Best CATs

Question

Hi, having 20 days for practicing only with CATs (and reviewing), which are the best FREE practice tests that I should go for? 
And which are the best tests that I should purchase absolutely?

I think in these 20 days I will do 10 CATs, one a day and reviewing each one the day after 
I will certainly do the 2 free GMAC prep tests, the 2 free GMATClub tests and the only 1 free MGMAT test, so which are the best test for which I should invest my time and my money?

Thanks

akela · Answer

Hi  paolo1 ,

Check out these threads:
 Overview of All Available GMAT Practice Tests 
 Free GMAT Course Trials - Test-Drive a GMAT Course

Are you planning to take the CATs to get prepared for the test? Did you use any study materials?

paolo1 · Answer

I am making a 60days study plan where I will study 15 days Quant from MGMAT Book (+OG practice), 25 days Verbal from MGMAT SC, Powerscore CR and Aristotle RC (+OG practice, I am not an native english speaker) and the final 20 days for CATs(+ some hard materials)

My GMAT test will be 25th February

I really don't know which tests are better

My GMAT test will be 25th February

I really don't know which tests are better

cfc198 · Answer

Hi, The free options which you have should be enough for a thorough analysis of your prep. So please, do not worry too much about the quantity of CATs at this stage. Instead,do ensure that you make full use of the brilliant question bank available on this forum and strengthen your weak areas everyday. Best wishes

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi paolo1,

To start, taking so many CATs in such a short period of time is NOT a good idea.

A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day.

Before I can offer you any additional advice, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When is your Official Test Date?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi  paolo1

I have taken Many CATs (Quant only) and based on my experience i have made a rank list of CATs considering the following points and weights.

1. Algorithm =100 
1. How Questions were presented by difficulty level.
2. How CAT reacts on a Wrong and Right question.
3. How Difficulty changes with the performance.

2. Quality of Questions =50 
1. Concepts Tested
2. Questions Building
3. Too Hard - Out of Scope

3. Answer Explanations =35 
1. Convincing or not

4. Questions Setting =25 
1. DS/PS Splits
2. Formulas Visibility

5. User Interface =25 
1. Background
2. Buttons

6. Analytics =25 
1. Complete Analysis of result.

7. Error/bugs =20 
1. Loading Questions
2. Any other Issue

8. Price =15 
1. Price per CAT

9. Question Stats =05 
1. How you performed vs other performed

Here is my rank of Best CATs

1. GMAT Prep.
2. Manhattan Prep.
3. Kaplan GMAT
4. Veritas Prep.
5. GMAT Club CATs  (2nd rank after GMAT Prep. if you are concerned with Quant CATs only)

Hope it Helps

paolo1 · Answer

I've started yesterday to study and my study plan lasts 60 days, in which I will dedicate about 20 days to do CATs, only after I've learned the concepts with MGMAT Books,PowerScore CR and OG's. I've not done any CAT yet and I have a lot of time to dedicate to study, so I think I can do at least 2-3 CATs a week. 
My goal score is 700+.
I will book the test in the last days of February.
I am planning to apply to one of the Master of Science of the Bocconi's University in Italy.

paolo1 · Answer

Thank you, I will go for these CATs then. 
Do you think I should buy the MGMAT CATs? Or should I do the only one free MGMAT CAT?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

If you can afford, you should buy both Manhattan and GMAT Prep. Take Manhattan CATs while you are preparing for the GMAT use them for practice and stemina purpose. While take GMAT Prep CATs to gauge your abilities and to know your current Score range.

Good Luck

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi paolo1,

Taking 2-3 CATs a week is NOT a good idea; you would be better served by 'spreading out' your CATs (about 1 FULL CAT taken in a realistic fashion per WEEK). Taking a lot of CATs in a short period of time leaves little room for actual adjustments/improvement, increases your chances of 'burning out' before Test Day and in many cases is a big 'waste' of practice CATs.

From your prior posts, it's unclear whether you have taken any CATs yet or not. If you have, then how have you scored (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? If you have not, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test sometime soon; there are 2 available for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can discuss the results.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

paolo1 · Answer

I've not taken any CATs yet and I think it will be a waste of the free CAT(and time) because I already know that I'm weak on Verbal since I'm not a native English speaker. I prefer to study concepts before taking any CATs.
Thanks to your advices, then I will take only 3 or 4 CATs in 20 days (1 per week or every 5 days), is it good?

AjiteshArun · Answer

Is this your first GMAT? You might want to save a few tests for a retake, just in case one becomes necessary. Otherwise, finding good material can be tough if you've been very thorough in your prep

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi paolo1,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores - and the 700+ Score is one that approximately 90% of Test Takers cannot earn on the Official GMAT. At this point, you have a 2 month plan and we have NO IDEA what your current Quant and Verbal abilities are. If you refuse to take a practice CAT sometime soon and you stick with this shorter study timeframe, then I think that you will find it very difficult to hit your Score Goal. The GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level - however, your current plan does not sound as though it will be effective.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi paolo1,

I’m glad to see that you have reduced the number of practice exams that you plan to take to 1 per week; however, you are not really giving yourself a ton of time to prep, and you also do not know how far off you are from your score goal. Thus, rather than diving straight into your 60-day study plan, why not first take an official GMAC practice exam to determine how far you are from your score goal?

If you do decide to take an initial diagnostic, please report back here with your score breakdown, and I’ll be happy to provide some further advice regarding your study plan.

Also, you may find it helpful to read the following articles about  how to score a 700+ on the GMAT  and  how long to study for the GMAT .

Good luck!

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