It makes a difference on which exam you get, because some are definately harder than others.
Make sure you're really familiar with geometry. About 1/3 of my exam was geometry. Not diagrams, but multiple part geometry word problems. Circles, Triangles, Areas, Circumfrences, etc... it's not really as easy as it sounds, take this as coming from someone who has always been one of the smartest kids in all his math classes. Each problem was like, 2-3 different problems within one. I did the topscore 1 exam in my head with no paper and pencil, ran out of time, and still got a 23... but I got a 17 on the real exam. If I had skipped the harder problems and did all the easier ones first, I probably would've gotten a 20+
The problem is that you don't have enough time to think a problem through. Almost all of my problems were long word problems. I felt the reading comprehension in this section was harder than the actual RC section just because there was nowhere near enough time available to read a question, decide how to set it up, and then finally solve it by hand. Make a mistake in setting it up and you just wasted your time allotment for the next question. Make a mistake in your math, such as multiplying by 55 instead of 25 because your stupid Prometrics pen is so flat and dull and makes your 2s look like 5s, and then you would waste more time figuring out where your mistake was, even wondering if your equation is right in the first place.
To do very well (23+), you'll have to be able read fast as well as be able to just look at a problem and know exactly how to set it up right away. You also have to know your algebra well enough to solve it as quickly as possible after the hard part of setting it up is done. If you're slow at multiplying 3 digit numbers together or other simple arithmetic tasks, you're doomed. You can't afford any mistakes in this section. Each mistake puts you one question behind schedule. Trust me... I had to fill in like 10 questions with 30 seconds left, not to count the ones I already skipped earlier. With 45 minutes for 40 questions, you can't waste time deciding how you should set a problem up. You HAVE to know it right as you see it... if after 10 seconds and you don't, move on.
I also noticed that with some problems, after you play with it a little, fits an equation that you wouldnt notice at first, and this would enable you to solve the problem like 5 times as fast. But the problem is that you don't have enough time for every problem to sit around and think about how you can minpulate the problem to find a simpler way to solve it, unless you recognize it right away or youre just that good at math. Timing is why this section was so hard. Just hope you don't get my version of the exam...
