Please explain this - Manhattan prep test 590 to a 700 in mba.com test

Question

Hi there.

I have been using Manhattan Prep's material and practice tests to prepare for GMAT.

However, can anyone explain me the discrepancy here? Does this happen often? Am I on the right track or was this just one good time luck?

I have read that the official website test is the best indicator in terms of actual day performance. However, this jump in a 100 points is something I am not fully able to understand.

CAT 1 (Manhattan Prep) - 580 Q39 V31
CAT 2 (Manhattan Prep) - 590 Q42 V31
CAT 3 (Manhattan Prep) - 590 Q42 V31
Official Practice Test - 700 Q 50 V 35

I give my exam precisely a month from today. Any suggestions to improve my verbal scores are very much welcomed. Thank you in advance for your time.

harshtandel838 · Answer

Hey  divsu

Notice the quant score, in Manhattan it’s around Q39 .. Q42 while in Official mock it’s around Q50. Also the Verbal score are 4 point higher in Official mock than in Manhattan! Manhattan Prep has very difficult quant section, more than that of the actual GMAT. Also you can search for the score combination of GMAT.

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EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi divsu,

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. While the MGMAT CATs are generally regarded as being a bit tougher than the Official GMAT, that's not enough to explain the disparity relative your most recent Official CAT result.

There are a variety of factors that can impact your performance on a CAT, including how well-rested you were when you took the CAT, the time of day that you took it, the section-order, the testing environment, etc. All things considered, if you took this recent CAT in a fashion that matches up with the parameters that you will face when you take the Official GMAT - and you did NOT see any of the questions before - then it's likely that you earned that result. Of course, the more this CAT-taking-event differs from what you will face when you take the Official GMAT, the greater the chance that this result is 'inflated.'

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? 
3) Have you taken this Official CAT/mock before?

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

Gmatisking · Answer

The Quant of Mgmat is much more difficult than that of actual GMAT. However, the level of difficulty of verbal is same as that of GMAT. So your Quant score can increase by 2-3 points on the GMAT

divsu · Answer

Hi Rich!!
Thank you for detailed answer. I really appreciate it.

I took the official mock in a similar setting as that of when I had taken earlier mocks. I plan on taking two more mocks by the next week to get more clarity on my current score capability.

To answer your questions:
I have been studying from March. At least 14 hours a week.
I have used the Manhattan Guides and the Official Guide 2021. 
No, this was my first time taking this official mock.

My overall goal is 710.
I am hoping to apply this September for the 2022 intake for MiM programs, and aiming at the top 10 schools (HEC, LBS, ESSEC, ESMT and so on).

Thank you so much once again for your insight and time.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi divsu,

A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day.

If you took your most recent CAT in the last couple of days, then you should NOT take your next one too soon. I suggest that you study as you like for the rest of the week, then take your next CAT next weekend. Make sure to take it in a realistic fashion that matches-up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, if you will be at a Test Facility, then wear a face mask, etc.). Once you have that Score, you should post back here (or you can feel free to PM me directly) and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

divsu · Answer

Hi Rich.

Thank you for response. I'll be mindful of everything you have mentioned.

I shall reach out to you post taking my next mock (at the upcoming weekend).

Thank you once again. I really appreciate your help.

IanStewart · Answer

None of this is true. As is widely known, the GMAT algorithm uses a standard 3-parameter logistic model. The only things that are secret about it are some largely inconsequential details. I'm not sure how you could know how complicated the algorithm is if you simultaneously believe the algorithm is proprietary and therefore unknown to you, but the algorithm is not complicated, at least in concept. It is just based on conditional probability. And as far as I understand, one major prep company is now using a scoring algorithm based on the same mathematical principles as the actual GMAT.

To the original poster: many test takers get very different scores on prep company tests and on the real test (or on official diagnostic tests). Most replies I see that attempt to explain those discrepancies point to differences in the scoring algorithms used. And that's one difference, but for many tests, at least those that are properly calibrated, it's not the most important difference. What's more important is the test questions themselves. No company is using real GMAT questions, and company questions will invariably be biased in some way. Some companies, for example, make their hard Quant questions "hard" by making them long and complicated. The real GMAT doesn't do that. So if you take one of those companies' tests, you'll be rewarded if you're very fast, and if you're able to handle complicated arithmetic and algebra. You'll be much less rewarded for those skills on the real GMAT. But if you have very strong conceptual understanding, you'll get much greater rewards on the actual GMAT than on one of those companies' tests.

Company test scores often correlate moderately well with real GMAT scores, because often people who have the skills to do well on the company test will also have the skills to do well on the real test. But there will definitely be many test takers who are good at one test but not the other. These issues are exacerbated further on the Verbal section, since it's so hard to design realistic Verbal questions. The only test scores I'd consider trustworthy are scores from official tests. That said, a single test score is usually going to be influenced slightly by luck, so you shouldn't treat scores as exact values. Your Q50/V35 is very good, but you should probably think that you're between a 670 and 720 right now, and when you take another official diagnostic, you'll get more data that will let you pin down your ability more accurately. I'd be confident you'll score 670+ again, and probably higher, on another official test, unless there's some reason to distrust this recent 700 score (if you knew some questions in advance, that's the only real reason the score might be appreciably inflated). Good luck!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi divsu,

In addition to what has been said, the good news is that your highest practice test score came from an official practice exam. I see you plan to take another official practice test this weekend, so report back with your score once complete, and we can take things from there.

divsu · Answer

Hi Scott!

Hope you are doing well.

I did give an official practice exam today. I scored a 700 again.

My verbal improved as I was hoping for it to, I got a v38 (previously I had got a v35), however, my quants dropped to a Q48 (previous practice exam Q50).

I believe the drop in the quants could be either from the fact that I haven't really been focusing on quants past two weeks and that I need to brush it up again, or that I faced topics that I am not entirely comfortable with (PnC, the harder questions in number properties).

I am very grateful for your time. Thank you in advance.

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