Different overall score for same Quant and Verbal score??

Question

Somebody please explain how the overall score varies even if the Quant score and Verbal score remains same?
Example: Q49 and V32 results sometimes in 660 and at other time in 680.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi anurag16589,

To start, there are a few aspects to the GMAT that are worth noting:

First, GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. This means that a 660, 670 and 680 are essentially the same performance - and Business School Admissions Officers know that. Thus, a small difference in score (say 10-20 points) will likely not make much (if any) difference in the strength of your overall application(s).

Second, the scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC (the 2 free CATs, and each of the 2 that come with Exam Pack 1 and Exam Pack 2), but even those CATs are not an exact match for what you'll experience on Test Day.

Third, over the years there have been some adjustments made to the GMAT - in terms of how it's scored and the content (some are relatively small, while some are relatively big - the inclusion of IR, for example), so you might be using software from various points in time that have slightly different score calculators. There's also the occasional bit of 'rounding' that goes into calculating a GMAT score.

Much of this isn't really important to YOUR studies though. I assume that you're interested in raising your GMAT score though, so I'd like to know a bit more about your studies so far and your goals:

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

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
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

anurag16589 · Answer

Hello,
I have studied for almost 6 months now. I used Manhattan Verbal material and OGs and scored 680+/20 in 6 MGMATS and 740 and 750 each in GMATprep 1 and 2 test respectively.

The goal score is 750+, and I want to apply for colleges starting October.

I was confident about my preparation, but due to anxiety couldn't sleep previous 2 nights and landed up at 660 in 2nd attempt.
 Anxiety and sleeplessness is my major problem before exams and now I have exhausted all my available resources.

Feeling kindoff helpless.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi anurag16589,

Based on what you've described, there are a couple of ideas to discuss:

1) A poor night's sleep right before Test Day would likely impact anyone when they took the Official GMAT (and 2 days in a row of poor sleep would almost certainly make things worse). You might benefit from more of a nighttime 'routine' - such as meditation, drinking green tea, taking a low-dose of melatonin, etc. Of course, you should discuss this issue with your doctor before you make any choices.

2) GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. I bring this up because your two Official GMAT Scores are fairly close to one another, which means that you essentially responded to each Exam in the same general ways. You did certain things consistently well, but you also made certain consistent mistakes. If those Scores are representative of your current ability level, then it will take some significant improvements to how you handle the Exam to hit your goal score.

3) A 750+ score is essentially the 99th percentile - meaning that 99% of Test Takers will never hit that score no matter how many times they take the GMAT. Thankfully, no Business Schools actually require a score that high, so your MBA goals won't disappear if you don't get to that level. Remember that your real goal is to get into your first-choice Business School - and that requires a competitive GMAT Score, a strong OVERALL profile and your ability to properly 'market yourself' to each individual School that you apply to.

All of that having been said, I have a few questions about how you've taken these CATs:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?

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

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