MGMAT CAT or GMATPrep?

[yoosar]

Hi there! My test is in just over three weeks. I have only been using the CAT exams for practice, although I still have one CAT left. With the exam coming up, I was thinking about taking just one more practice test. Does it make sense to take the GMAT Prep exam instead of the CAT to get a feel for the Prep software since it's based on real questions? I heard that the GMAT Prep software does not provide detailed problem explanations - so I wonder if this will be as useful as just taking the last CAT? Any advice is appreciated!

[StaceyKoprince]

I generally tell my students to plan to take an MPrep CAT two weeks before the real thing - so that you can analyze the data to figure out what you want to review in the last 2 weeks - and then a GMATPrep CAT one week before the real thing. You're not really going to analyze / do much with the data from the last one, since you only have one week to go, so it doesn't matter that they don't give you data or explanations.

For others reading this, you can also try the other GMATPrep perhaps 1 month out from your test date if you're concerned that your practice tests might not fully match / reflect what will happen on the real test. (Our particular tests have been endorsed by the former Chief Psychometrician of GMAC, makers of the GMAT, as a "very accurate" predictor of real test scores, by the way.)

Good luck - let us know if you have any other question. And let us know how it goes!

[yoosar]

Thanks Stacey. I'm debating whether or not I should take the last CAT the week before the exam. What is the advantage of taking a CAT that close to the test date? By that point I would have taken 6 exams already - all scores within a consistent range. Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

If you're scoring in a consistent range (and you like that range!), then you don't necessarily need to take yet another CAT.

I consider the very last CAT, taken 1 week before your test date, to be your "dry run." You get up at the time you'll have to get up on test day. You follow the routine that you want to follow (including the time taken to get to the test center - even if that means going out and driving or walking around and then coming back home). Ideally, actually, you find an environment to take that test that will somewhat mimic the test center - eg, a library where people are mostly quiet, but you're going to hear some whispering and noise of people moving around.

Basically, you're expecting to get pretty much the same score you got on your last CAT a week or so earlier - that isn't the point. The point is just to get yourself into the "rhythm" of test day.

This is especially important for people who are anxious about the test in any way - the score, the testing environment, whatever.

So it's your call whether you think that would be a valuable experience for you. What do you think?