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Decoding Raw Scores (/60) - I don't get it!

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Decoding Raw Scores (/60) - I don't get it!

by skalevar » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:18 pm
Hi,

I just completed Day 42 of the 60-Day guide, and I think I am on the right track. However, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how the GMAT comes up with its scores.

For example, for this past full-length practice test, I scored:
Quant: 47/60: 25 correct/37 questions
Verbal: 46/60 : 38 correct/41 questions

Can someone please provide some additional explanation as to how 25/37 and 38/41 correspond to roughly the same mark out of 60. Additionally, as I was doing well on Verbal (only questions 3, 29, and 37 were incorrect), why did the CAT not adapt and provide me higher difficulty questions? I would think that 38/41 is higher than 46/60. Does this imply that each additional question correct would yield over 4 points on the raw score out of 60?

Any insight, suggestions or resources you can lend are much appreciated.

Thanks!
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by Brian@VeritasPrep » Mon Aug 30, 2010 3:27 pm
Hi Skalevar,

Good question - keep in mind that the number of questions that you answer correctly is only one of the factors that factors into your scoring, which also takes into account:

Difficulty level of questions
The number of questions that you complete overall

Those scaled scores out of 60 (which actually top out at 51, as GMAC is "saving" the ends of that 60-point band for increases in difficulty range in the future) aren't entirely meant to be understood. You'll get a lot more mileage out of seeing your percentile (0-99) which helps you measure how you're doing relative to your competition. Those numbers should have more meaning to you.

If you're interested, here's an article that details the GMAT scoring system a bit more: https://blog.veritasprep.com/2010/08/und ... rithm.html
Brian Galvin
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by skalevar » Mon Aug 30, 2010 3:38 pm
Well, if the scores are really out of 51, then that makes a lot more sense. Nonetheless, it's a very roundabout method.

Can you provide any further advice on increasing my verbal? I only got 3 wrong, and ended up with 46/60 (or 51)). I'm targeting a mid 700 score if possible.
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by Brian@VeritasPrep » Mon Aug 30, 2010 4:23 pm
Actually, the verbal "peak" skews a little lower...even 46 currently ranks in the 99th percentile (according to the tables available at www.mba.com). You can see the raw score / percentile conversion chart at:

https://www.mba.com/mba/thegmat/gmatscor ... gmeans.htm

As far as improvement on verbal, I have tons of ideas, but may want to be more specific given that you're doing pretty well. Which question types are giving you most trouble?
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by skalevar » Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:43 pm
Let me get back to you. From the percentile table you supplied, it seems I need to do a lot of work on Quant. I think if I can maintain my Verbal, and improve Quant, I'll get to my target score.
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by skalevar » Sun Sep 12, 2010 12:11 pm
Hey Brian,

I just completed another practice test (this time it was Princeton Review's free CAT) and I'm a little stumped by a few items.

This time, I got 36/60 on the Verbal section. I got 6 incorrect questions, and 1 unanswered question. I had an answer choice selected for Question 41, but did not hit 'Confirm Answer'. (I had read a previous post on beatthegmat.com that the CAT would register this whichever selection you have would still be registered even if you have not confirmed.)

It looks like 3 correct answers means a world of difference on the Verbal section. In your experience, do 2 or 3 answers make the difference between a 36 and a 46? Also, do you know how much 1 unanswered question impacts score? I'm trying to get a feel for where I am and whether I'm ready to book a test date, but this scoring system is not the easiest to figure out.

Thanks,
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by skalevar » Sun Sep 12, 2010 5:32 pm
In addition, I went back and did a little further analysis on my last two practice tests:

Practice Test 1
Math: 47/60
Questions 1-10: 6 correct, 4 incorrect
11-20: 8 correct, 2 incorrect
21-30: 7 correct, 3 incorrect
31-37: 3 correct, 3 incorrect

Practice Test 2
Math: 44/60
Questions 1-10: 9 correct, 1 incorrect
11-20: 5 correct, 5 incorrect
21-30: 9 correct, 1 incorrect
31-37: 6 correct, 1 incorrect

What I take from this is that my 5 incorrect answers in Questions 11-20 on the second practice test lowered my score to the point that even though I started to do well after it, the GMAT had already decided roughly where I was on the 0 to 60 scale.

Would that assessment be accurate? Do Questions 11-20 have that much weight on one's overall score?

Thanks
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