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Bombed Ultimate Practice Test. What Happened?

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Bombed Ultimate Practice Test. What Happened?

by GTwinkie » Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:22 pm
Sorry guys - realized I posted this in the GMAT Strategy section accidentally.

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Hi guys -

So I wrapped up my Kaplan classes a few weeks ago and just took my Ultimate Practice Test today. Simply put, I bombed it. Got the first question in both Quant and Verbal wrong (though I thought I got them right) and you know where that goes. My performance looked to be on par with my very first paper diagnostic, which, as you can imagine, is a huge step backwards for me.

The questions, oddly, seemed far more difficult than those of ANY Practice CAT I took. Because I felt I was getting such difficult questions, I thought I might be doing rather well, but that was not the case. I felt super confident going into the UPT (having done reasonably well in my latest CATs), so I'm not sure what happened.

Is there any particular explanation as to why the questions I got in the UPT seemed so difficult? Am I imagining things? Are the UPT questions more challenging than those of the CATs or (hopefully) the real GMAT?

I take the real deal GMAT next week and I'm hoping I can course correct.

I'd also like to note that I was surprised that the UPT was just like any other Kaplan Practice CAT I've taken at home. I thought it was supposed to be the actual GMAT, but the scores just didn't get sent anywhere. Same basic application, same look and feel, etc. How much different is the User Interface of the actual GMAT?

Anyone else have a similar UPT experience? Can anyone from Kaplan offer some insight?

Thanks guys - I appreciate the help. Good luck to everyone.
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by Jen Kedro » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:00 pm
Hi GTwinkie,

First of all, congrats on completing your prep, and your Ultimate Practice Test.

I'm sure it was disheartening that you didn't perform as you would have liked on the test, but keep in mind that sometimes test-takers do see fluctuations in scores along the way, and even an occasional fluke score where they do a lot worse on a particular exam for some reason. Reasons can include particular topics or sub-sets of question types that show up a bit more on a particular CAT; over-thinking things or time management issues; or your general pyschological state.

Make sure that you go back over the UPT at home through your Smart Reports, and assess what it was that brought you down. Also spend time reviewing all of the answers and explanations to learn from them, and hopefully see where you made simple mistakes, and where you really still need to work.

We do assess our CATs and scoring on a continual basis, and are confident in the validity of our CATs, including the UPT, so no, unfortunately there is no difference in scoring or design of the UPT versus other exams. And yes the UPT is a practice test, as are all of our CATs, but taking a practice test at the real testing center is something that most of our students say they find invaluable, really getting them ready for what the real test day will be like.

Finally, keep in mind that you can get questions incorrect at the outset and still recover, so your first answer (or first few) does not necessarily set you up for the rest of the test...all questions are weighted into GMAC's algorithm.

I'm not sure based on your post when you will be taking the real test, but good luck, and if you have some time still, be sure to focus on any areas that you found challenging on the UPT and other CATs. Let us know if you have any other questions!
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by GTwinkie » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:10 pm
Thanks for your insight Jen.
Finally, keep in mind that you can get questions incorrect at the outset and still recover, so your first answer (or first few) does not necessarily set you up for the rest of the test...all questions are weighted into GMAC's algorithm.
That's encouraging to hear. In all of my CATs I've been so concerned with getting the first few questions right because of what we've been told about the weight of those questions. On my UPT, I spent 3-4 mins on some of the first few questions, eating up a lot of valuable time which caused me to rush towards the end.

There is no doubt that I need to work on my pacing and learn how to cut my losses and move on if I hit a stumbling block. I'm spending an inordinate amount of time on some questions. I wish we could get one of those pacing tattoos marathon runners put on their arms. Now, there's a business concept for someone out there.

I take my test this Thursday, so I'll be sure to work on the problem areas. Damn probabilities. ;)

Thanks again Jen.
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by Jen Kedro » Tue Dec 09, 2008 3:03 pm
You're welcome, and good luck on Thurs!

Yes that is often a big hurdle to surpass, the being able to let it go, when stuck on a particular question. GMAC re-iterated at their last conference that it is a myth that you HAVE to get the first few questions correct. I mean, you don't want to start off in a huge rut you have to dig yourself out of, but you should just do your best on every question, and if/when you get stuck, learn to let it go, make a strategic guess, and move on. No one question is going to make or break your score-- remind yourself that if you get stuck. But running out of time and getting stressed and pressured towards the end could put you in a downward trend that will not be good in the end. The biggest thing is knowing when you are stuck and reminding yourself you should save the time for a question you CAN do.

Remember, EVERYONE will get stuck on the GMAT, everyone will find it challenging--that is what is different about a computer adaptive test, as opposed to a paper or linear test...even if you do great, it keeps getting harder. So go in mentally prepared for that, and figure you are going to have to guess on some questions, so have some guessing strategies ready, and when the time comes, don't let it stress you out.

All the best to you!
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by ronysof » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:16 pm
Hi guys,

I just had the same experience. I went to take the UPT today and though that I was doing really well on all the other CATs, this one did seem much more difficult to me. The questions were much harder than any of the other 6 CATs that I have taken. The UPT score was very discouraging since it showed me a score as low as my score on the very first Kaplan disgnostic test I took months ago.

Can you please share your GMAT experience with me? Did you score better on the real GMAT than on the Kaplan's UPT? I am taking the GMAT in 2 weeks and I am not sure what to expect.
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by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:35 pm
ronysof wrote:Hi guys,

I just had the same experience. I went to take the UPT today and though that I was doing really well on all the other CATs, this one did seem much more difficult to me. The questions were much harder than any of the other 6 CATs that I have taken. The UPT score was very discouraging since it showed me a score as low as my score on the very first Kaplan disgnostic test I took months ago.

Can you please share your GMAT experience with me? Did you score better on the real GMAT than on the Kaplan's UPT? I am taking the GMAT in 2 weeks and I am not sure what to expect.
Hi Ronysof,

this probably isn't the best forum to ask others about their experiences, since it's mostly read by Kaplan experts, rather than Kaplan students. You may want to repost in the Lounge, "I just beat the GMAT" or Strategy forums.

I've occasionally heard that people struggle more with the UPT than other practice tests, but it's fairly rare; we do our best (i.e. we put a lot of resources into them) to normalize all of our CATs and no one is intended to be tougher than the others.

Did you do anything different on the UPT than your other CATs? For example, did you do the AWA on the UPT but you usually skip it on CATs? Did you write it at a different time of day than usual? There are many external factors which can have a huge impact on your performance - one of the reasons the UPT is so helpful is it allows you to identify those issues and overcome them before Test Day.
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by ronysof » Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:07 pm
Thanks Stuart!
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