MGMAT CAT Test Score .. Low or Average!!

My PERSONAL experience of MGMAT CATs:

Difficulty:
Quant - little higher than GMAT
Verbal - little lower than GMAT

Scoring:
Quant: i think it is fine. (but GMAT algorithm is a mystry)
Verbal: 2-3 points generally higher than GMAT

As the quant questions are tough we should learn from making good decisions to move on. It depends how to you take CATs. how do you handle the pressure.
I used to get Q44 in MGMAT and only got Q45 in real GMAT. but i have seen many others who always got Q44 in MGMAT and mostly got more than Q47 in gmat preps.

official algorithm is far different from any other scoring algorithm. I figured out looking at my ESR that i did not do well in initial questions in real GMAT.

Verbal questions are really good from MGMAT. Apart from official, i like MGMAT questions.

If you really have to evaluate then take official CATs.

Free GMAT Prep (CAT-1 & 2)
EXam Pack-1 (CAT-3 & 4)
EXam Pack-2 (CAT-5 & 6)

Suggestions:
I would suggest, Review and practice questions then take MGMAT CATs and then take GMAT Prep to really see where do you stand.

I would not suggest to waste official CATs if you are not prepared or have lack of experience of sitting for 4 hours.

Take these CATs multiple times. you would see difficult questions.

To really get the hang of what GMAT tests and what are the patterns and Traps then learn from the official questions.

Sources are:
OGs
GMAT Prep
Questions pack
Exam pack 1 & 2
GMAT Paper tests

For Quant - gmat club CATs are all you need! They are must do.

Both the CAT results are somewhat similiar and you seem to be having the same problem. Try taking a break from CAT and after a month of prep, attend an official GMATprep CAT. That should give a decent analysis of your strengths & weaknesses.
I've also felt that timing becomes an issue when the basics is lacking. So, that would also need to be strengthened.
All the best for your prep!

Th9anks for pouring in inputs.
As mostly you guys recommended GMAT prep..i m going to take that soon..
Time management and brush up basics of verbal should be the key .
Will update soon!!!
Thanks


Sent from my SM-G935F using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Since you have about a month and a half left. I would try to dedicate anywhere between 70 - 100 hours into prep.

Identify your knowledge gaps, look at the types of problems you are getting wrong in Quant and Verbal. It definitely seems like that timing is an issue for you, rather than understanding the material. Go over the types of problems you are getting in Quant. For example, for me, Rate, Time, Work problems are something that would take me about 5 minutes to solve. I can do most of those problems now in 2-3 Minutes. I have just learned new ways of approaching them. This will give you a good guide to which direction to take in your studies.

From a distance, it seems that you are not in the GMAT mindset of trying to solve each question in under two minutes. I could be wrong but what I think will help you is to check out the Free 7 Day Trial with The Economist GMAT. You don't have to buy it but they have some very valuable lessons and great time-saving strategies. I also think you get 1 Free CAT, and 1 Free personal tutor session via Skype, where someone with more knowledge than me can better guide you.

Next look at some of the timing charts on the forum. It will give you a good indication of what question you need to be at various intervals of the quant and verbal section.

I also would recommend you to have short term goals. Don't worry about getting to 720, Speaking from experience (If I could start from scratch) I would set shorter term goals. Your next milestone should be to score between 630-650. It will keep you motivated over the next 6-7 Weeks as you slowly creep up into your target range.

This will allow you to work on your strategies, and improve your test taking skills. Remember, you don't have to do every question. Sometimes it may pay to sacrifice 4-5 problems in your exam at various points to stay on track with the timing charts and add precious minutes to other questions. You might start off shaky but once you learn to get to 650 your journey to 700+ will be easier.

Hi MountainGMAT,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed in a similar way each time (+/- a few points). If we assume that your current ability level is in the mid-500s, then it will likely take at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to hit your score goal, so you might need to consider pushing back your Test Date.

1) What practice materials have you used so far?
2) What weekly study routine do you follow?
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (with the Essay and IR sections)?

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

Thanks to all for providing lot of constructive feedback.
I really see different perspective, hope that will help me to improve score step by step.
Some points i catch from here are
1. GMAT Prep test for actual evaluation
2. Better to take full GMAT test
3. Time management

Will publish results soon.

Regards,
MountainGMAT

Sent from my SM-G935F using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi Guys,

I could not get time to take gmat prep, but I started taking gmat club test.
Would really appreciate your comments on my current gmat club test Quant score.
I am really depressed and it seems long way to go. I consider myself a quant person, but score says otherwise!!!

GMAT Club Quant Test1: Q42
GMAT Club Quant Test1: Q39
GMAT Club Quant Test1: Q44

in MGMAT Q I scored Q43 & Q42 , almost same as above.
None of the test I crossed 20- correct

Any advice!!

Hi MountainGMAT,

Without having a result from a FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections), there's really no way to give you the type of detailed assessment that you're looking for (although we can certainly talk in generalities). Taking an individual Quant or Verbal section 'out of context' doesn't provide you with a realistic experience that 'matches up' with what you'll face on Test Day. Considering your overall score goal - and your current score level - you're going to have to make big adjustments to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. The exact nature of what those changes will have to be is dependent on complete and accurate data. At this point though, you should be able to review these recent sections and answer a few standard questions:

After reviewing each section, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

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

Keep at it, and take a GMATPrep sometime. Were you able to manage your time better this time around?

Hi Ajitesh,

Yeah, able to manage time well this time by skipping some questions.
I found challenge 3 tougher than 1st and 2nd.
I did silly mistakes in those, but in challenge not a single silly mistakes.

The only thing is that I skipped few question (4-5) in 30-40 seconds.

----------------------------
MountainGMAT

It's absolutely okay to skip questions on the GMAT, and it's good to see that your timing is better. However, practicing this in a few full length tests is important (it's harder to keep concentration levels up over 3.5-4 hours). Also, from what I've read on these forums, the difficulty level of the GMAT Club quant tests might be quite high. More reason for you to benchmark against the GMAT Preps, even if you use other tests for practice.

You could skip some questions while practicing, but you shoudn't skip any question during the actual test because you will get hard punishment and a decreased score as a result. I think going from 500+ to 700+ requires much serious attempt, but this is not impossible. Good luck for you.

Hi MountainGMAT,

I was in a similar situation during my initial preparations. Do remember that Manhattan GMAT practice tests are a notch tougher than the actual GMAT. Manhattan prep test's Quant section is one of the toughest so please do not get disheartened by your score in them. In your Practice Tests you have a good Quant but a weak verbal score. If you are looking to improve your performance in verbal specially in SC and RC, I would encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses and cover the syllabus very well. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market.

Further if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them.

Hope this helps. All the best.

Thanks Rohan & Ajitesh for your tips.

Hi Nguyen,
Sorry for incorrect phrase.
I did not skip the questions, I just guessed them and moved ahead on average 30-40 seconds.
Btw, Thanks for your advice.

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MountainGMAT