The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self."

- from Love after Love by Derek Walcott

I begin with a nod toward the importance of kindness; it's often easy to belittle ourselves when we struggle or make a mistake. But the premise that we can observe and evaluate our actions is part of being human, and part of improvement in any domain.

In GRE quant, we have the dual mandate of breadth (learning many concepts) and depth (mastering them). Often, it is depth that suffers as we hustle through a study plan that threatens to steal all of our limited free time. 

But depth - or mastery - is so important that we can't afford to leave it behind very often, especially if we want a high score. If you're working on a quant concept, a strategy application, or a practice question, try imagining that a benevolent coach is sitting down with you. Together, you watch a video of your thoughts and actions after you finish work on that question. Or feel free to stop yourself mid-question if you notice any issue.

Was anything clumsy? Hesitant or slow? Inaccurate? Simply notice, and make a note. Use your note to make a simple plan to improve the issue. 

Did it take you a few seconds to remember what 9 times 7 was? To remember the side length ratios for a 45-45-90 triangle? To remember whether you add or multiply those exponents?

How quickly did you notice what the question was asking? What concept(s) it was testing? Whether you could choose numbers? What did you do with the question first? Did that work, or was there a better choice?

Even people who can demonstrate mastery on a quiz almost inevitably have many little weaknesses - or perhaps opportunities - for elements of GRE quant to be quicker, more fluid, more automatic. Whenever you notice friction when working on quant, remember the coach inside you. There will be a chance to sharpen a skill.