How accurate are the gmatclub CAT scores?

Question

Hello experts,

I scored V20-30 in the last 3 CATs and going to take another CAT soon but trying to understand what the scores in the low 20s mean. The gmatclub questions do seem more on the tough side. 1. It continues to give me 700 level questions and 2) I don't think its giving enough credit for almost all the 600 level questions I got correct.

I am taking the test in less than 2 weeks. Can I assume I am likely past the V30 mark? Does anyone know if the gmatclub CATs are indeed harder and most people score higher on the actual test compared to the CATs here?

Leadership · Answer

Hi, Yes, GMATclub tests are bit on the harder side. You can expect at least same or 2-3 points above in official GMAT. Why don't you give the official mocks on www.mba.com ? If you have already used Practice Set 1 (free), then you can go for the rest 2 sets. About the credit question: The score rises according to the number of correct answers, level of questions, etc... So, if you continue to answer 600-700 level questions and stayed in the same join, then the final score will be in the same range. Generally, the level rises as we keep the correct streak.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ChiTexan2015,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When is your exact Test Date? 
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

ChiTexan2015 · Answer

Thanks so much. Please see my responses below. I appreciate any and all advise for the next 10 days before my first test or any long term advise for the 30 days following this attempt as I would likely retake it early to mid December.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ChiTexan2015,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. We can assume a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function - and while you've clearly made some nice progress in how you handle the Quant section, your last 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 610 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. Raising a 610 to the point that you can consistently score 700+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. There's no harm in taking your first GMAT as scheduled, but you will almost certainly have to retake it again later - so you can save some money and aggravation by pushing back your current Test Date.

"Review" is an exceptionally important part of the GMAT training process; your ability to define WHY you're getting questions wrong is essential to defining the areas that you need to work on (and the specific things that you need to 'fix'). As such, I'd like to know a bit more about your last CAT. While a full Mistake Tracker would provide a lot more information, there are some basic questions that you should be able to answer (and the more EXACT you can be with your answers, the better):

After reviewing each section of this recent CAT, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?
5) How many Verbal questions did you 'narrow down to 2 choices' but still get wrong?

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

JohnGalt1 · Answer

But why it gives me hard questions when I fail to answer previous problem correctly?

Saransh123 · Answer

In my opinion, they are harder than the real GMAT especially the Quant, so If you you are scoring Q30 in gmatclub tests then expect q40 and above in the Official GMAT.

chaitnya10 · Answer

I got 11 wrong in CAT 1 from Gmat Club. The numbers were 2 7 9 12 15 16 21 24 28 32 34. I scored a 31. Is it fair or it should have been higher? 
I was expecting to score around 34 35. 
Any idea?

bb · Answer

For the record, @ChiTexan2015's first attempt was in Nov, a month after this post and they scored V30. 
So getting V20-30 was not really off. This was a question about Verbal.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

chaitnya10, consider giving some Official Mocks. (2 are freely available on mba.com)

argerniki · Answer

I scored between V30 and V34 in my GMATclub CATs and always scored above V35 in official mock and an official attempt. So I think the are good indicator, but you can expect a slightly better result.

Also, you should take a closer look on the question stats when you review the CAT. 
There are many very good questions, but some questions are of poorer quality and there is a lot of discussion about the solution. It is unlikely that you will see such a question in the real GMAT.

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