not allow you to literally skip questions, or to go back and revise your answers to previous questions. You may ask yourself, What should I do when I can't answer one of the questions? As a final resort, choose a random answer, just to move the algorithm forward and avoid tanking the entire test. In fact, you can assume that the test already has a good estimate of your final score, so that any one particular question is not that important. Skipping it - by choosing a random answer - won't make a big difference to your score, provided you return to your baseline performance on the next questions.