Did not save last question in verbal :(((((

Question

I just took my GMAT and scored a 710 (Q49/V38). I did not save my last question in verbal which I fear may have led to a low verbal score. I selected a random option, and I saw some posts from 8-9 years ago that said that GMAT does not consider the last question as missed as long as a radio button is selected. Is this still the case?

I took 4 practice tests, and other than my diagnostic test where I had a V36, I consistently scored over 40. The verbal section seemed a bit tricky but don't think I did poorly enough to merit a 38. Any insight into what the current official GMAC guidance regarding not confirming your selection in the last question will be appreciated.

mvictor · Answer

as long as there was a selection, the answer is registered.

bb · Answer

Hi. Sorry. There has been a change 3-4 years ago that requires one to choose and confirm/submit the answer for it to count in Quant or Verbal. AWA is still based on the old system.

It used to be the case that the last question was auto-submitted as long as you have made a choice. You did not have to confirm your choice. That’s no longer the case.

PS. The last question may have dinged you a bit for not submitting it. It is hard to tell. It may not have since the difference between V38 and V39 is 4% and V and overall scores are calculated using a different algorithm and not based on each other.

Congrats on 710!

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mvictor · Answer

wow! Now that's a terrible change. I still believed that if you select the answer and not confirm it, while the time runs out, it records it as answered...

bb · Answer

Yes... I have no idea why they made that change. The GMAT Prep software was updated as well to account for that. I have not checked or tested this with the online version yet but I have no reason to believe otherwise.

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EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ak0695,

First off, a 710/Q49 is an outstanding score (it's right around the 90th percentile overall), so you can comfortably apply to any Business Schools that interest you. By extension, a retest is almost certainly not necessary - and you shouldn't worry about not answering the last question in the Verbal section. As it stands, what you describe would NOT be enough to decrease a V40+ to a V38, so that one question is NOT why scored a V38. Since you ran out of time on the last question, it's more likely that you were 'rushing' through the last several questions in the section - and if you got a string of those questions wrong, then that could explain the end score result (which is still a fantastic performance though).

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

I agree with  bb : your last question was likely not counted,  although in the past some test takers have reported that their ESRs said that all questions had been attempted .

If that question was not counted :
A penalty would have been applied to your score, and because you got a high score, we can be certain that it wasn't a trivial penalty. This is irrespective of whether the last question was an experimental question or not.

If that question was counted :
It'll come down to whether that question was experimental or not, and if it wasn't, how tough it was. If the algorithm expected you to get the question correct, then a wrong answer would certainly have dropped your score. If the algorithm expected you to get the question wrong, then the impact would have been smaller or negligible.

abhimahna · Answer

This made me realize I never saved my last answer in verbal and let the system take by itself. If your point is valid, it means I screwed my last question of verbal.

ak0695 · Answer

Thanks for your responses everyone! I ordered my ESR and it looks like the test DID consider the answer to my last question. Reassuring to know that I did not lose even one point because of something as stupid as not noticing the timer running out. I completely agree with Rich that I was rushing through the last section. Evident in my ESR too where I messed up my first quarter of questions (62% correct - probably lowered my score anyways), then had 86% and 100% correct in the second and third quarters respectively, and the percent dropped steeply to 38% in the last section.
Verbal was the first section I attempted and I feel like the exam stress got to me

)

bb · Answer

Interesting development....

The penalty is known and while the calculation is a bit tricky it is rounded up/down to about 3 percentile points. So if your score was 86 percentile, I would have been decreases to 83rd percentile.... that is if the last question was not counted... which in an odd but fortunate turn of events appears to be counted.

I guess this now leaves us with a task of checking the latest approach taken by the GMAT Prep.

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ak0695 · Answer

In my last question, I clicked on next after selecting an option, just didn’t get enough time to click confirm. It is possible that the rules have changed about auto saving, but clicking on next without clicking confirm seems to suffice.

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psred · Answer

I attempted a GMAT official prep test today. I got 1 wrong in Quant (Q29) and failed to submit Q31 (while I had selected the choice). My score in Quant remained 51 despite this. However, I am unable to review the question now.

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Did not save last question in verbal :(((((

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