Some people tell me they think the real test is harder and some people tell me they think the real test is easier - it really just depends upon the person and upon their particular testing experience. About the same number of people tell me they think it's easier vs. harder, so there isn't an obvious trend one way or the other.
First, the fact that you took 5 tests in one week can cause fluctuation in scores all by itself. If your brain starts to get tired out, your score is going to drop, right? And then there are all sorts of other possible factors. Did you also take the essays on each test? Did you take each test under full official conditions? Did you do anything that deviates from official conditions and could provide a boost to your performance (a longer break than allowed, eating or drinking during the test, etc)? Did you take each test at the same time of day, and get a good night's sleep the night before, and have a nutritious dinner (night before) and breakfast for every single test? Did you see any questions you'd seen before; if so, how did you deal with them? How many were there? There are all kinds of variables that go into test performance.
I noticed that you said "1 question skipped due to lack of time" on your 2nd MGMAT CAT. Do you mean you made a random guess and moved on without reading the question? Do you mean you ran out of time at the end and left the question blank? Or do you mean something else? Were there other questions on which you had to rush due to the time pressure? Did you have more careless mistakes than usual as a result, or did you have a string of questions wrong in a row?
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Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT
Contributor to Beat The GMAT!
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