I dispute my score---Experimental Section

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by aspire_mba2013 » Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:28 am
Amir -

If you have any specific doubts, you can surely call up GMAT call center.

GMAT won't change their scoring system - suddenly, also you can go through this URL : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_M ... ssion_Test
You can take a horse to the water but you can't make it drink !!!

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by amir_hatef » Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:55 am
Hi,

Thanks to everybody solved my current issue just today heard about it and more specifically thanks to aspire_mba2013 & aslan.
I will do my best for GMAT by assuming each question is a real one and not selecting the experimental section at the end of test. Frankly speaking, I am sure scoring well on GMAT without help of you guys is impossible, I owe everybody over here.

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by karanrulz4ever » Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:08 pm
Here is a part of the 1st post:
These questions are NOT suppose to count in the final score of the test. As such, I whipped through this section and put random answers down so I could get to my score...
This means the experimental questions were in a separate section,other than quant and verbal. So the answers from this section will not be counted according to GMAC. So do not worry.

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by prateekduble » Mon Nov 22, 2010 9:17 am
aspire_mba2013 wrote:Hi Vince,
I took the test today with experimental section and got a disappointing score of (Q:48, V:23). I had been averaging a score of 35-38 in Verbal in all 9 tests that I took over the period of 4 weeks. My average GMAT score had been between 650 and 680. 3 days ago I took GMATPrep CAT#2 and score 680 (Q:50, V:32).
I am surprised that I got such a low score today on the real thing even when I was feeling confident that I will get at least 650.
I dont know if I can dispute my score. I guess I will have to try taking GMAT again.

- Prateek


Prateek -

I read your concern as well -

Important Thing -

I can see your verbal score in 32, in the last prep - As you can read in other sections across this forum, if you do more errors in Verbal. Like 10 wrong questions will strip your score badly ---

Before you plan to dispute etc,

Share with us , and or try to analyze how well did you attempt the verbal section, did you struggle with RC ?, how confident were you with SC , CR etc. ?

With couple of hard questions , 32 can turn to be 23 - its very much possible.


Also you can read this blog --- https://www.beatthegmat.com/thought-the- ... 70267.html
I cant imagine that I can get 10 questions wrong on the test day. I didnt guess at all and was very comfortable while selecting the options. BTW I read the post that you suggested me to read. It seems like Ttronn took the gmat 2-3 weeks ago since he already has his AWA score with him. Anyways, I have to retake the exam and build up my confidence again.
-Prateek

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by vince11 » Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:13 am
OK, there may be a few people confused about my scenario and the experimental 'section' I mentioned.

First, the discrepancy was not in my verbal section, the discrepancy was in the quant section. I was extremely confident that I got the majority of questions correct on both quant and verbal. My verbal score ended up at 38 (87th percentile/top 13% of all test takers). This score is in line with my practice exams. My quantitative score is the one that consisted of a discrepancy. The quant score came in at 27 (19th percentile/bottom 19% of test takers).

My average score on quant between 8 practice tests is 40 (putting me in 63rd percentile or so).

I did better on verbal on actual test than I had on all practice tests. This shows that my confidence was not misplaced and that I was having a great test day (thinking clearly, working quickly but accurately, etc). Based on my confidence level, I believed my score should have shown a performance on the quant section that would indicate a similar achievement... Yet the score was completely the opposite.


Secondly, The experimental section is composed of math (quant) questions. It was a completely new section that was included at the end of the test. It was composed of 15 questions and a 30 minute time limit. This is going on for 1 week while GMAC runs this experiment/research. This is NOT the same as the 'experimental questions' that are ALWAYS included spread out amongst all verbal and quant questions in those respective sections.

Again, I did not put any effort into this experimental 'section'. I put random answers so that I could be done with the test. It was clearly indicated that this section was not suppose to be included in the final score.

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by aslan » Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:26 am
@vince11:Can we induce an assumption that what you saw as doing 'great' on verbal section was because of the low running Quant score previously?.I know of guys who got Q51 and then saw a really really tough Verbal section.

But anyways, I think you can always claim to the GMAC to recheck your results, provided you completed the section and found it at the same level of GMATprep tests.

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by aspire_mba2013 » Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:04 pm
Vince,

I am pretty much sure - while selecting your test date and center - you have opted for $25 check, for that optional section.
If I critically look at your statement - you are averaging the QUANT score for 8 exams to be 40.

You should also consider these questions:

What was the precise distribution across various tests,along with the dates, and the topics from which you saw more questions when you performed better on the test ?

Its very much possible for the score to drop 10 points from 40 to 30 or 27 ,as in your case.

Good Luck !
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by rc_sunil » Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:36 am
I took my GMAT last Saturday and got a disappoiting verbal score. I dont know what happened, but my quant was very good from what I was expecting.

For people who are scheduled for the exam between 19th to 24th - the experimental session is MANDATORY, GMAC would not have allowed you to skip that session. However hey made it clear that it wont have a part or effect in your scores.
Now I dont know if there has been any goof up, but my verbal score looked like it was something like when I was a teenager.

Even before I started my prep, I took the first gmat to assess my abilities. This score I got on test day was 10 percentile less than that. I cannot digest that fact. At the same time I dont know what I can do to re-assess my scores.
But I dont think it was due to the experimental section.

My worst verbal in practice was V28 and I got a V19 on test day with Q47. What do I do with such a decent quant score.
I am so messed up in my head not sure what happened to my verbal whereas I thought i didnt do that bad. Except I missed putting in an answer to the 41st question - I ran out of time, would that pull the score so so down ?

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by prateekduble » Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:41 am
I emailed GMAC ([email protected]) yesterday about my unreasonably low verbal score and got a response from GMAT Program Co-ordinator that they have created an incident number for me and will get back to me in 4 business days with their conclusion about the issue faced by many candidates. If atleast they give me back my registration fee, It will boost my morale and bring back the confidence I had before the exam.
I suggest you guys should also write to them. Thanks!

- Prateek

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by aslan » Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:58 am
"...with their conclusion about the issue faced by many candidates"


@prateekduble: Did they write about the '...issue faced by many candidates'??.

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by prateekduble » Tue Nov 23, 2010 9:03 am
Sorry about that! This is what he said:

Dear Prateek,

Thank you for contacting our office with your concern. We have created incident xxxxx to review the situation you described. We will be in contact with you once we have reached a conclusion. Please contact Customer Service if you have any additional information or concerns during this time. You will need to make reference to incident number xxxxx, as this is our way of tracking this situation. We appreciate your patience during this time.

Pearson GMAT Program Coordinator,
Blair S.

Customer Service:
Americas 1-800-717-4628
Asia Pacific +60 38318-9961
China +86 10 62798877
Europe/Middle East/Africa +44 (0) 161 855 7219
India +91 120 439 7830

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by 710girl » Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:56 am
Hi, I tried to do the experimental section of the test but my brain just was so drained from the test that I couldn't concentrate and essentially just ticked the answers randomly. I got a good score on my GMAT tho. So I don't think that this part of the exam has ANY bearing on the overall GMAT score.

Also, anyone taking the test between certain dates must take the Experimental Section. You can just select a bunch of answers at the end like me or you can actually give it a reasonable try and be awarded the $25 credit.

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by aslan » Tue Nov 23, 2010 12:00 pm

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by aslan » Tue Nov 23, 2010 12:08 pm
@710girl:

Personally I would think that nobody in their right mind would try to do these question after a grueling session of 2.5 hrs, and however adventurous GMAC staff felt in this kind of test research, it is bound to give them 'totally' erroneous results!.

I would also feel a bit...what can you say,.. a tad 'guilty conscious' in getting 25$ without even looking properly at the questions . :\

congratz for the nice score btw !...how did the sections felt like, we did'nt hear a debrief from your side.(?)

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by rohit_gmat » Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:12 pm
i dun think there was an option .. to not take the experimental part.... when i registered for the test .. and i clicked out of the "yes i wanna participate" box.... the damn thing told me to reschedule my test to another date !!