Query related to MGMAT CAT subscores

[BaskaranK46]

Hi all, Stacey,

I took the MGMAT CAT recently and got a score of 590 (Q42 and V31). This was my second CAT.

While I am aware that overall scoring is weighted more on Verbal part than the Quant part and that I need to improve both on Verbal and Quant portions substantially from the current level to get the target score of 740+, I don't quite understand how Quant and Verbal sub-scores work.

Please refer to the image (postimage.org link below):-



(Incase the above image is not legible or accessible , please refer to the below data's)
Percentage of right answers: Quant 46% ; Verbal 51%
Average difficulty right answers: Quant 680 ; Verbal 660
Average difficulty wrong answers: Quant 720 ; Verbal 710

Number of right answers in 600-700 difficulty range: Quant 9 (out of 14) ; Verbal 9(out of 15)
Number of right answers in 700-800 difficulty range: Quant 7(out of 21) ; Verbal 7(out of 21)
Number of right answers in 300-500 difficulty range: Quant 1(out of 1); Verbal (No questions)
Number of right answers in 500-600 difficulty range: Quant 0(out of 1); Verbal 5(out of 5)

Additional info:
In Quant: 2 sequences of 4 wrong answers each. Other wrong answers were spread out.
In Verbal: 1 sequence of 3 wrong answers. Other wrong answers were spread out.
I could find some correlation in percentile and overall score (Quant - 51% and Verbal - 61%) - This I could relate to the sub-scores and to their individual weightage towards overall score of 590. I have no issues with the 'estimated' percentile mentioned above.

I am a tad unhappy that my Verbal sub-score is lower than the Quant sub-score (please notice the similarities mentioned above in terms of questions right and difficulty level). Also, wrong answers were more spread out in Verbal section than in Quant section.
And no, I am not complaining that Quant sub-score is higher than it should be.

Please shed some light on how the scoring works (with reference to the sub-scores). Thanks in advance!

If you have posted the above requested information elsewhere in this forum, please provide the link (I did spend some time searching before posting and couldn't find any)

Regards,
Baskaran.

[BaskaranK46]

[ Initially, I posted the image here. Now I have deleted it and included in the above post itself]
[ Couldn't get rid of this empty box!! Sorry ]

[StaceyKoprince]

Nobody knows exactly how the sub-score to overall score conversion works, as the test-makers do not disclose this information. That's why you couldn't find any info on this. Whatever algorithm they use is complex enough that it cannot be backwards-engineered or understood by looking at percentage correct or percentiles of the subscores or any other data that we do get out of the test.

I am a tad unhappy that my Verbal sub-score is lower than the Quant sub-score

It is not actually the case that your verbal sub-score is lower than your quant sub-score. While the two sections do use the same scoring range of 6 to 51, the same numbers do not mean the same thing for each section. For instance, on quant, a score of 45 is relatively good, while on verbal, a score of 45 is outstanding; only 1% of all test-takers score 45 or higher on verbal.

In short: trying to analyze the way these crazy scores work is time you could be spending on studying and getting better. A better use of your time is analyzing your practice test(s) in the way described here and then using the results to develop a study plan:
http://tinyurl.com/analyzeyourcats

I also suggest reading these two articles:
http://tinyurl.com/executivereasoning
http://tinyurl.com/2ndlevelofgmat

Think about how what you've been doing does and doesn't match up with that and how you may need to change your approach accordingly.