Is it just me or is Kaplan CAT A LOT tougher than GMAT PREP?

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shoot4greatness: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 100; Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:57 pm; Thanked: 2 times

Is it just me or is Kaplan CAT A LOT tougher than GMAT PREP?

by shoot4greatness » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:10 am

Hi ya'll,

I read many threads about Kaplan CAT being tougher than GMAT PREP. So I decided to take one today, just to see how it is. I was overwhelmed by the difficulty level, especially math. I have taken GMAT PREP #1 3 times and scored in 45,50, and 50 in quant section. In Kaplan, I scored a mere 35 in quant. I understand Kaplan cat is very tough. Any suggestions on improving Kaplan cat test score?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Quantitative Reasoning | Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:10 am

vineeshp: Legendary Member; Posts: 965; Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:52 am; Thanked: 156 times; Followed by:34 members; GMAT Score:720

by vineeshp » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:32 am

Welcome.

They are tougher.

Dont worry about specifically improving your score in Kaplan.
If you are scoring 45 consistently in GMATPrep and are happy with it, then why worry!
Take it as practice.

Vineesh,
Just telling you what I know and think. I am not the expert.

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shoot4greatness: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 100; Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:57 pm; Thanked: 2 times

by shoot4greatness » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:23 pm

Thanks vineeshp,

I wanted to emulate gmat as best as I can, thus sticking with gmatprep. Wanted to challenge myself by going "outside the box." I read many mixed reviews about taking Kaplan cat. Some say it's difficulty will enhance your test-taking method. Others say to stick with gmap prep or mgmat. One thing I found from Kaplan cat is that the questions are worded a lot harder than gmat prep and og. Another thing is that a lot of questions were time consuming. My strategy for quant is to solve each question within 2 minutes (3 at max, after 3 min, guess and move on) and within 4 or 5 steps. I haven't taken mgmat tests yet. Should I focus my attention to mgmat cat and treat kaplan as just another set(s) of practice questions?

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KapTeacherEli: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 578; Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:00 pm; Thanked: 136 times; Followed by:62 members

by KapTeacherEli » Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:37 pm

Hi shoot4greatness,

While at Kaplan we do everything we can to make our test as accurate as possible, nothing beats the official test. Your 45 is probably the most accurate score (repeats of the same test bias the result), and a similar score on GMATprep #2. That said, for every student who complains that our tests are too hard, another says they're too easy, so don't discount the results! Take them as a caution, because it's better to over-prepare then under-prepare. Look to your second GMATprep exam for more definite confirmation of your current skill level.

Let me know if I can do anything else to help!

Eli Meyer
Kaplan GMAT Teacher
Cambridge, MA
www.kaptest.com/gmat