bit of mental working out can save you tons of trouble in the exams....as in if its a bit of left hand down or right hand down. 4 possible answers in ATPLs, 3 of them could be to increase heading, ie to the right. or vica versa. a quick look at the answers before you do the q can help. same goes for if the scenaria gives you a head or tail wind in the answer. Usually knocks a few answers out before you even touch the crap5. you can be lucky enough to get 3 knocked out instantly. bang. tick the box, move one. saved yourself 5 mins! best to double check just in case though.
also...quick sketch diagram. can usually get a pretty accurate estimate of what the answer will work out to be. if your crp5 matches your estimate and the answer is one of the 4-sweet. takes no time at all and helps big time in the exams.calculations get much more accurate with practice and in the IR phase, being able to pull up a ballpark heading/groundspeed helps for the old ndb holds,ILS and NDB approaches. quick wind arrow on a plate, bobs your uncle and fannys your aunt