GMAT Strategy

So I've taken 3 full length CATs over the past 4 days...

My quant score has been pretty steady, but my verbal is all over the place.

CAT1 48Q 44V
CAT2 49Q 31V
CAT3 49Q 38V

does this just mean that I need to study verbal a lot more so that luck won't influence my score so much?

It would depend on whether all the tests were from the same provider. If you are comparing scores from say Princeton and a Kaplan test, such differences may arise.

If all the tests are from the same provider, I would suggest you do a careful analysis of areas you made mistakes on. Probably one area (say RC or CR) was very difficult in one test compared to the other two. You need to identify the patters to make a conclusion. That would be the next logical step in your prep process.

I agree with Prasanna, and will add that it sounds like you're probably set on math. How long until your test? If you only have a few days, I'd start to really focus on verbal. If you still have a long time, don't neglect quant. Continue studying it a little to remain fresh and to try to maybe hit 50 or 51, which will really differentiate your application, as MBA programs tend to look at the quant score more than the verbal score.

Good luck!

Thanks for the response. My test is scheduled for 1/20. I will probably take 8 more practice tests before then and have live classes 2 times a week to work on my issues.

For quant, I often mess up permutation and combination questions as I had not studied those for a long time. I'm hoping by refreshing some concepts and practicing them, I will be able to get to a 51 on quant.

If you had to choose between a 51/44 versus a 49/46, is the 51/44 preferable. Also, I presume that as you approach 51, it gets incrementally harder to get a higher score, i.e. is it harder to increase a 49 to a 51 than to increase a 44 to a 46?

Thanks!

Edit FYI the first 2 tests were Kaplan online CATs. The third score was from GMATPrep.

I don't think there is a huge difference between those two scores. If I HAD to pick, I'd probably take the 51 on quant because it's pretty unusual and a nice "selling point".

I agree that it's probably harder to move from 49 to 51 than it is to move from 44 to 46. Still, it sounds like there are some areas you can work on to try to hit that magic number.

Good luck!

Well I took a 4th CAT and I really need to work on verbal.

CAT3 on Kaplan's online cats

Q50, V34.....

missed 7 out of 13 sentence correction for crying out loud!!

I've ordered the MGMAT sentence correction guide. Hopefully that book and some practice will help me with my verbal issues.

Looking at my V44 score vs V34 score

V44 V34
CR 9/14 9/14
RC 3/8 7/8
SC 11/13 6/13
SP 6/6 3/6

I know where the mistakes were is also an issue. But I really need to study my sentence correction rules and get them right. That would probably be of great assistance.


My goal is to get a Q51 V44

welll the puzzle continues.

I took my 5th CAT today. I must have relaxed a bit too much on Math.

45Q, 52V. The oddball is the 52V.... I have been working on verbal stuff, but did not think I would improve so significantly. I am just hoping for a 45 on verbal. Not sure what to make of this most recent score.

52V...hmm..I don't like you..I really don't!



Good job man! I am not sure which CAT gave you that score but you are marching towards to your dream score! Keep up the good work!

52 V? Is that even possible?

I just got a 680 last week (V 40). I'm gonna try to push my verbal to 47 in 4 weeks.

I'm not sure about Kaplan's scoring algorithm. Theoretically, I believe it is possible to get up to 60, but 51 is supposed to be the high end of the scaled scores. However, Kaplan's CAT do score above 51... not sure what that means.

I just completed Kaplan's Ultimate practice test over the weekend. The test did not provide raw scores but did provide percentiles. I managed to score 99th percentiles on both sections. It concerns me having heard Kaplan's CAT algorithms potentially not being as accurate when you score at the ends of the spectrum. Does anyone have any point of view as to whether or not 99th percentiles on Kaplan tests should be trusted?

It horrifies me to think that I might do well on these practice CATs and take the real test only to see a marginal score.

I've taken the GMAT Prep 1 and 2s once already. I figure if i retake it there's a good chance I'll see repeat questions. I'll probably just take it anyhow to see how t calibrates with the Kaplan scores.