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Inconsistencies in Quant vs Integrated Reasoning & CAT

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by illusion10 » Wed Sep 24, 2014 5:51 am
Hi,

I just wanted to find out the possible reasons behind a strange inconsistency in my actual GMAT test result - 640 (47Q/31V) with an 8 for Integrated Reasoning.

In previous CAT testing I was getting 700-730 consistently. Furthermore, I was always getting a Quant score of 49+ (up to ~51) and Verbal score of 35+ with consistent performance for Kaplan800 questions as well. Lastly, I didn't have any challenges getting an 8 for Integrated Reasoning on the actual GMAT exam.

During my exam, I felt incredibly comfortable with the questions (i.e. they didn't seem surprising) and my mental energy was high throughout the exam. As a result, I was very surprised to see a sudden drop in my Quant & Verbal marks.

I do understand the likelihood of there being an error to be next to none, but I did want to understand the possibilities of getting a closer look to just review the results.

Cheers,
Tim
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by [email protected] » Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:23 am
Hi Tim,

The first thing to realize when comparing CAT results to an Official GMAT result is that most CATs are created by companies who are NOT GMAC, and while those companies do their best to make the practice CATs as realistic as possible, the CATs are still going to be at least a little "off."

The next thing to consider is how you took your practice CATs vs. how you took your Official GMAT. There are a variety of factors that can affect your performance, including, but not limited to:

1) The time of day and day of the week that you took the Test.
2) How much sleep you got the night before.
3) If you took the ENTIRE CAT (including Essay and IR) or if you skipped sections.
4) The "realism" with which you took the CAT (did you take it at home, on a laptop computer - neither of those aspects is realistic).
5) The travel time to the testing center.
6) The multitude of "little things" you experience on Test Day that you didn't experience during practice.
Etc.

The GMAT is remarkably good at giving you the score that you EARN. If you're planning on re-testing, then you should post your story in the Strategy Forum and you'll likely receive a number of suggestions. If you're interested, I could help you to figure out what went "wrong" and help you put together a short-term study plan to help you improve.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by OfficialGMAT » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:46 am
Hi, Tim.

I am sorry to hear you did not receive the score you expected on the GMAT exam. You may want to keep in mind that your GMAT score is not just based on how many questions you answered correctly, but also the level of difficulty of the questions you answered. You can read more about that here: https://www.mba.com/global/the-gmat-blog ... -gmat.aspx.

We cannot vouch for the accuracy of third-party GMAT prep materials, but we do note that one factor in students receiving an official score that is different from their practice exams is how many times they used the same practice exam. If you were receiving duplicate questions in your practice sessions, you may have received an inflated score, and also had less actual practice in solving new questions.

I suggest you also re-post this question in one of the main forum threads where other students and test prep coaches will be able to help you.

Good luck!
Leah
Official GMAC Representative

Have a question about customer service issues, GMAT exam policies, or GMAT exam structure? Post your question in our Ask the Test Maker forum!
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