Percentile calculation of MGMAT CATs

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Percentile calculation of MGMAT CATs

by arkitect » Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:47 am
Hi there

First of all, thanks to MGMAT for the excellent online CATs. You guys are doing a great job :)

Now, on to my question - are percentile scores on the MGMAT CATs derived from actual test takers ? If so, let's say a test taker takes the test without timing, are those scores used to calculate the percentile score ?

My Quant scores are settling around 80-percentile (after 3 timed tests). Can this be used to judge where I stand, at least among the MGMAT students ?

Best regards
Arkitect

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by michael.dinerstein » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:59 pm
Hi arkitect,

The percentile reading is only going to be truly accurate on the real GMAT and stands for your standing relative to the rest of the test-takers out there. Hence, if you are in the 80th percentile on a real, you scored better on that section than 80% of the students taking the GMAT. Our exams do the best job possible to predict your real GMAT percentile standing, but there can be inaccuracies. Generally, our exams have a standard deviation of 50 points, which you can read more about here. However, to list a standard deviation for percentile would be misleading since there can be larger raw score difference between 98% and 99% than there is between 50% and 51% despite the fact that both sets of numbers only represent an increase of 1%.

What I would say is that you are most likely around an 80% for the quant due to your consistency. However, to be positive, I recommend taking a GMATPrep exam. This test, released by the makers of the GMAT, is the most accurate predictor of your score on the real exam. Find out more here.

I hope this helps. Good luck studying!

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

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by arkitect » Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:13 am
Hi Michael

Thanks for the reply. So, from your post, I take it that the MGMAT CAT percentile score is MGMAT's estimate of how much percentile I would get on the real GMAT, rather than a percentile score based on previous MGMAT test takers. I hope I got it right.

I am keeping GMAT Prep for the last two weeks of my prep, hoping that I will be better prepared.

Once again, thanks!

Best regards,
Arkitect

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by michael.dinerstein » Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:51 am
Hi arkitect,

Yes, the percentile is an estimate of what you would score on a real GMAT. However, I would like to be clear and upfront about the fact that our practice tests might over- or underestimate your percentile score. In fact, the same can be said of any and all practice tests out there not released by GMAC.

The GMATPrep tests that are you leaving to the final two weeks, however, will provide you with a fairly accurate score because they are made by GMAC. What you should do is use the Assessment Reports with our tests to help guide your studies to areas of relative weakness and then use the GMATPrep tests to help better gauge your test-taking level.

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