Scoring system the PREP exams

Question

Hi
I took today a CAT in order to assess my overall performance
this was my first practice exam after a long break.
unfortunately on the verbal part around the 30ish question i started guessing (mostly the RC and CR)

the overall Verbal grade was 33 (67% percentile)
and by question type
SC 41
CR 31
and RC 27

what I can not understand is how come my RC score is so relatively low
I had in total 4 passages (13 Qs total)

passage 1 (and order out of the 41 questions)
Q1, Q2, Q3 (all three were right

passage 2 
Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 (all four right)

passage 3
Q10 Q11 Q12 (only 1 was wrong)

Passage 4
Q33 - wrong
Q34 - wrong
Q35 - wrong

13 in total and only 4 wrong
I can't understand it mostly b/u I noticed that Gmat scores on the begging much more that after -

can anybody explain it?

AjiteshArun · Answer

It's only natural for test takers to look for consistency in GMATPrep scoring, but the fact is that the GMAT is an adaptive test, and in such tests two people could get completely different scores even after getting the same number of questions right (or wrong). The GMAC has always maintained that the GMATPreps use the same algorithm as the actual GMAT, so the scoring should be reliable. Keep working on your weaknesses, and try not to worry about how exactly GMATPrep scoring works.

Skywalker18 · Answer

Hi yoavyes , 
Was this a GMAT Prep exam or a test prep company test? Also, in a Computer Adaptive Test, two test takers with similar accuracy (number of correct answers per sub-section ) can have vastly different scores. 
- I have never seen a GMAT Prep with 10 RC questions out of first 12 verbal questions.
In the GMAT, a couple of questions are experimental. So this might explain as the passage for which you answered all questions correctly might be experimental and hence not count towards your total score.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi yoavyes,

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. It takes into account a number of different factors - far more than just the number of correct and incorrect answers. As such, you shouldn't be spending time trying to figure it all out. You'd be better served working on building up your skills. To offer some perspective though - there are a number of questions on the Official GMAT that are 'experimental' (meaning that they do NOT count towards your score). Assuming that this CAT is 'modeled' after the Official GMAT, it's possible that you correctly answered a number of experimental questions, but incorrectly answered the RC questions that 'counted.'

You mentioned that you are coming off of a 'break' in your studies...

1) How long have you studied? And how long were you on your break?
2) What study materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

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

yoavyes · Answer

Hi! that was a GMAT PREP test (EP2, was my 6th) about 10 RC in a row - it was a surprise to me too lol but I can prove it

(thought it is random order) about the experimental - I did not know - it will help me in the real test (blew the question - "probably experimental!" lol) many thanks man!

yoavyes · Answer

Shlom Rich! 
first, thanks for your answer - I understand from you all that I have to stop trying to understand the mechanism and instead beat it
Secondly - answers:

I've started my GMAT-journey around a year ago, always felt that my main problem was the verbal (all parts)

I studied around 10 hours a week for 6 months, than stopped for 3 months and in the last 3 months I study sporadically whenever I find time

SC - E-gmat
CR- Power Score/Manhattan 
RC - Manhattan/E-gmat

the first 5 CATs (GMAT PREP, EP1 and EP2) were taken around august 
600-640

the quant were around 46-48
the verbal were around 25-30

but I have to admit - my quant skill were better than today, my verbal were worse so I don't know how much should they represent my current score level

would love to score 730 to have a competitive application (seems hard now though)

I've scheduled a test to next week - we have a week off for pass-over here in Israel so I thought that taking the test (even if not for the last time) will be the best strategy that I can take

vikasp99 · Answer

i think you should work on your mistakes and don't worry about how scoring works.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi yoavyes,

If you have not been studying consistently for the last 6 months, then that will almost certain impact how you would perform on the Official GMAT. GMAT 'skills' tend to fade over time, so committing to a consistent schedule (and practicing properly) is essential to maximizing your performance. Right now, it doesn't sound like you've honed your skills enough to hit your score goal, so if it's at least 7 full days before your Official GMAT appointment, then you might want to pay to push back your Test Date.

In your prior posts, you didn't describe this CAT result in much detail:
1) How did you score (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) Did you take the FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections)?

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

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