HELP: How do I decipher extremely volatile GMATClub Quant Test scores?

Question

Hello, GMATClub community!

I'm looking for your help in deciphering my current abilities based on highly volatile GMATClub Quant practice test scores.

bb 
 Bunuel 
 BrentGMATPrepNow 
 chetan2u 
 ScottTargetTestPrep

I trust that since many of you have either designed the tests and/or taken them yourselves, that you will likely have insights to share. Below are some key questions that I have derived thus far (and of course am open to others), and additional context to support my inquiry.

Key Questions 
- Why would someone see 20+ point swings in either direction (e.g., from 48 to 20 or from 27 to 43) if taking practice tests within a matter of days of each other?
- How likely is it to see 20+ point swings based on mood, energy, focus, etc.?
- Is it possible to score Q43 or Q48 "on accident"? (Note: I received 1-2 correct guesses on those scores). i.e., I would imagine that receiving a Q43 or Q48 is due to having a relatively strong understanding of all Quant concepts as opposed to "accidental chance"; however, I may be wrong.
- Do the GMATClub Quant Practice Tests fluctuate in difficulty? Meaning, is test 1 the "easiest" compared to the others? My test settings are marked to include all difficulty levels
- More broadly, what am I missing/overlooking?

GMATClub Quant Practice Test Scores 
I realize that to receive the in-depth answer I am requesting, I will likely need to provide additional detail. For context, I have consistently read about GMATClub Practice Quant test takers articulating how these tests are "more difficult" than the real exam, and while I would like to believe that fact, I am trying to understand how to perceive my current abilities based on my existing GMATClub Quant scores. To date, within the timeframe of one month, I have taken 9 GMATClub Quant Practice tests, and I intend to take many more. My scores in chronological order are included below:
- 48
- 20
- 27
- 31
- 28
- 35
- 43
- 29
- 22

I realize that this is a nuanced ask, and I may not get a clear answer; however, I'm hoping that either one or many people can chime in to this topic to share their thoughts, point me in a given direction, or, at the very least, create communication that will aid other club members in their studies at some point, similar to how all of your posts have done for me.

Thank you for your help in this journey, and I hope to get some conversation going!

rakana · Answer

This is super peculiar. Have you taken any other mock tests? What are your Quant scores in that?
Seems more like you are strong in certain topics and weak in others. Did you do any topic wise accuracy analysis?

mira93 · Answer

Wow,

Your quant score is indeed volatile. I do not think gmatclub tests fluctuate in difficulty level. After all, gmat is standardized test, so one test cannot be harder that the other ones. However, luck also does play a role. For example, if you fail in one topic and got too many qs on that, maybe that can cause a drop in your score. However, I still see no legit explanation for 20 points difference. Perhaps, you knew some of the questions? Or paused the exam? All in all, gmat club tests are of high quality and it is unlikely the was a bug in your tests

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi TheModo,

There are a variety of different factors that can impact your performance on a sectional test - including the individual test, whether it adapts or not, the time of day you take the test, how well-rested you are when you take it, the testing environment (and potential distractions that you faced during the test), the number of silly/little mistakes you made, etc.

Unfortunately, taking an individual section of the GMAT (outside of the context of taking a FULL TEST under realistic testing conditions that match up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT) is not a great way to assess your skills. There's really only one proper way to do that - take a FULL-LENGTH adaptive CAT under similar conditions to what you will face when you take the Official GMAT (noting that there are differences between taking the At-home GMAT and taking the GMAT at a Testing Facility).

Since you're focused on these sectional results, it certainly appears that the 48 is a notable 'outlier' - implying that you got lucky on a number of different questions (not just 1 or 2 or them) and that you may have seen some of the questions before (so you already knew the answers).

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 and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

HELP: How do I decipher extremely volatile GMATClub Quant Test scores?

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