gmat scoring algorithm query

anmolsharma3491 - The actual GMAT scoring algorithm is the most guarded secret of GMAC. Therefore, please do not waste time to decipher the nuances of the scoring method. Trust me it's not worth it to do so. Instead, focus on building strategies and learning concepts to ultimately score higher on the GMAT. Lastly, no one can provide you with an accurate understanding of the algorithm; you may very well only receive a few expert options.

Hi anmolsharma3491,

Many Test Takers become too fixated on the 'implied level' of the questions that they're working on - instead of what really matters: defining WHY they're getting questions wrong and becoming more efficient at approaching the overall Exam. It's also worth noting that just because a 3rd party describes a question as "700 level" does not necessarily make it so.

In addition, 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 the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion).

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, 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? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall 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

I would like to add to this dialogue that nowhere did I say I knew the scoring algorithm. GMAC™ keeps such information under lock and key. However, we can look at available data and note certain trends, or else why bother looking at an ESR at all? I remember coming across a debrief within the past month (even if it had been written sometime before) in which a high-scoring member of the community posted both his first and second test results. In the first, he pointed out that he had missed 0 questions in the latter half of his Verbal test, but that his score had come out lower than what he would have expected, nonetheless. I distinctly remember his comment that he guessed that at point, the ceiling had already been established, as far as the eventual score was concerned. It sounded quite reasonable, given the data in the ESR. I have seen other students in practice who have used official mocks and earned a Quant score of 50, whether they have missed 3 questions or up to 8. Again, these are just isolated bits of information, but when pieced together across many different data points, the composite does indeed reveal certain trends.

I agree that it is unproductive to focus too heavily on deciphering the scoring algorithm when practicing questions and concepts ought to be front and center instead, but at the same time, that does not make the original question baseless, nor does it mean that anybody outside the GMAC™ inner circle has nothing to contribute in the way of a reasonable answer.

- Andrew

Hi anmolsharma3491,

I realize that you did not take a GMAC practice exam; however, as a general rule, rather than spending time worrying about the GMAC algorithm, you really should focus on the things you can control, and the number one thing you can control is getting better at the GMAT. If you get to a point at which you can dominate the GMAT, the specifics of the scoring algorithm won't matter because you will have the skills that you need to get an amazing score, right?

With that said, when is your GMAT? What is your GMAT score goal?