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occamsrazor
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 14 Jul 2010, 17:00
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This is my first post on the forum (I've been a reader for a few weeks now). Sorry if it is a rehash of previous posts but I had to get it out of my system.

I have Kaplan's Live Online 2010 Edition which comes with a book and online access to quizzes and 4 CATs. I've seen many people mentioning that Kaplan tests are too tough and that its not worth paying attention to the scores. Well, I seem to be having the opposite experience with them so far. I never went below 51 in quant and getting around 44 in verbal, total around 740... whereas in MGMAT I've been loitering around 670 (timed) and 730(quant untimed as per slingfox's suggestion). I'm confused as to where I stand in my preperation for GMAT. I have not taken the PowerPrep tests yet and plan to appear for the GMAT test in 3 weeks.

Any insight into my situation?
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 14 Jul 2010, 17:42
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Sorry, there is a bit of a confusion. I would appreciate Kaplan folks weighing in, but the best explanation I have is that Kaplan modified their tests and when they came out with a new version, scoring became different, so the tests are not longer overly harsh. Hopefully this clarifies things a bit. MGMAT are pretty close but GMAT Prep is the closest. See this as well:

https://gmatclub.com/gmat-score-calculator/
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 14 Jul 2010, 19:52
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Sorry, there is a bit of a confusion. I would appreciate Kaplan folks weighing in, but the best explanation I have is that Kaplan modified their tests and when they came out with a new version, scoring became different, so the tests are not longer overly harsh. Hopefully this clarifies things a bit. MGMAT are pretty close but GMAT Prep is the closest. See this as well:

https://gmatclub.com/gmat-score-calculator/
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Agreed. From my experience (and from what I've read), the Kaplan exams are a bit on the easy side now. Try plugging in your MGMAT scores into the GMAT Score Calculator that bb posted above -- I'd ignore the Kaplan scores if I were you.
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 15 Jul 2010, 06:10
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Hi,

Can anyone tell how reliable the CATs in the 'Kaplan- Higher score on GMAT' CD are?
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 15 Jul 2010, 11:49
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Hi Occamsrazor!

Kaplan tests have always been pretty accurate. Of course, many people report scores wildly different from their test-day results, but that's true for all practice tests--so many factors, from stress to noise to time of day, can impact your score that consistent results during practice are impossible.

However, our tests did seem to be scoring a few tens of points low, a situation that we swiftly corrected in our coding. Unfortunately, as of now that new scoring algorithm applies only to our classroom courses; we are working on incorporating this new technology into our published works as well, but haven't completed the transition yet.

In the end, though, no test-prep company, even Kaplan, will be as accurate a measure of your performance as the powerprep exams. I would consider the Kaplan CAT score a fair analysis, but any doubt can be cleared up with an official GMAC practice test.

Best of luck, and let me know if you have any other questions!
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 16 Jul 2010, 12:16
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Hi Occamsrazor!
However, our tests did seem to be scoring a few tens of points low, a situation that we swiftly corrected in our coding. Unfortunately, as of now that new scoring algorithm applies only to our classroom courses; we are working on incorporating this new technology into our published works as well, but haven't completed the transition yet.

hi eli,

can you please clarify the quoted statement above? i was under the impression that your published works do in fact include the corrected (easier) scoring.

thanks!
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I suspect you're thinking of the major update we did in 2008. The latest refinements, however, were made within the last two months.

Thanks for asking!

Eli
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Question about Kaplan and MGMAT tests 16 Jul 2010, 12:52
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username123


I see. The major update in 2008 definitely made the scoring easier.

Have the refinements in the last 2 months made the classroom scoring slightly more "easier" or "harder" from the 2008 basepoint? (i.e. Are the classroom courses now slightly easier than the post-2008 "easier" tests, or slightly harder than the post-2008 "easier" tests?)
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The official GMAT scores the quant section range from 0-60, but actual scores never go higher than 51 (the GMAT reserves room for future test expansion). A few Kaplan students reported a base quant score of 53, because our test was based off the 0-60; as soon as the error was called to our attention, we went right to work on correcting it. We've fixed that anomaly with the most recent version of our CATs. However, I don't off the top of my head know how, if at all, that's affected Kaplan 200-800 scores. I do know that we consider the change minor, and shouldn't impact student scores more than 10-20 points in either direction (in other words, the changes we made will have less impact on your score than a good night's sleep).
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