GMAT scaling question

Expert replies

rowbus: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:26 pm

by rowbus » Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:43 pm

First, let me explain my unofficial practice scores thus far:

Test 1: Princeton Review Diagnostic, 1.21.09, 590 (V40, Q31) On the math, I missed 18 of 37. On the verbal, I missed 6 of 41.

Test 2: Free GMAT Test from GMAC, 2.1.09, 640 (V40, Q36) On the math, I missed 14 of 37. On the verbal, I missed 8 of 41.

Test 3: Princeton Review, 2.19.09, 640 (V40, Q39) On the math, I missed 10 of 37. On the verbal, I missed 8 of 41.

Ok...here's my question: When I look at the charts that show how the test is apparently scored according to the number of questions answered correctly, it shows that I should be getting upwards of 46 on the verbal. And yet, I continue to get 40.

Also, how could I have answered 4 more questions correctly between Tests 2 and 3 and seen no change in score? What's up with that? I feel like I'm being punished by the GMAT Scaling Gods for some mistake unknown to me.

This test is "testing" my nerves, if nothing else. If anyone out there has any wisdom to impart, by all means, I'd be grateful.

Thank you in advance!

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:43 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

beatthegmat: Site Admin; Posts: 6778; Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:30 amFollowed by: 994 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 1249 times

by beatthegmat » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:50 pm

There's definitely been a lot of questions about this in the past. Please do some searching in the custom search box at the top right of this page.

The core principle to keep in mind though is that number of questions right has very little direct translation to your raw scores. In fact, you can consistently get half the questions wrong and still score in the 700s.

At the end of the day though, no person outside of GMAC has a perfect view of how the GMAT scoring algorithm works. It's a more productive use of your time, however, to focus on the questions you got wrong and truly understand why you got them wrong. The algorithm is what it is...

Good luck!

Beat The GMAT | The MBA Social Network
Community Management Team

Research Top GMAT Prep Courses:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-prep-courses

Research The World's Top MBA Programs:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/school

VP_Jim: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1223; Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 pmFollowed by: 15 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 185 times

by VP_Jim » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:20 pm

Just to expand a bit on the above:

Your score is primarily based upon the level of difficulty of the questions you get right. Keeping in mind that the test is adaptive, the more questions you get right, the harder they get. Eventually, the test should "zero in" on the point where you're getting every other question wrong. As Eric said above, you can still get an awesome score with a lot of wrong answers, as long as you're in the "upper bin" material.

So, it's certainly possible to get 10 questions wrong and get a better score than a test on which you got 5 questions wrong. It all depends on the difficulty of those questions.

Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep

GMAT Course Reviews

563 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (563 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