Scoring more on Manhattan CATs than on GMAT Prep

Thank you for your reply.

Please find the answers to your questions as below:

1) Yes I took the test without extended breaks at a Jamboree test center which is generally quiet. I did not do the IR and AWA during the practice sessions.

2) I took GMAT classes at Jamboree Nepal in Dec 2014, I gave my first exam then. I did not study until now. I started studying around 2 months back. I used the following resources:

- GMAT Question Pack 1
- GMAT Club Questions.
- Manhattan SC Guide
- Official Guide 2015

3) I am targeting:

- University of Wisconsin - Madison
- University of Iowa
- Buffalo SUNY
- Isenberg
- Fox - Temple

4) Not really. I am not in the position to apply in the second round.

What do you think is the best approach from here?

Hi todi123,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's likely what has happened here. By skipping the Essay and IR sections each time, you took a shorter Exam that required less effort and energy from you - and as such, you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.' By extension, that means that each of these CAT scores is likely 'inflated' and unrealistic. Without a clear sense of your capabilities, and since you're so close to your Official GMAT, you might want to consider pushing back your Test Date. To properly assess your skills, you need to take a FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) under conditions that will match what you'll face on Test Day. Until we have that score result, it will be difficult to define what you actually need to work on.

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

Hi Todi123,

Thank you for answering my questions. I see that you still have not taken any FULL practice exams (including IR and Essay). Thus, its possible that the scores on your MBA.com exams could be inflated due to skipping those sections.

Can you take take a full, official practice exam ASAP and report back with the score breakdown? If you do not score close to your desired score range of 650+, you may consider pushing out your test date and creating a new study plan.

If you don’t mind my asking, why are you not in a position to apply in the 2nd round? I ask because if you are unable to hit your score goal on August 16th, wouldn’t you like to give yourself more time to prep for the GMAT?

Once you complete the practice exam, report back, and I’d be happy to provide some further advice.

Hey todi123,

We can't comment for other tests but do note that no test prep company's algorithm will exactly match the real thing. The best we can do is get close.

You can always take a free GMAT PILL practice test here complete with detailed performance and timing analytics: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... ctice-test

In terms of our scoring, many of our students report scores that are +/- 30 points from their actual GMAT test and so are a relatively good indicator of their performance. That said, no practice test can perfectly replicate the actual score algorithm, but this is quite close.