Is the scoring system on GmatPrep similar to real GMAT?

[updesh_d]

To whom it may concern,

I have taken GMATPrep 1 and GMATPrep 2 and received, 690 and 720 (Q47,V42) respectively. For GMATPrep 1, i only made 6 mistakes in Quant (but missed last 6 questions), however, for GMATPrep 2, i made 14 errors, with 6 errors spread in the middle and 2 sets 4 consecutive errors in the last 10 questions ( i had to guess).

Why did i receive a better mark in GMATPrep 2?

For verbal i received the same scored for each attempts.

[messi10]

Hi updesh,

My understanding is that the algorithm used by GMAT is the same as GMATPrep.

But I am a bit confused. When you say that you missed 6 questions on GMATPrep 1, do you mean you ran out of time and actually did not answer the last 6 questions? If that is the case, then I am very surprised that you still managed a 690. I say this because GMAT penalizes you heavily for not completing the test. You mentioned that you scored the same on the verbal so I am assuming it was 42 on GMATPrep 1 but what was your Quant score on Prep 1?

Also, GMAT score does not depend on the number of questions you get right or wrong, its based on the difficulty level of the questions.

Regards

Sunil

[updesh_d]

Hey thanks for the reply.

Well, you are right, i ran out of time and did not manage to answer the last 6 questions in GMATPrep 1 (I forgot what the quant score was and i think i got V41-42 on GMAT Prep 1)

I still had issues wtih timing in GMATPrep 2, but this time, i guessed the last 7 questions and i got all of them wrong but managed a higher score overall.

Maybe the reason is that i did mainly harder questions in GMATPrep 2 but i still find it funny that the main difference is between guessing the last 6/7 questions and not doing it.

[messi10]

Hi,

That is interesting.

But here is my suggestion - don't mess up your timing on the real GMAT exam. Its not worth taking that chance. Here is the link for a very good two part post by Stacey on timing, I suggest you read it:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/06/ ... ent-part-1

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/06/ ... ent-part-2

Regards

Sunil

[terence.battle1]

How accurate are they? Well Saturday the 18th of June I took GMATPrep 2 with a score of 49Q/38V. On the 24th of June I took the real GMAT and scored a 49Q/38V. Coincidence? Perhaps, but pretty damn close if you ask me :)

[StaceyKoprince]

Another thread that's getting lots of commentary - excellent!

According to GMAC (the people who make the real test and GMATPrep), the algorithm is the same. So the scoring system is the same, yes, although I believe (I'm not sure) that there are not as many questions in the GMATPrep database, which could have the effect of making the scores a little bit less precise.

But do you know that the real test has a standard deviation of about 30 points? In other words, even the real test is not as precise as lots of people assume it is. (And that's not a knock against the GMAT - all tests of this nature have a standard deviation. There are too many variables affecting things for there not to be some varability in how people perform from day to day.)

Next, updesh_d, you describe your performance on the two tests based upon the number that you got right / wrong and then ask:

Why did i receive a better mark in GMATPrep 2?

Because you earned it. The test is not scored based upon # right or # wrong. If you'd like to learn more about how the test is scored, you can read the Scoring section of our free e-book The GMAT Uncovered Guide (if you have an account with us, it's already in your account!). Or you can just take my word for it: someone can get more right and get a lower score; someone can get more wrong and get a higher score. The test is not scored in the way that you're used to tests being scored. :)

One thing to note for future: leaving a question blank results in a higher penalty than answering a question but answering it incorrectly.

Sunil, thanks for linking to that article! You beat me to it - I would've posted it too. And, hey, we have it up on our own site now, here:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/