Manhattan GMAT CAT #5

Ask your questions about Manhattan Prep products/services here
This topic has expert replies
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 347
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:42 pm
Thanked: 1 times

Manhattan GMAT CAT #5

by Stockmoose16 » Sun Oct 12, 2008 5:16 pm
Hi,

I just took the Manhattan GMAT CAT #5, and scored a 690. The score seems off, though. How can a 70th percentile quant and 91st percentile verbal add up to an overall 91st percentile? My scaled score is only 83... that should be like a 660, no?

What's wrong here?

CAT Exam #5 10/12/2008

SCORE & OVERVIEW OF RESULTS
TYPE SCORE ESTIMATED PERCENTILE RANK
Quantitative 43 70 %
Verbal 40 91 %
Total 690 91 %

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 226
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:37 am
Thanked: 23 times
Followed by:8 members

by michael.dinerstein » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:31 pm
Hi Stockmoose16,

Our CAT exams work to provide you with simple estimates of your score on test day and are not supposed to work exactly like the real GMAT test. Keeping this in mind, your score would still most likely amount to the high 600 levels due to your relatively weaker quant score. In order to get a 700+, you need to have a quant score that is solidly 80%.

Because there is a large influx of test-takers that are not native English speakers, higher quant scores are more common than higher verbal scores. Hence, if you score relatively higher on the verbal section, it will lift up your overall percentile greater than if you score relatively higher on the quant section. Hence, you are in the 90th percentile because you achieved such a good score on the verbal section. However, because your quant score was much weaker, you couldn't break the 700 barrier simply because there are many more people with a better score in that section. If you were to bring your quant score to about an 80th percentile and maintain that verbal score, you would achieve a 700+.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Michael Dinerstein
Manager of Online Marketing
Manhattan GMAT
212-721-7400
800-576-4628

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 347
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:42 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Stockmoose16 » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:48 pm
michael.dinerstein wrote:Hi Stockmoose16,

Our CAT exams work to provide you with simple estimates of your score on test day and are not supposed to work exactly like the real GMAT test. Keeping this in mind, your score would still most likely amount to the high 600 levels due to your relatively weaker quant score. In order to get a 700+, you need to have a quant score that is solidly 80%.

Because there is a large influx of test-takers that are not native English speakers, higher quant scores are more common than higher verbal scores. Hence, if you score relatively higher on the verbal section, it will lift up your overall percentile greater than if you score relatively higher on the quant section. Hence, you are in the 90th percentile because you achieved such a good score on the verbal section. However, because your quant score was much weaker, you couldn't break the 700 barrier simply because there are many more people with a better score in that section. If you were to bring your quant score to about an 80th percentile and maintain that verbal score, you would achieve a 700+.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Michael,

If I had scored 99th percentile verbal with the same quant score, would I have received a 700+?

I still don't understand how a 91st percentile verbal and 70th percentile quant translates into an overall 91st percentile. Wouldn't that mean that the verbal section is weighted 100%? I'm not necessarily concerned with whether I would've achieved a 700+ on the real GMAT, I just want to know if I'm in the 680-690 range overall?

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 226
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:37 am
Thanked: 23 times
Followed by:8 members

by michael.dinerstein » Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:37 am
Hi Stockmoose16,

Yes, if you had finished with a 99th percentile verbal score, you would have received a 700+, but you would not have received a 99th percentile score overall.

I think your confusion stems from the fact that your verbal percentile matches your overall percentile, both of which are actually calculated differently. Here's an example:

You scored a subscore of 43 on the quantitative section. If you were to take everyone who took the GMAT in a given year and arrange them by their quant subscores in descending order, yours would be roughly 70% of the way down the list, meaning that you scored higher or the same as 70% of test-takers, but lower than 29% of test-takers. By the same token, your 40 on the verbal section is 91% of the way down the list, meaning that you scored the same or better than 91% of all test-takers. This is how the GMAT calculates your subscore percentiles from your raw scores.

However, the GMAT calculates your overall percentile in a fully different manner using a complex equation comparing your verbal score to your quantitative score. Using the combination of your two scores, they can rank you on an overall basis. The percentiles from your subscores are not figured into this equation whatsover. It's entirely possible to get 80% on both sections and come out with an overall 95% score because there are very few people who can do well on both sections. In your case, there is a disparity between the sections, so the GMAT looks at your score and says, "Okay, this guy did pretty well. He has a great verbal subscore, but his math is pretty weak. Overall, I'll rank him in the 91st percentile out of all test-takers." The fact that the 91st percentile score overall matches your verbal subscore is sheer coincidence.

For a more detailed rubric, check out our General GMAT Info Page.

In short, yes, you are in the 680 - 690 range overall based on that one practice test. However, it is important not to place too much confidence in your overall score on these practice tests, as they will be different from the real exam that you eventually take. Instead, look at the assessment reports included with your CAT exams to see which areas of the exam you need the most help on and focus your studies on these sections.

Best,
Michael Dinerstein
Manager of Online Marketing
Manhattan GMAT
212-721-7400
800-576-4628

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 347
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:42 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Stockmoose16 » Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:03 am
michael.dinerstein wrote:Hi Stockmoose16,

Yes, if you had finished with a 99th percentile verbal score, you would have received a 700+, but you would not have received a 99th percentile score overall.

I think your confusion stems from the fact that your verbal percentile matches your overall percentile, both of which are actually calculated differently. Here's an example:

You scored a subscore of 43 on the quantitative section. If you were to take everyone who took the GMAT in a given year and arrange them by their quant subscores in descending order, yours would be roughly 70% of the way down the list, meaning that you scored higher or the same as 70% of test-takers, but lower than 29% of test-takers. By the same token, your 40 on the verbal section is 91% of the way down the list, meaning that you scored the same or better than 91% of all test-takers. This is how the GMAT calculates your subscore percentiles from your raw scores.

However, the GMAT calculates your overall percentile in a fully different manner using a complex equation comparing your verbal score to your quantitative score. Using the combination of your two scores, they can rank you on an overall basis. The percentiles from your subscores are not figured into this equation whatsover. It's entirely possible to get 80% on both sections and come out with an overall 95% score because there are very few people who can do well on both sections. In your case, there is a disparity between the sections, so the GMAT looks at your score and says, "Okay, this guy did pretty well. He has a great verbal subscore, but his math is pretty weak. Overall, I'll rank him in the 91st percentile out of all test-takers." The fact that the 91st percentile score overall matches your verbal subscore is sheer coincidence.

For a more detailed rubric, check out our General GMAT Info Page.

In short, yes, you are in the 680 - 690 range overall based on that one practice test. However, it is important not to place too much confidence in your overall score on these practice tests, as they will be different from the real exam that you eventually take. Instead, look at the assessment reports included with your CAT exams to see which areas of the exam you need the most help on and focus your studies on these sections.

Best,
Michael,

Thanks for detailed explanation. Is 70th percentile quant really considered "weak"? I thought that was pretty good.

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 226
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:37 am
Thanked: 23 times
Followed by:8 members

by michael.dinerstein » Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:33 pm
Hi Stockmoose16,

70th percentile is not "weak" necessarily on its own, but when compared to your verbal percentile of 91, it is. Additionally, if you are aiming for top 10 business schools, they will want to see a quant score that is above the 80th percentile, hence your 70th percentile score would not quite make the grade. The good news is, however, that you seem to be close. Be sure to take a GMATPrep test from MBA.com to receive a more accurate computation of your score.

Best,
Michael Dinerstein
Manager of Online Marketing
Manhattan GMAT
212-721-7400
800-576-4628

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:53 pm
Thanked: 8 times
Followed by:3 members

by sneha800 » Sat Dec 08, 2012 3:22 pm
Hi

I find that MGMAT CATS QAUNT SECTIONS ARE MORE TIME CONSUMING THAN THE GMAT PREP EXAMS.ANS EVEN THE SCORING SEEMS SIGNIFICANTLY LOW ON MGMAT COMPARED TO THE GMAT PREP. WHAT IS THE ERROR RANGE FOR THE MGMAT CATS IN COMPARISION TO THE REAL TEST ON AN AVG ? (SAY LIKE +/- 20 ? )