Level of difficulty : OG 11th vs real GMAT. Any idea ?

Question

Hello to all GMATClub members and visitors. First of all, I would like to thank the founders of this website and also the contributors who make GMATClub a unique place for study. I realised how difficult is this exam when I took my 1st GMATprep. I scored 390 without any preparation (did not know any "rules"). I felt really bad as you can imagine. My target is around 680 (I want to apply to a MBA in Japan, isn t it unique???? :lol:

) 700 or higher would be fantastic but I am quite realistic. It will be tough to get it since I have only one month to study and I do work 5 days a week. I will take GMAT exam in exactly one month. I focused on maths mainly (MGMAT books + Kaplan GMAT 800) and I will start verbal study from next week with MGMAT SC, Kaplan 800 AND OG 11th of course :lol:

I am wondering about one point : Are GMAT (real test) questions harder than OG 11th (or GMATprep) ones ? Thanks in advance, Seb

burningskulls · Answer

THe OG 11 questions increase in difficulty so in each section the first 1/3 or so will be pretty easy, the 2nd 1/3rd will be medium and the last part will be harder questions.

They are representative of questions on the real test. What helped me most coming from the Kaplan and PR books was the wording of the questions. They are much different from how the other books word them and I assume it is closer to the real thing. I have yet to take the GMAT though so I am sure someone with more experience could chime in.

kidderek · Answer

I've yet to sit for the exam. But I feel the OG is representative of the real GMAT. If you aim for 680-700, concentrate on the last third of each section. Pick up the supplements as well. I found them slightly easier than the regular OG, but good practice nonetheless. It's amazing how all of these prep courses fail in replicating the actual GMAT.

tennis1ball · Answer

the difference is really between paper and CAT.

it feels different when you sit in front of the screen and read vertically.

homefry · Answer

Here's my take on the OG 11th Edition compared to the real GMAT.

Verbal:

RC: The OG is harder than the real GMAT. The passages are shorter and easier to read on the real GMAT.

SC: The OG is about equal to the real GMAT. Thing is, the OG tests you on the same concepts (you need to nail these concepts), but the real GMAT throws in some more concepts you haven't seen before.

CR: The OG is easier than the real GMAT. Most of the CRs in the OG are freebies. More than half of the answers in the OG will give you an AHA experience right when you read them. For the real GMAT, some of the answers are really close. You really have use the process of elimination.

Math:

OG is about equal to the real GMAT. I would say that the real thing is a little bit harder than the OG.


Good luck!!!

GoalTexasTech · Answer

OG is still one of the better study tools out there.

positive soul · Answer

I found the Math part to be more difficult in the real GMAT. Especially if you reach the 650+ level. Remember that the exam is adaptive so if you are at a high level you will get more difficult questions. 

The verbal section was about the same except for sentece correction which I found it a little more difficult.

SebZen · Answer

Thanks for your interesting comments.

It seems that OG 11th is good enough for quant part.

Would you recommend a specific book for RC ?

Kaplan Premier Program ? MGMAT ?

Positive soul : what is your GMAT score ?

Thanks in advance

Seb

SebZen · Answer

Positive Soul : CONGRATULATIONS !! :lol:

Do you have any advice for a very beginner ??? Thanks Seb

jaynayak · Answer

There is a difference between OG11 and GMATPrep.

But at the same time Level of quant in GMATPrep is very similar to Real GMAT.

OG 11 has lots of expired questions which are good for proactice but only after the 100th question will you find some tough problems (level of real GMAT) if you want to score 45+

Regarding GMATPrep, the number of expired questions are less and restricted to the easy level. There are lots of experimental questions and questions with same formats do appear in real GMAT. In my own case, I atleast saw 3 questions in real GMAT that were nearly identical to GMATPrep.

positive soul · Answer

Thanks SebZen!

My advise is to work on all the OG and GMATPrep problems. No matter the difficulty level. Make sure you understand the wording, and learn the common traps. In my opinion, to improve the math score, you should try to find extra materials. I would suggest the GMAT Club Challenges. They not only helped me to improve my math skills but also my timing.

SebZen · Answer

Thanks to all of you for your help. Most of the time, when I make an error in math, I look so stupid right after I checked the answer :oops:

It was so obvious and easy ! The second barrier, as most of GMAT takers who are not english native speaker, I have a strong problem with verbal. It is very hard for me to understand CR and RC. I feel like I need a decoder !!!! Moreover, pressure is coming since I have to take GMAT in 3 weeks and I do not feel ready at all :cry:

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Level of difficulty : OG 11th vs real GMAT. Any idea ?

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