Do you guys think that the GMAT prep algorithm and the GMAT algorithm are one and the same? Does GMAT say that they are the same? (or) It just uses the disclaimer that your scores on GMATprep do not indicate your actual performance in disguise? The reason why I say this is, I read on the forums that the first Q is not as easy as the prep software shows it to be. For example a simple exponent problem or range problem shows up in prep. How ever, on the actual test it might be a inequality question. It is very well possible that the inequality question is a easy one, but I am getting skeptical.
I have a strong feeling that the score is not moving as you answer the questions. It is not being calculated. If it is calculated on every answer, you would get the score with out delay. Yeah computers dont need that much time. It actually computes at the end of the exam on how many easy/hard questions you got wrong and how many easy/hard Q's right. So if you got 2 out of the first 7 wrong, you are pretty much set up for a lower score as it is difficult to maintain the speed and accuracy towards the end. In one way, it seems to me that the penalties for answering first 10 questions incorrectly grows exponentially as the number of incorrect questions increases. OTH, the penalty for getting questions wrong in a latter stage reduces drastically. So can we conclude that GMAT is saying "Do your easy and medium hard questions right and if you screw up, you have very very little chance? "
Neither MCAT nor LSAC made its test a CAT. MCAT is a CBT and LSAC is still paper based. GMAT and GRE are not comparable. GMAT serves a specific purpose ie business school and GRE is for any graduate program under the sun. IMO, the CBT is a over kill and skewer of actual performance and luck has its role because every one gets different questions. How can we say that XYZ scored in the 90th percentile if his fellow test takers did not take the exact same questions? The research behind the whole thing saying that every question is reviewed by 10 or so test writers and answered by 1000+ test takers ( I am just quoting numbers as example) to conclude that it is a valid percentile does not really hold much water in my opinion.
What is the accuracy of the scores? We can say almost very confidently say that some one who has taken the test today and scored 250 will not score 750 in 2 days. How ever, what is the number of points by which a test taker's score can fluctuate in two takes given that he is taking two different tests? Is it 30 or 40 points? There must be some thing like that right? Has GMAT ever published this?
Read the
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Management_Admission_Test#Total_Score%20Total%20scores section on wikipedia.
I always thought that the first Q is medium in terms of difficulty, but wiki says other wise. I hope the guys at wikipedia are smart enough to be writing such important pieces of information
Quote:
The first question may be difficult. The next few questions in each section may be around the 500 level. If the examinee answers correctly, the next questions are harder. If the examinee answers incorrectly, the next questions are easier.