Study and Strategy questions relating to the GMAT.
priyesh.halai
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Do GMATPrep affect actual GMAT score?

by priyesh.halai Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:48 pm

I have taken both GMATPrep test and got low 500's. I yet have some time to go for the actual test. Will this practise tests affect my actual test. Looks like everyone does them just before the actual test and their Prep scores are inline with actual score.

Please assist
RonPurewal
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Re: Do GMATPrep affect actual GMAT score?

by RonPurewal Mon Mar 08, 2010 6:16 am

are you asking whether the gmatprep will affect your score, or whether the gmatprep will predict your score?

if it's the former, then the answer is an emphatic 'no'. gmatprep is, at the end of the day, just another practice test (albeit an official one). it's black-box software -- i.e., it's not connected to the internet in any way -- and gmac has no idea whether you even take the tests, much less how you do on them.

if it's the latter, then, yes, gmatprep tends to be a decent predictor of your score, provided that you take gmatprep under test-like conditions.
i.e., take the WHOLE thing (including the essays); don't give yourself any breaks that aren't in the official schedule, and don't give yourself breaks that are any longer than the official breaks ([url]http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/gmac-shortens-breaks-on-the-official-test-t7362.html]click here[/url] for information about the recent shortening of the breaks).

also, this goes without saying, but, REPEATED efforts at gmatprep (i.e., after resetting the test will not be accurate predictors of your score, since you will already have seen some of the questions.
the reason i mention this, even though it's probably readily apparent, is that we occasionally see posters who are claiming vast improvement (gains of over 200 points) when, in reality, they're just repeating gmatprep over and over and over again. this doesn't necessarily signify that they haven't improved, but it's pretty likely that the improvement is largely due at least in part to the familiar questions.
priyesh.halai
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Re: Do GMATPrep affect actual GMAT score?

by priyesh.halai Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:52 am

Thanks RonPureWal,

Much appreciated.
StaceyKoprince
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Re: Do GMATPrep affect actual GMAT score?

by StaceyKoprince Tue Mar 09, 2010 3:09 pm

you're welcome!
Stacey Koprince
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ManhattanPrep