MGMAT CAT vs Actual GMAT

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jmsheehan5: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2016 12:22 am

by jmsheehan5 » Sat Jan 28, 2017 6:56 pm

Greetings,

I am currently doing the Magoosh 3 month advanced study plan and am on week 9. I have taken 3 MGMAT CAT tests scoring:

1: Q44/V37 = 670
2: Q44/V34 = 640
3: Q44/V37 = 670

My first question is how the MGMAT scoring compares to the actual GMAT scoring (i.e. what GMAT score range could I reasonably expect from these results)

I also wanted to see if anyone had tips for my last two weeks of studying that will help me break through the Q44/V37 barrier.

Thanks.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sat Jan 28, 2017 6:56 pm

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[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:08 am

Hi jmsheehan5,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make the CAT-taking process, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become. As such, I have a few questions about how you took these CATS:

1) On what dates did you take these CATs?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) Did you take them at home?
4) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
5) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
6) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?

Beyond those questions, I have a few 'big picture' questions:

1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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Bara: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 383; Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:20 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Location: Online Conferencing - in person in select cities.; Thanked: 55 times

by Bara » Sun Jan 29, 2017 11:13 am

The two things you need to address to increase your score:

1) Use some real GMATs rather than 3rd party tests. Use the ones online at mba.com or gmac.com, and earlier tests - - paper ones you can get a hold of.

2) Take inventory of all you can - - your strengths and weaknesses. you need to KNOW that when you answer correctly you know why, and if you get something incorrect, why it's wrong. For both, you want to be sure you answer in the best, most efficient way. Study SMARTER not HARDER.

Highest yield topics should come first in your study.

Typically students who want to earn the highest score do best under the mentorship of someone who, pardon the french, knows what the F*&#)k they're doing. So as you edge towards test date, a full evaluation and some sessions from a kick ass tutor might be the best investment you can make. We do this, as do some of my colleagues here.

good luck!

Bara Sapir, MA, CHt, CNLP
Founder/CEO City Test Prep
Maximize your Score, Minimize your Stress!
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SPEEDREADING: https://citytestprep.com/mindflow-workshops/
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jmsheehan5: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2016 12:22 am

by jmsheehan5 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:08 am

Thank you for the replies.

1) I took the CATs on the last 3 Saturdays (Study 6 days, CAT on saturday for 3 weeks)
2) I took the entire CAT (essay and IR)
3) I took them at home at my study station
4) I took them at various times of day
5) I took breaks of 3-4 minutes between sections
6) I did not take any CAT multiple times

Big Picture:
1) Goal score 700+
2) Planning to attend B school Sep. 2018 (Active Duty Combat Arms Marine Officer, so finding good blocks of 1-2 complete months of studying is a challenge)
3) Goal Schools: London Business School, Tuck, Michigan

Thanks for the help!

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[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:12 pm

Hi jmsheehan5,

Since you've only taken three CATs from a 3rd-party vendor, it would help to know how well you perform on an Official GMAC CAT, so I suggest that you take one of those next. In addition, by taking the CATs at home and taking them at different times of day (presumably at least two of those were taken at times that do NOT 'match up' with when you'll take the Official GMAT), you haven't been practicing in a realistic way, so these scores might be 'off' a bit. As it stands, the MGMAT CATs are generally regarded as being a bit tougher than the Official GMAT, so you might be in position right now to score 700+ on Test Day.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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