what is the theoretical score ceiling of the OG 11 and 12?

[tomslawsky]

OK, so my question in the title says it all. I am preparing to take the GMAT again and this time, I've changed my study philosophy. I have the Official guide 11 and 12 as well as the quant official guide supplement and have spent the last 3 months really picking apart the questions. My goal in the quant is to be able to set the problems up in my head before I even write them down and solve them, which forces me to really understand the technique of solving the problem. On the quant, I am to the poi nt where I can solve most of the first 100+ DS and 200+ PS in my head. I am doing the questions, even the ones I know over and over...every now and then finding a nuance I missed before so I can really be comfortable with the question type when the test rolls around. I know I need more practice with sets and some number properties. For the verbal, I seem to be doing fine and if I usually get 90%+ of the questions right but the bold face ones I'm not too comfortable with. I am simultaneously doing the GMAT powerprep (the older version) and am saving the GMAT prep (newer version) exams for when I feel comfortable that I have reached an ability dictated score ceiling.

My question is this: If I completely master the Official guide questions and use other resources just as reference only to solve the OG questions, can I score a 760 (99%) on the exam. My last crack at the GMAT was a 720...which was a while ago, but I want to be a GMAT tutor, so a 99%tile or at least 98%tile would suffice. What are your thoughts about the theoretical "ceiling" of the GMAT official guide? 720? 760? Could the guides lead one to an 800, or are there problem types the GMAT creators won't reveal so as to keep too many people from scoring an 800?

[StaceyKoprince]

If you completely master the concepts and types of questions tested in OG? Yes. It's just a question of whether the way in which you're studying really reflects true mastery. I can't tell whether you're doing that without watching you and discussing problems with you. :)

Note that I said: master the concepts and types of questions. I didn't say "master the OG questions" - because, of course, those questions won't be on the test. But questions that test similar concepts and/or are presented in similar ways will be on the test. So if you have mastered OG in a way that allows you to recognize those new-but-similar questions when they pop up, then sure.

Of course, at the 760-level, you also need a good amount of breadth even on less commonly tested stuff. So I'd say you'd want to master OG11, OG12, the verbal supplement, the quant supplement and probably GMAT Focus. (Note: this is for a 99th percentile score. Someone who isn't looking to score at that level does not need to do as much.)

I don't think they're worried about not revealing extra hard questions - if someone does have the ability to master this stuff, then they don't actually need to see every last type of sample question in order to hit an 800. I think they're more worried about making sure that the questions in OG will help lots of people - and there aren't many 800-scorers who are buying the OG books. :)

At the same time, if you want a 760, you don't need to get the 800-levels right. . You just need to get the 760-and-below levels right. So OG's fine.

[tomslawsky]

Thank you for replying...again. Is there a difference between 800 level and 760 level questions. I thought that at the extreme tail of the exam, the question difficulty doesn't change much, your score adjusts based on whether you miss more than 1 in a row? It is surprising, I must say that as you do a question over and over again, what once seemed VERY intimidating almost to the point where you throw your hands up before even trying to the point where they just seem to "click". After that, some even become "easier". I mean easier only in the sense that once the question becomes perfunctory, a "shortcut" all of a sudden becomes evident. This, to me is how to use short cuts, as a "backwards" way of solving, not as a "forward" way, which is why I never finished the Princeton GMAT book- it really frustrated me when it made the exam seem out-smartable and I soon found out that as the questions get harder, applying a lot of those "tricks" can actually lead you to feel confident into checking the wrong answer.


I am really putting in my time here....my only consearn is that eventually, I might reach an "IQ" limited score where I've maxed out my intellectual capacity, and just can't score any higher. I do believe this level exists for all but the 50 or so that max out the exam each year. I'll be super mad at myself if my upper limit is a 720 and I wasted all this time. Well, it wouldn't be actually "wasted", as I like keeping my mind sharp and practicing GRE/GMAT questions definitely keeps my mind tuned up :)

[StaceyKoprince]

Technically, there aren't any 800 or 760 level questions - because the 3-digit scores are for a combined quant and verbal performance. Those scores are calculated based upon the mix of questions you answer (and how you answer them) across the entire test.

We just talk about a question being a "700" level question because it's easier - but, technically, we should be saying "this is a 90th percentile question."

So the euphemism we're using when we say 800 or 760 is merely "99th percentile question" and there isn't a raw difference there in terms of the ranking.

And, yes if you are way up in the stratosphere (99th percentile), one of the biggest factors in your score at that point is pretty simple: get more than 1 question in a row wrong and your score will go down a lot.