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mcelroytutoring
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Tutor
Joined: 10 Jul 2015
Last visit: 15 Nov 2025
Posts: 1,204
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 282
Status:Expert GMAT, GRE, and LSAT Tutor / Coach
Affiliations: Harvard University, A.B. with honors in Government, 2002
Location: United States (CO)
Age: 45 (10 years and counting on GMAT Club!)
GMAT 1: 770 Q47 V48
GMAT 2: 730 Q44 V47
GMAT 3: 750 Q50 V42
GMAT 4: 730 Q48 V42 (Online)
GRE 1: Q168 V169
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Expert reply
Updated on: 13 Aug 2023, 10:11
Originally posted by mcelroytutoring on 21 Aug 2021, 08:13.
Last edited by mcelroytutoring on 13 Aug 2023, 10:11, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by mcelroytutoring on 13 Aug 2023, 10:11, edited 2 times in total.
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I've already written some well-received posts here on GMAT Club regarding the correlation between incorrectly answered counted questions and sub-scores on GMAT Verbal and Quant, based off hundreds of ESRs (Enhanced Score Reports) from real GMATs.
Before certain super-users chime in yet again: yes, I already understand that this type of "counted questions wrong vs. GMAT Verbal/Quant score" analysis is an oversimplified way of looking at the scoring on a 3-parameter adaptive exam such as the GMAT. On an adaptive test, of course there is more to your GMAT score than simply the number of counted questions answered correctly. Other scoring factors include the difficulty level of each question, the order of each question, whether consecutive questions are answered incorrectly, and even the question types and topics.
However, we now have 5 years and counting of ESRs, and a mountain of hard evidence from which to draw. These ESRs tell us that on Verbal, there has always been a strong correlation between the total number incorrect and the final score, much more so than on Quant. In other words, the GMAT's adaptive algorithm doesn't affect your final score nearly as much as it does on Quant, where the first half of questions is of utmost importance for this reason. For example, I once earned a V47 (99%) despite answering 2 questions incorrectly in the first quarter of questions:
Although V42 usually correlates to around 4-5 questions wrong, I recently saw an example of a V42 (96%) with only 2 counted questions wrong! This student answered 28 or 30 counted Verbal questions correctly (93% accuracy), and yet "only" scored V42 out of 51. In other words, they lost 9 points on Verbal because of only 2 questions...and because they failed to confirm the answer to the final question (read more about this below). Harsh.
You may have also noticed that GMAC recently updated its percentile tables for 2021, and that not much has changed, especially on Verbal. However, if it's harder to earn the same sub-scores than it used to be—if, in other words, you need more questions correct to earn the same score—then it's possible that the GMAT Verbal section may indeed be getting tougher, despite what the percentile tables tell us.
Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block below for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
mcelroytutoring
Expert
Tutor
Joined: 10 Jul 2015
Last visit: 15 Nov 2025
Posts: 1,204
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 282
Status:Expert GMAT, GRE, and LSAT Tutor / Coach
Affiliations: Harvard University, A.B. with honors in Government, 2002
Location: United States (CO)
Age: 45 (10 years and counting on GMAT Club!)
GMAT 1: 770 Q47 V48
GMAT 2: 730 Q44 V47
GMAT 3: 750 Q50 V42
GMAT 4: 730 Q48 V42 (Online)
GRE 1: Q168 V169
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Expert reply
22 Aug 2021, 06:41
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Follow-up: I just received a message from the student with this 2-wrong V42 ESR.
They neglected to confirm the final answer, which helps explain the V42, due to the GMAT's stated penalty for not finishing a section.
See this thread for more info:
v42-with-only-two-questions-incorrect-367002.html#p2844651
They neglected to confirm the final answer, which helps explain the V42, due to the GMAT's stated penalty for not finishing a section.
See this thread for more info:
v42-with-only-two-questions-incorrect-367002.html#p2844651
Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
