Penalty for Guessing

Question

Hi,

I recently took my first official mock after about 2 months of prep and bombed it with a 510. I'd left 8 questions unanswered in Verbal and 16 questions unanswered in Quant. In my post-mock analysis, I read in a number of places that GMAT penalizes you heavily for unanswered questions, and that it's better to guess at answers rather than to leave them blank.

However, I just came across this article on the official GMAC site, where they mention test-takers are penalized for wrong guesses. The article is pretty recent, too. (I'm relatively new here and this is my first post so I'm unable to post the link to the article)

Here's what they say in particular about guessing:

"If you leave a question blank, you receive no credit for the item. However, if you answer a question and get it wrong, you get no credit, and you are penalized a quarter of a point for five-option multiple-choice questions and one-third of a point for four-option questions."

This is the first time I'm hearing about a penalty for wrong answers, so could someone please explain it to me? Thanks!

gmatpro15 · Answer

answering all questions is better than leaving unattempted , 
guessing wrong answers (especially hard qns) in last few mins is better than solving this

ex - 28-31 qns in quants and 32-36 in verbal section

in your case leaving 16 and 8 qns unanswered might have caused the low score

vv65 · Answer

Please paste the URL in the text of your post or describe how to get to this article

Posted from my mobile device

Archit3110 · Answer

there is penalty for missing questions , but not for attempting wrong...
since gmat is computer adaptive test so with every wrong answer your score dips..

nisha2308 · Answer

I can't post the URL as I'm new here. If you Google "does GMAT penalize wrong answers," this article will pop up as the first result.

vv65 · Answer

The URL is https://www.mba.com/exams-and-exam-prep/ ... t-guessing The article is named "What’s Your Guessing Strategy for the GMAT™ Exam?", "APRIL 12, 2022 | THE GMAT TEAM" Posted from my mobile device

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  nisha2308 ,

That part of the article is about “formula scoring” (in non-adaptive tests). It doesn't apply to computer-adaptive tests like the current GMAT.

The next section ("How does guessing affect your GMAT score?") is more relevant.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi nisha2308,

Many GMATers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. That 510 is just a measure of your skills right now - and you'll improve on that result over time as you learn more about the content, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Exam. That having been said, considering the pacing issues that you faced - and the amount of study time that you have put in already - it's likely that you have developed some 'bad habits' that will take time to fix (and replace with new 'good habits'). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, 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? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for this first CAT?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) 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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

nisha2308 · Answer

Thank you for the cheering-up, Rich! Much needed.

Studies:
1) I've been preparing for roughly 4 months now, with not more than 10 hours a week (I work full-time and made the rookie mistake of assuming the GMAT was a cakewalk)
2) I've been using Magoosh's video lessons. They aren't bad. And this is the first and only mock I've taken (it's an official mock)
3) Quant was 28 (with 14 questions unattempted) and Verbal 32 (with 10 unattempted). I feel confident about Verbal and believe I can improve with some consistent practice. Also, almost all the verbal questions that I got wrong were in the 700-level, so I think it was more of a tactical rather than a skill issue. It's Quant that scares me.

Goals:
4) My overall score goal is 730
5)I have an exam scheduled on Oct 3, but I'm planning to apply only next year. So I have time for 2-3 attempts.

IanStewart · Answer

As AjiteshArun explains above, they aren't describing the GMAT when they write that. They're describing how other standardized paper tests usually penalize random guessing.

On the GMAT, there is quite a severe penalty when you do not attempt questions. But of course your score also goes down if you get questions wrong. In general, if you're taking a GMAT and you have a few questions to go, but only have 60 seconds left, then if you're a higher level test taker, you'll usually get a better score if you guess randomly just to finish. If you're a medium-level test taker, you should probably also do that, but it will matter less, and if you're a low level test taker, it's actually better not to guess randomly. It would take me a while to explain why that's true, but that's what GMAC has explained in a research report.

If you're just able to manage your time better in the Quant section (which you should do by moving on quickly from any questions mid-test that you can't see how to solve) then your score should go way, way up. It's impossible to get a good score with 14 unanswered questions, but it's definitely possible to get a good score with many guesses at hard questions in the middle of the test. Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi nisha2308, I've sent you a PM with some notes and additional questions. GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi nisha2308,

Here is an article that has some more information:

How Is the GMAT Exam Scored?

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

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