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Knewton CAT - illogical results - Please help! (urgent)

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by Jessie@Knewton » Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:28 pm
Hi Badpoem,

The algorithms and adaptive process used in the GMAT provides a score which is primarily based on the level at which you solve the questions and not purely on the number of correct questions, though there tends to be some correlation there. In your case, it looks like you may have solved more questions correctly in such a pattern that the adaptive evaluation mechanism placed you at a lower score in spite of getting more questions right.

Unfortunately, we can't offer individual CAT analyses. We do, however, advise our students to review the concepts under each question they answered incorrectly. Is there a trend in the concepts you're answering wrong? If so, go back to these lessons that review them and get as much clarity around the subject as possible.

I know it's hard advice to follow, but try not to become consumed with practice scores. As you near your test date, the important thing is to be confident in your concept mastery and pacing.

Good luck studying,

Jessie
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by badpoem » Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:18 am
Hi Jessie,

I appreciate your effort to explain the cause of the mishap.

However I can assure you that this score did not help my confidence a tiny bit. I got a 650 when I gave my GMAT last year, the reason why I joined your course. I am back to square one! :(

Yes, I do not usually get overwhelmed when I receive my scores, particularly when the scores are on the higher side. My experience has taught me what you just said - Review, Review and more Review. However I do believe that you can probably take some time out and analyse this CAT for me. In fact, would it be possible for you to offer your expert opinion on the 6 CATs I took and to give me a rough picture of where I stand? What I am requesting you shall help me boost my confidence for sure. I do understand that there are limitations but can you not make an exception? My GMAT is barely 20 days away from today.

I can share my id with you over a PM, in case your answer is in the affirmative.

Thanks and Regards,
badpoem.
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by Jessie@Knewton » Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:04 pm
Hi Badpoem,

I just sent you a PM - we'll see what we can do.

Jessie
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by badpoem » Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:22 pm
Hello Jessie,

Thank you so much again!

I have PM-ed you back.

Regards,
badpoem.
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by MRharris14 » Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:17 pm
Just a note on an early experience with Knewton: I just took the first CAT and ran into a very similar reading. I missed very few questions but my score was a 650. This is drastically different than Manhattan, which shows you the score range as you proceed through the questions and where I have scored far higher while answering fewer questions correctly. This makes me really question the adaptive nature of Knewton. I have ready many places that the GMAT attempts to get you to the 50%correct/50% incorrect mark to determine your score and this is far from what Knewton has done. In my eyes this could be a very easy way to make the 50 point guarantee all but worthless because they can assess everyone on a 50 point lower scale than GMAC and thus require no improvement to secure their guarantee.
I have not gone through the course yet but will continue to do so before I post any reviews, but this does make me wonder about Knewton and their standards.
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by Jen@VeritasPrep » Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:55 am
Hi!

Thanks for signing up for the course, and I hope that as you're working through the materials they're helping you improve. In terms of your first diagnostic experience, remember that the GMAT algorithm does not score based on the number of questions you get correct/incorrect. This can be difficult to get used to when interpreting your scores, because we're so used to analyzing test results this way -- more questions right usually yields a higher score. The GMAT simply doesn't work like this. While there is often a correlation between the number of questions right and the final score, the scoring is actually determined by the types and patterns of correctly/incorrectly answered questions. If you want to learn a bit more about the algorithm and GMAT scoring, there's a Computer Adaptive Test Workshop in Session 1 that details the process.

It's natural to see variance in your practice scores, both from test to test and across prep platforms. Remember that the point of practice tests is really to give you practice with the format, length, and style of the test. When evaluating your performance, it's far more helpful to look at your results by concept and question. Which types of questions are you missing, and why? Strengthening these conceptual weaknesses is a much more productive study strategy than aiming for a particular numerical score on a practice CAT. If you know the concepts and strategies, your score on the test will be strong.

Thanks, and good luck studying!
Jen
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