Penalty for incomplete Quant and Verbal sections

Expert replies

melguy: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 335; Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:31 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Location: Australia / India; Thanked: 37 times

by melguy » Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:19 pm

Hello All

I gave a CAT yesterday but due to bad internet there was a lot of disturbance during the exam and also was not able to complete both Verbal and Quant sections. I could complete only up to Quant Q 31 and Verbal Q 36.

Just out of curiosity I would like to know how much would be the penalty of not completing a total of 11 questions. I know its a silly Q but my exam is coming up and its just so I can avoid a panic attack

Thanks!

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:19 pm

David@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2193; Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:30 pmFollowed by: 512 members; Location: Vermont and Boston, MA; Thanked: 1186 times; GMAT Score:770

by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:14 am

This is not a silly question. The GMAC has done research on this using actual students on actual exams.

You can read the entire report here. https://www.gmac.com/~/media/Files/gmac/ ... hat.pdf%20

On average, not answering 5 questions on the verbal would cost you 3 - 4 points on the scaled score. If you score was higher, then not answering actually hurt you more since you had more to lose.

On Quant not answering 6 questions would cost you 4-5 points on that scaled score.

Now this is all averages and speculation, but it should give you some idea of where you might have been if you had not had to omit those questions.

Hope it eases your mind a little.

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

Like this post

melguy: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 335; Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:31 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Location: Australia / India; Thanked: 37 times

by melguy » Wed Aug 28, 2013 8:58 pm

Hello David

I have sent 1-2 specific Q's about Veritas in PM. Would be great if you could please reply! Thanks

Like this post

ganeshrkamath: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 283; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 11:56 pmFollowed by: 26 members; Location: Bangalore, India; Thanked: 97 times; GMAT Score:750

by ganeshrkamath » Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:43 am

melguy wrote:Hello All

I gave a CAT yesterday but due to bad internet there was a lot of disturbance during the exam and also was not able to complete both Verbal and Quant sections. I could complete only up to Quant Q 31 and Verbal Q 36.

Just out of curiosity I would like to know how much would be the penalty of not completing a total of 11 questions. I know its a silly Q but my exam is coming up and its just so I can avoid a panic attack

Thanks!

There IS a penalty for not completing a section. This is mentioned at the beginning in OG.

It is also mentioned in the official site:
https://www.mba.com/the-gmat/test-struct ... rview.aspx

What if I do not finish?
Pacing is critical, as there is a severe penalty for not completing these sections of the exam.

Cheers

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.

Kelley School of Business (Class of 2016)
GMAT Score: 750 V40 Q51 AWA 5 IR 8
https://www.beatthegmat.com/first-attemp ... tml#688494

Like this post

David@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2193; Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:30 pmFollowed by: 512 members; Location: Vermont and Boston, MA; Thanked: 1186 times; GMAT Score:770

by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Aug 29, 2013 5:27 am

I learned that the test in question was one of the new Veritas practice tests. https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat/free-gm ... tice-test/

So I had a chance to log in as an administrator and learn the details of this exam.

I can say that on the Quant section, you lost 17 percentile from your score due to not answering those last 6 questions. This happened to be 6 points from your scaled score based on the range that you were in. The 17% is the key number for people to remember. You did not answer 6 out of 37 questions. That is about 1/6 of the questions unanswered and 1/6 is 16.6% This illustrates what GMAC hints at -- you lose the percentage from your score that corresponds to the percent of questions you did not answer.

On the verbal the same held true, you lost about 10 - 15% from your score. This is due to not answering 5/41 questions which is 1/8 or else 12.5%.

The moral of the story is told by GMAC - if you are above the 50th percentile (which you were) it is better to rapidly guess at all of the questions as opposed to leaving them blank. Something that I detail in this article from the Veritas Prep Blog https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2012/12 ... -the-test/

Here's hoping you do not have an computer problems on the real test!!!!

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

Like this post

GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:27 am

As everyone is suggesting, guessing is MUCH BETTER than leaving questions unanswered. In fact, it's possible to guess the last 10 questions and still get an awesome score. This is worth remembering if you find yourself considering whether or not to cancel your score on Test Day. You never know if those guesses helped, hurt or had no effect on your score.

Side story: When I was a high school math teacher, I used to make all of my students participate in the country-wide math contest each year. Of course, some students resented this, and I once had a girl complete the 20-question, multiple-choice test in about 30 seconds and then read her book for the remaining 59 minutes (much to my annoyance).

When the results came back, she had the highest mark in the school. It was uncanny how she guessed so many correct answers.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

Like this post

Post new topic Post Reply

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

559 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (560 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review