The new "estimator curve" has a humped shape, the highest part of which corresponds to the CAT's best estimate of your ability at that point in the exam.

As you proceed through each section, your estimator curve changes according to the items you get right and wrong. If you answer hard items correctly, the hump shifts to the right, indicating a higher estimated ability. If you answer easy items incorrectly, the hump shifts to the left, indicating a lower estimated ability.

At the end of each section, the CAT converts its current estimate of your ability (based on the hump in its final estimator curve) to a "paper-test equivalent". This equivalent takes into account the number of questions you left unanswered at the end of the section (if you ran out of time, for example). There is a penalty for unanswered questions so it is better to complete all the questions (randomly guessing at the end, if necessary) than to leave questions at the end of a section blank. The equivalent is then converted to a "scaled score" (out of 60 points) for that section. After both sections are complete, the CAT takes the two scaled scores (quant and verbal) and converts them to an overall score out of 800 points.

Now you have seen the process by which the CAT determines your score. We hope this series has dispelled some of the mystery surrounding the GMAT.

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