Penalty for not attempting the question.

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missionGMAT007: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 135; Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:59 am; Thanked: 4 times

by missionGMAT007 » Sun Nov 14, 2010 3:55 am

Hello All,

I just finished my first prep test and scored 600 (Q 44, V 29). At the end of the verbal section i could not answer the last question. I mean i could not even select a random answer since the time was up.
Can anyone tell me on an average how many marks will be penalized for not attempting the last question?

Thanks

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Source: Beat The GMAT — I just Beat The GMAT! | Sun Nov 14, 2010 3:55 am

gmatmachoman: Legendary Member; Posts: 2326; Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:54 amFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 173 times; GMAT Score:710

by gmatmachoman » Sun Nov 14, 2010 4:59 am

missionGMAT007 wrote:Hello All,

I just finished my first prep test and scored 600 (Q 44, V 29). At the end of the verbal section i could not answer the last question. I mean i could not even select a random answer since the time was up.
Can anyone tell me on an average how many marks will be penalized for not attempting the last question?

Thanks

I shall try to replicate those scenarios u have mentioned .but to my knowledge, its tuf to pinpoint the exact numbers.

R&D on GMAT algorithm:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/r-d-on-gmat- ... tml#305739

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Stacey Koprince: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2228; Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pmFollowed by: 694 members; Location: Montreal, Canada; Thanked: 639 times; GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Mon Nov 15, 2010 7:18 am

coming out of retirement to answer this (note: I no longer participate on the forums - I just write articles)

approximately 3 percentile points per question for leaving a question blank. gmatmachoman is correct that you can't give an exact answer to that question, because it depends upon things like: the scoring level before that last question, whether it happens on multiple questions in a row, etc.

As a general rule, the higher your scoring level, the more severe the penalty for running out of time. Also as a general rule, the more questions in a row on which it happens, the worse the per-question penalty (the penalty accelerates on later questions in a row, basically).

Also, if the question had been slated to be an experimental question, you still get the penalty if you don't answer it. If, on the other hand, you answer randomly and get it wrong, there's no penalty.

Nutshell: NEVER leave a Q blank. Keep an eye on that clock and put in a bunch of random answers during the last 60 seconds if you have to (though ideally, of course, you don't run out of time in the first place).

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aslan: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 153; Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:33 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 5 times

by aslan » Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:45 am

@Stacey: retiring so soon...

We all need you and Ron here; you ppl are the jewel of the forum who keep all of us motivated.

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kola_member: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 13; Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:48 am

by kola_member » Tue Nov 16, 2010 6:35 am

missionGMAT007 wrote:Hello All,

I just finished my first prep test and scored 600 (Q 44, V 29). At the end of the verbal section i could not answer the last question. I mean i could not even select a random answer since the time was up.
Can anyone tell me on an average how many marks will be penalized for not attempting the last question?

Thanks

Repeat the test, marking all your choices exactly as they were in the test above, & attempt the last verbal question.You will have your answer. BTW, tell us of your results too !!

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GoBlue: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:44 am

by GoBlue » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:22 am

Stacey Koprince wrote:coming out of retirement to answer this (note: I no longer participate on the forums - I just write articles)

Nutshell: NEVER leave a Q blank. Keep an eye on that clock and put in a bunch of random answers during the last 60 seconds if you have to (though ideally, of course, you don't run out of time in the first place).

Stacey, first of all, its a pleasure to have you on the forums again

. I don't want to go off tangent but is it true that guessing randomly ( getting 4/5 wrong ) at the end is worse than guessing at the middle of the test ?

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Stacey Koprince: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2228; Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pmFollowed by: 694 members; Location: Montreal, Canada; Thanked: 639 times; GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:49 am

As a general rule, getting 4 to 5 wrong in a row is worse than getting 4 to 5 wrong spread out over some larger number of questions. So the rule is not to have to guess on a bunch in a row, whether in the middle or at the end. (Of course, the only place we're ever really forced to do that is at the end because of timing issues.)

Repeat the test, marking all your choices exactly as they were in the test above, & attempt the last verbal question.

If only it were that easy.

You can't do that because the test is adaptive. You aren't going to get all of the same questions again - depending upon the test, you might get some of the same questions, but not all, and they wouldn't necessarily be in the same order either.

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GoBlue: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:44 am

by GoBlue » Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:59 am

Stacey Koprince wrote:...Of course, the only place we're ever really forced to do that is at the end because of timing issues...
.

I beg to differ and hence my earlier question. From what I recall of the session with Ron Purewal ( Thursday's with Ron ) and going thru the timing map, most of the questions that I would guess would be in the middle and maybe a question here and there at the end to make sure I am following the timing map. However, if I completely ignore it and then see the timing at the very end of the test, thats when I might end up guessing the end q's. But I am deliberately trying to avoid guessing at the end.

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Stacey Koprince: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2228; Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pmFollowed by: 694 members; Location: Montreal, Canada; Thanked: 639 times; GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:32 am

Er... that's basically what I meant. If you mess up your timing badly enough and don't do anything to fix it along the way, then you'd be forced to guess on a number of questions in a row at the end (or leave them blank, which is even worse).

That's not what you WANT to do. It's what happens if you mess up.

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GoBlue: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:44 am

by GoBlue » Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:17 am

Stacey Koprince wrote:Er... that's basically what I meant. If you mess up your timing badly enough and don't do anything to fix it along the way, then you'd be forced to guess on a number of questions in a row at the end (or leave them blank, which is even worse).

That's not what you WANT to do. It's what happens if you mess up.

Got it

I just realized your WEAKENED my argument by attacking my premise. See, now I learned timing and CR both in a single answer.

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