BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Confused about scores and percentiles

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 118
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:21 am
Location: Canada
Thanked: 5 times
GMAT Score:730

Confused about scores and percentiles

by joannabanana » Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:41 am
I'm confused about how the Quant and Verbal scores are combined to give you the total score.

For example, on a practice test I got:
quant 48 = 85th percentile
verbal 37 = 82nd precentile
total 690 = 90th percentile

How do 85th and 82nd percentiles add up to 90th percentile?

How exactly do the scaled scores work?
Top
Source: — GMAT Strategy |
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:25 pm
Thanked: 6 times
Followed by:1 members

by ashokkadam » Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:32 am
@joannabanana,

The raw score of VERBAL is valued MORE than that of QUANT score while calculating OVERALL score.
(GMAC thinks that average test-taker performs poorly in verbal than in quant.)
joannabanana wrote:I'm confused about how the Quant and Verbal scores are combined to give you the total score.

For example, on a practice test I got:
quant 48 = 85th percentile
verbal 37 = 82nd precentile
total 690 = 90th percentile

How do 85th and 82nd percentiles add up to 90th percentile?

How exactly do the scaled scores work?
Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins.
Top
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:05 am
Thanked: 2 times
GMAT Score:760

by wharton750 » Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:08 am
Verbal is usually tougher since about 50% of GMAT takers live outside the US and for the majority of them, english is not their first language.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pm
Thanked: 74 times
Followed by:4 members

by uwhusky » Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:14 am
I wouldn't say it is tougher, because the percentile is not an arbitrary number like 95% or higher means A+ like it was back in grade schools. Your supporting evidence that close to half of the test takers are from non-English speaking countries is actually weakening your conclusion that verbal is tougher than quant.
Yep.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2193
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:30 pm
Location: Vermont and Boston, MA
Thanked: 1186 times
Followed by:512 members
GMAT Score:770

by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:53 am
It is always the case that if a test taker has quant and verbal percentiles that are close to each other like yours are the overall percentage will be higher than either of the sub sections.

This is because most test takers find that either the verbal or the quant is significantly weaker than the other. You could say that consistency is rewarded - but so is excelling in one phase or the other. As mentioned by a few people above, verbal scores are, on average, lower than quant scores and there is more room at the top end of the verbal to really excel so a verbal score can get your to 700 even with an average day on the quant - but one cannot get a really high score with one section alone.

As to the mechanics of the scaled scores - they work this way, the computer figures out how you compare to others based on whether you answered all of the questions, the number that you got right, and the difficulty of those questions. The scaled scores just correspond to the percentage of people that the computer feels you are above and below. Please also keep in mind those insidious "experimental questions" that do not count. If you get lucky and lots of the questions you missed don't count that can help your score -- if you get unlucky and happen to ace the experimentals and all the ones that you missed count against you -- well that is why the GMAT is not purely skill based but does have an element of chance...
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:25 pm
Thanked: 6 times
Followed by:1 members

by ashokkadam » Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:10 am
Hey David,
As per my knowledge, I understand that Percentile is a number which shows how many percentage of test-takers who scored below ME.

But does this definition apply to GMAT? I mean my score is compared with which test-takers? test-takers taking test with me? or test-takers taking that DAY? I really don't understand with which group of test-takers the comparison is being made?

Can you please explain how
David@VeritasPrep wrote: As to the mechanics of the scaled scores - they work this way, the computer figures out how you compare to others based on whether you answered all of the questions, the number that you got right, and the difficulty of those questions. The scaled scores just correspond to the percentage of people that the computer feels you are above and below.
Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pm
Thanked: 74 times
Followed by:4 members

by uwhusky » Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:45 am
You are compared to all GMAT test-takers.
Yep.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:25 pm
Thanked: 6 times
Followed by:1 members

by ashokkadam » Thu Oct 14, 2010 11:27 am
Who all?
uwhusky wrote:You are compared to all GMAT test-takers.
Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pm
Thanked: 74 times
Followed by:4 members

by uwhusky » Thu Oct 14, 2010 11:30 am
...

Everyone that took the GMAT...

I am not sure if the percentile is calculated per season, per year, or per whatever, but I am certain that the percentile isn't calculated per day nor per room.
Yep.
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1