Question: GMAT Test Score vs GMAT Prep - Big Difference

[frank.keng.hsu]

Was wondering if you could help shed some light on this matter. I took the GMAT a few days ago and scored a 670 (47Q 35V). As a preface, I was probably a little too amped before the test. I didn't want to experience fatigue so I had more energy drinks than I was used to. I knew I messed up on the quant on certain geometry and combination questions. Geometry is my weaker area and I feel like I screwed up. This probably messed me up early as I got quite a few of those. Pretty sure I got a a simple algebra inequality so I knew I was doing poorly around question 15. Although thereafter I did get a few tricky questions.

The real surprising thing is my verbal. I honestly did not feel the verbal was too difficult. I thought I got what was tested...or so I thought. I got 5-6 sentence corrections in the beginning so I am assuming that is what did me in. Problem is I was ok on those. I dont know how to identify my verbal problem.

On my practice tests I got 740/720/770/720 on the GMAT Preps and I took each test twice. I received about ~720's on the Kaplan and ~720 on the MGMAT. Granted, because I have done such extensive reviewing I was familiar with some of the questions during the practice test...I am fearing it inflated my score way too much. I recognized about 3-4 quant and maybe 3-4 verbal when I first took GMAT Prep.

What do you suggest / recommend I do? I want to retake in early June. I honestly expected myself to have broken 700. I am fearing I missed too many in a row in quant and likewise in verbal.

I am confused because I don't know what the best way to study is anymore, especially in verbal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciate as soon as possible.

Thanks.

[StaceyKoprince]

If you recognized GMATPrep questions in the very first GMATPrep you took, then yes, you studied a bit too much. :) Were you going onto forums and looking up tons of problems? As you know now, that's a bad idea - you're essentially "spoiling" yourself for your tests.

Plus, be careful that you aren't just running through and essentially memorizing tons of problems. You'll never see the real test questions in advance. You have to pick apart the released problems to learn how to think your way through the new ones you'll see on test day.

Your 670 is lower than your practice but likely about what you were really earning once you take into account the repeated questions as well as standard deviations on these tests. (In particular, I'm ignoring your 770 on GMATPrep, because that was a repeated test and you only scored at that level once.)

The real test has a standard deviation (SD) of about 30 points. Our practice test has an SD of about 50 points. They haven't published the SD for GMATPrep, but I would guess worse than 30 but better than 50.

In other words, 670 is at about the edge of the normal SD range anyway - and definitely in that range once you take repeated questions into account.

In particular, your score will have been even more inflated if you answered those repeated questions more quickly than if they had been new. You would have given yourself an artificial time advantage for the rest of the section.

Here are reasons why scores can drop (though your situation may not quality as much of a drop):
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... t-wrong-2/

Were any of those things issues for you?

For next time, now you know now to get yourself too caffeinated up.

Also, try to resist the urge to predict how you're doing on the test - you'll just make yourself more nervous and be convinced you're not doing well. You don't know whether that "simple algebra inequality" was as simple as you though - maybe it was just easy for you. Also, it could have been an experimental question.

How do your subscores (Q47, V35) compare to your practice scores? Did both drop a little? Or did most of the drop come from one area? When we're nervous or mentally fatigued, that tends to affect our weaker area more. Alternatively, if you were too hopped up on caffeine early on, you may have crashed later in the test (verbal).

I got 5-6 sentence corrections in the beginning so I am assuming that is what did me in.

Why are you assuming it was those? (The earlier questions aren't worth any more than the later ones - so if that's why you're thinking that, then that's not the reason.)

Tell me about all of the above. Once we have a better idea of what's going on, we can figure out what to do. (eg, if your score was artificially inflated, you're going to have to work to lift your level, which will take longer. If the problem had more to do with mental fatigue or timing, you'll have to fix those issues, but that doesn't usually take as long. etc.)