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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
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Hi, I'm new here. Thanks for the useful information.

Just have a one questions. Why are some of the questions unscored?
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
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j8liu wrote:
Hi, I'm new here. Thanks for the useful information.

Just have a one questions. Why are some of the questions unscored?


Good question - there many reasons GMAC has experimental questions; here are a few thoughts:

1. Estimate difficulty level of questions to be included in future tests. Questions on the GMAT tests change every calendar month or every 30 days - that's why you can take the test only once every 31 days. Since GMAT is an adaptive test, that's quite a few new questions that GMAC needs to develop and one of the hardest things about developing new questions is understanding how hard/easy they are. To help solve this issue, about 20-30% of the questions you will see on the test are experimental questions (to be used on future tests) that GMAC is trying out and measuring difficulty level. This is one reason some test takers get scared when suddenly they get an easy question after a hard one, which could mean that they missed previous question, but in reality they just got served an experimental question that does not have a difficulty level assigned to it yet.

2. Measure question fit and quality - regardless of difficulty, a question may still be of poor quality - meaning it does not measure one's performance well enough, has multiple interpretations, or confusing answers. Having experimental questions on the test helps GMAC weed these out and ensure that the questions that count are close to perfect, which increases the accuracy and consistency of the test across 5 years.

3. Eliminate controversial questions. Some questions may prove controversial or inappropriate in certain cultures or parts of the world.
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Thanks and you are welcome.

I also updated the FAQ thread to include this info.
https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/1-p570461
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
This information is very valuable. I thank you BB for starting this website and everyone who contributes
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
My advice is to take those breaks to clear up your head and prepare for the next round of questions.
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
Thanks asaf and bb. This is helpful information.
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
I didn't know about the unscored questions. I am learning so much on this club!
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
hi i am new to gmat club and gmat as well :)
I thought the test time is 3hrs 30 min....but the first post says its 3hrs 20 min...think its a typo... :!:
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]
The first post is from 2007, the information is a bit dated.

This thread is locked.
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Re: GMAT Test Format [#permalink]