710 (47Q, 40V) - didnt answer last verbal question - retake? - The Beat The GMAT Forum

710 (47Q, 40V) - didnt answer last verbal question - retake?

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sgupte: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:27 am

by sgupte » Sat Sep 19, 2009 5:53 am

I took the GMAT yesterday and got 710 (47Q, 40V). The math section did not go very well and I ended up guessing on 6-7 questions because I didn't have enough time to solve them completely. On the verbal, I got to the last question with 3.5 minutes left, which is plenty of time so I wasn't even watching the clock and the time literally expired in front of my face. What is the penalty for an unanswered question? Do you think I could have gotten 720 if I answered the question? Should I retake? Any advice would be awesome!

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zuleron: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 223; Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:50 pmFollowed by: 4 members; Location: Philly, USA; Thanked: 76 times; GMAT Score:750

by zuleron » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:39 am

Not answering a question is penalized very harshly. I think I read somewhere a blank answer costs you 3 percentlie points so if you were 89%ile then getting the question right would have put you in 92%ile for verbal. So, yes, you would definitely have gotten 720!

Now, that doesn't mean you should retake coz you might score lower. I would only retake if I was consistently scoring 740+ in practice.

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sgupte: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:27 am

by sgupte » Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:07 am

Do you think that's true even if I would have gotten the question wrong?

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money9111: Legendary Member; Posts: 2109; Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:25 pmFollowed by: 79 members; Location: New Jersey; Thanked: 109 times; GMAT Score:640

by money9111 » Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:16 am

You are penalized more for an unanswered question vs. a wrong answer.

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zuleron: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 223; Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:50 pmFollowed by: 4 members; Location: Philly, USA; Thanked: 76 times; GMAT Score:750

by zuleron » Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:30 am

yes, even if you would have gotten the answer wrong. I think in verbal 1 wrong answer is 1%ile or 1.5%ile points... (i'll try find the article, but it was by Stacey Koprince on this forum. you might want to pm her) so even with a wrong answer you are at 91%ile and, at least for verbal scores in the 40s, verbal has a disproportionate impact on your total score. So I still think an incorrect answer would have gotten you a 720. But again, 710 is still excellent. you are above 80%ile in V and almost at 80%ile in Q.

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