Should I postpone my test date?

Question

HI,

I'm contemplating whether I should postpone my gmat test date. My current test date is on April 19, so I have 10 days till I take it.
I am aiming for a 700. But i've never gotten a 700 on my practice tests.

Magoosh: 680 (Q45, V38)
Gmatprep: 640 (Q41, V37)
Manhattan: 650 (can't remember..)

I know my chances of getting a 700 on the real thing is pretty slim, but should I still give it a go any way? Or is it better that I postpone it until I've scored a 700 on the practice test?
My predicted scores on Magoosh is Q43-46 and V38-44. So I'm hoping if I can work on my time management and avoid making silly mistakes I can actually slide by and get a 700?

Help!!!! thank you!

chetan2u · Answer

Hi,
The most realistic score predictor is GMAT PREP if taken in realistic conditions and you will have a general idea where you stand..

postponing a date is helpful only when you know your weaknesses and plan to improve upon them..

phurida29 · Answer

Hi, thanks for responding! I have taken the gmat prep and my score was a 640,

but I do think I did not give it my best when I took that test. Given that my average scores is around 660, will I need a miracle to get to 700 in a week? If I should postpone my test, how far away should I postpone it? a couple of months?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi phurida29,

Most Test Takers can't "luck" their way into a 700+ on Test Day. Since you're fairly close to your goal, but you haven't shown that you can consistently score at that level, it's not likely that you would suddenly score at that level in 10 days. There's certainly no harm in taking the GMAT as scheduled, but if your goal is a 700+, then you'll likely end up taking the GMAT again (and spending another $250). As such, it might be better to pay the $50 rescheduling fee, push back your Test Date and continue studying. If you don't care about the $250, then you can certainly take the GMAT as scheduled (and you can always cancel your score it you're not happy with it).

I have a few questions about how you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) each time?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions before you took the CATs?

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

phurida29 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for responding!

To answer your questions,

I took another GMAT Prep exam today, and I scored a 740. I completed the ENTIRE CAT, gave myself 8 minute breaks like the real thing. And I took the test at home.
However, since I have completed most of the OG questions, I found myself seeing repeats of questions of the test, not too many but more on the verbal section, my score was Q49, V42.
I know this score must be inflated since I've seen the questions before, so by how much should I decrease my score to get a better estimate?

Also, should I still consider postponing the test?

Thank you!!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi phurida29,

It would really help if you answered the questions from my prior post. I asked those questions because I want to get a sense for how accurate your prior CAT scores really are. A 650 is actually closer to a 700 than most Test Takers realize, but if that 650 is 'inflated', and you're not truly scoring at that level, then my advice will be different (and I want to give you the most accurate advice possible).

Even if you saw just a few 'repeat' questions on this CAT, then the score could be significantly inflated - at the very least, the energy you expended, your stress levels, pacing, etc. were all different from what they would normally be on a FULL CAT with questions that you had not seen before. There's no practical way to calculate 'how inflated' this score might be.

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

KarishmaB · Answer

Your test is 8 days away. You can still postpone without too much extra charge. After 7 days, it would be worthless to cancel. To be honest, probability of 700 on the actual test if you haven't hit on practice is slim. That said, the actual test can be a great practice run. If money is not a big problem, I would suggest you to take the test and cancel the score if it is not put up to the mark (score cancellation doesn't appear on the report). Else, you can think about rescheduling.

Should I postpone my test date?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards