GMAT Strategy

Are the Kaplan tests people are discussing the Free Online Kaplan tests or is it something you purchase (CD,etc)???

I heard the free Kaplan tests are the same test repeated.

The test sessions are all the same. But if you buy a book with practice tests those tests will be different. You'll have to set up an online account and go to your syllabus.

I just took the first one yesterday, I got a 630. I think I can bring it up.

Hiya,


I got the book too..and took the first CAT on the CD..i wonder if thats the same as the online one.

ANYWAY, got 620... My score seems to be falling... didnt think i had done that badly, so was a little surprised at 620..

taking the gmat in 14 days...so rather disappointed now![/i]

How are the Arco CATs? I will take a new CAT for the first time since my GMAT next week and I need new ones

NityaV wrote:Hiya,


I got the book too..and took the first CAT on the CD..i wonder if thats the same as the online one.

ANYWAY, got 620... My score seems to be falling... didnt think i had done that badly, so was a little surprised at 620..

taking the gmat in 14 days...so rather disappointed now![/i]

Hey Nitya,
In the actual GMAT,the level of difficulty changes depending upon whether you got the previous question right or wrong.So,if you get the initial questions wrong your score bracket will decrease( Ex:- 400-600)I think in online tests the subsequent questions can be posted with greater accuracy than that in the CD.

I am curious whether in the CD also such approach is adopted because it will only contain limited resources.
Can you throw some light in this regard??

Hi there...

I have been trying to figure out the same, well the exams, on the Kaplan CD, are called CATs (computer ADAPTIVE) and i do think that i get an easier question when i get a string of questions. But im not very sure about this.

Personally, I think im going to go ahead purchase the Manhattan exams, even though im 5 days away from the GMAT.
Like you mentioned, I have found online exams to be more "adaptive" in general.....

how do you DL manhattam practice tests??
do I have to enroll

hi!

The Manhattan tests are online. The first you can take for free, as a sample. All you need to do is register with manhattan. If you need more you could buy the a bundle of 6 from their website. https://www.manhattangmat.com/Store.cfm

https://www.manhattangmat.com/storeitems ... 81&catid=4

I believe you get this set free with the purchase of any of their strategy guides.

rohan_vus wrote: When you say MGMAT verbal isnt indicative of real GMAT , do you mean to say MGMAT verbal is very easy? Can you please elaborate your opinion about MGMAT verbal

What osirus0830 said.

All of the MGMAT SC questions allow you to splice. However, not all the GMAT SC questions allow you to splice - this is a key issue because without splicing, you can spend more time on a real GMAT question.

Furthermore, a few MGMAT CR questions involve calculations. I have yet to see a CR question in all the OGs, GMATPrep, or on the real GMAT that required me to make any calculations.

Finally, I agree with osirus0830 in that a few MGMAT CR questions were poorly thought out - the logic and explanation for the answer wasn't "bullet proof." Conversely, almost all the CR questions in the OG and GMATPrep are well thought out and the answers are quite sound.

Hey Guys,

I have exhausted the CAT exams I had from Manhattan & Kaplan as well the official GMAT. I wanted to buy more CAT's. Sadly, Prinecton does not seem to give you only CAT's but it comes combined wtih other tools and a price tag!

Has anyone heard of the 800score.com they look reasonable. Could anyone share any experiences with them?

sunil_rane wrote:Hey Guys,

I have exhausted the CAT exams I had from Manhattan & Kaplan as well the official GMAT. I wanted to buy more CAT's. Sadly, Prinecton does not seem to give you only CAT's but it comes combined wtih other tools and a price tag!

Has anyone heard of the 800score.com they look reasonable. Could anyone share any experiences with them?

Hey, I recently invested in 800score.com b/c I was reaching the end of my MGMT CATs.---and for $20.00 for 5 new CATs it was hard to say no.

However, I've now taken three of the 800score.com CATs now and am extremely disappointed.

But before I get into 800score...let me give some background first: I took the GMAT in January and scored a 43 on quant and 38 Verbal and have been studying using MGMT since then to try and improve my score. After I studied for another month I began taking the MGMT CATs and have scored no less than a 45 on quant and between a 37-40 on verbal. I'll also note that I have been very satisfied with MGMT's program and and their CAT's...and I'm also confident that MGMT's CATs (in regards to BOTH quant and verbal) offer slightly more difficult material than what is on the actual GMAT (which is a good thing imo)

So anyways, I took a 800score.com CAT for the first time and scored Q: 43, V: 43. The quant material has to be the most difficult I've come across, some of the problems (especially some of the geometry problems) I would never be able to solve in under 4 minutes...let alone in under 2 minutes. Furthermore, the scoring algorithm is absolutely garbage--& I am convinced that it is not adaptive. I even got 26 of the quant questions correct on the last 800score.com CAT I took and scored a lousy 39. And as for the verbal section, the opposite is almost the case. The verbal section is the easiest I've ever come across--the readings are interesting, the sentence correction is a joke, and every answer is completely obvious. I only missed 6 verbal questions on the first CAT I took, and therefore have decided to not waste any more of my time by taking it again.

So, in sum, 800score.com may be worth considering if you're trying to improve your timing--but for any other goal, I would say not to waste your time. And if you do take it, I would not be discouraged if you are given a much lower score than you expect.

I completely agree with MFaulkner--the 800score tests are pretty much a mess. I've found plenty of blatant errors in their quant questions, the scoring algorithm is completely screwy, and the verbal is a trainwreck. They're completely fine if you just need some algebra and geometry practice under timed conditions, but the balance of topics is nothing like that of the real GMAT.

At least the price is right, though.

Hello! I would like to share my experience with MGMAT practice tests. I prepared from MGMAT's strategy guides except for RC and CR. I took three of MGMAT's tests. I did not get exceptional scores but I did manage a 640 on the third one. The other two scores were 540 and 590. My GMATPrep test scores were in line with these scores. I took the GMAT this Thursday and scored a pathetic 500. What was shocking was my verbal score. It was a pathetic 23. I never scored anything lower than 27 (which was my first practice test) on any of my practice tests. It is not my intention to denounce MGMAT. In fact, I love the MGMAT guides and its preparation philosophy. I am puzzled and a little lost. I am planning to retake the GMAT in a couple of months. I would appreciate any help I cant get. I am targeting the 98th percentile.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
gmatiyer

Hey Folks, I'll definitely seem a bit biased here as I'm a Trainer/Instructor for The Princeton Review, but I do believe that TPR's FREE online GMAT practice test is a good way to get started. Goto:

demo.princetonreview.com (you have to create a user account to take the test, but otherwise there are no strings attached). Select GMAT from the pulldown menu and you'll be able to navigate the test.

I'm not comparing TPR's free GMAT to any other company's tests, but, again, just recommending it as a starting point. After which there's plenty more to do--keep at it, and if you have any questions/comments, let me know!

I wasn't a big fan of the Kaplan tests. My scores varied 100 points, and it wasn't because I got better or anything.