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21 Mar 2015, 09:31
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I just finished the practice gmat pill cat and they show the difficulty on the results. i noticed when i got a 500 level question, it would bump me up and give me a 600 or 700 question, which most of the time i got wrong. and sometimes when i got a 700 level problem the next problem would also be a 700 level, which i also got wrong.
i got a 460 on this test. and was wondering if the actual GMAT did this also. i know its adaptive to your level, but comon, if i get 700level questions wrong id think theyd stop giving them to me? I took kaplan last week (560) and economist a few days ago (510). im only aiming for a 550, which i dont think is too difficult to obtain, but my scores are saying otherwise.
im familiar with pretty much all the basic concepts, i understood and reviewed all the manhattan gmat books, been on this forum for a few months, and reviewed mine and the flashcards here several times. like, i literally don't know what to study anymore, the past week and a half ive just been reviewing material over and over. im able to answer a good amount of practice questions correctly on the OG guide, my timing is alright on practice CATs, but i still cant seem to get a solid 550 when i take practice CATs... ive put in as much effort as people who ive seen post here and theyre getting 600+ while im stuck at 500~
im registered to take the test on april 11 and i dont feel confident at all in being able to get even a 550... ive been asking and posting several threads on what i can do to improve to at least stay at a consistent 550, but i feel like ive exhausted all the tips given to me here, even by expert replies: understand the concepts, go over it in your head, doing too many problems wont help, get enough sleep, exercise, etc. i pretty much post every week about tips on how to improve, and everyone gives great responses, but i just feel like there really is NO hope at all for me at getting a 550 unless its sheer luck on test day.
i got a 460 on this test. and was wondering if the actual GMAT did this also. i know its adaptive to your level, but comon, if i get 700level questions wrong id think theyd stop giving them to me? I took kaplan last week (560) and economist a few days ago (510). im only aiming for a 550, which i dont think is too difficult to obtain, but my scores are saying otherwise.
im familiar with pretty much all the basic concepts, i understood and reviewed all the manhattan gmat books, been on this forum for a few months, and reviewed mine and the flashcards here several times. like, i literally don't know what to study anymore, the past week and a half ive just been reviewing material over and over. im able to answer a good amount of practice questions correctly on the OG guide, my timing is alright on practice CATs, but i still cant seem to get a solid 550 when i take practice CATs... ive put in as much effort as people who ive seen post here and theyre getting 600+ while im stuck at 500~
im registered to take the test on april 11 and i dont feel confident at all in being able to get even a 550... ive been asking and posting several threads on what i can do to improve to at least stay at a consistent 550, but i feel like ive exhausted all the tips given to me here, even by expert replies: understand the concepts, go over it in your head, doing too many problems wont help, get enough sleep, exercise, etc. i pretty much post every week about tips on how to improve, and everyone gives great responses, but i just feel like there really is NO hope at all for me at getting a 550 unless its sheer luck on test day.
21 Mar 2015, 19:29
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Hi btan219,
I think you're overanalyzing a bit here. Most of your scores are in the 500 region.
The best practice tests are the ones from GMATPrep software from mba.com - but even those do not always reflect the actual experience for every student.
That said, there is an adaptive nature to the test and it does not necessarily have a 100% sensitivity to your response every time. It's highly unlikely to get multiple difficult level questions in a row if you continue to get them wrong. But that doesn't necessarily mean you will always see a level 600 question after getting a 700 wrong.
The exact algorithm is not public knowledge --- but we would be cautious to say that a certain difficulty level question adjustment will ALWAYS appear after a certain response. Instead, we integrate probabilities to these kinds of events. Most of the time you will get an easier question when you get the current question wrong -- but not always.
Also -- note that difficulty of a question is just one dimension. There may also be other requirements/constraints such as type of question (sum of sequences vs algebra, etc) that are taken into consideration.
In any case, if you are looking into this in this much detail, you most likely are wasting time focusing on something that doesn't matter to your learning. Focus on correcting your mistakes. Focus on understanding why you got a certain question wrong and what you could do differently next time to avoid that trap.
As you've pointed out, you've already taken several practice tests -- all within the low 500 range. Stop taking additional tests -- and start learning from each of these tests. And don't take an additional test until you've retaken one of these prior tests and gotten to your target score. If you can't even reach your target score with a test that you already know the answers to, then you've got a problem.
So go back and learn from your mistakes. Don't worry about these algorithm details that won't make a difference.
I think you're overanalyzing a bit here. Most of your scores are in the 500 region.
The best practice tests are the ones from GMATPrep software from mba.com - but even those do not always reflect the actual experience for every student.
That said, there is an adaptive nature to the test and it does not necessarily have a 100% sensitivity to your response every time. It's highly unlikely to get multiple difficult level questions in a row if you continue to get them wrong. But that doesn't necessarily mean you will always see a level 600 question after getting a 700 wrong.
The exact algorithm is not public knowledge --- but we would be cautious to say that a certain difficulty level question adjustment will ALWAYS appear after a certain response. Instead, we integrate probabilities to these kinds of events. Most of the time you will get an easier question when you get the current question wrong -- but not always.
Also -- note that difficulty of a question is just one dimension. There may also be other requirements/constraints such as type of question (sum of sequences vs algebra, etc) that are taken into consideration.
In any case, if you are looking into this in this much detail, you most likely are wasting time focusing on something that doesn't matter to your learning. Focus on correcting your mistakes. Focus on understanding why you got a certain question wrong and what you could do differently next time to avoid that trap.
As you've pointed out, you've already taken several practice tests -- all within the low 500 range. Stop taking additional tests -- and start learning from each of these tests. And don't take an additional test until you've retaken one of these prior tests and gotten to your target score. If you can't even reach your target score with a test that you already know the answers to, then you've got a problem.
So go back and learn from your mistakes. Don't worry about these algorithm details that won't make a difference.
22 Mar 2015, 06:42
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Bookmarks
Hi btan219,
As mentioned above, nobody truly knows the GMAC algorithm. These practice tests are just there to help you gauge where you are along the process. Some may be harder practice exams while others may be easier. Maybe you had a good testing day one day and a poor testing day the next.
The most important thing is not to look and analyze the score, but rather what mistakes did you make and how can you improve?
if you can analyze your areas of weakness and work on them consistently, you can reach a 550. I would definitely make sure to take the GMATPrep exams and purchase the additional exam and question pack 1. I loved the GMAC official resources as those are the most realistic questions and exams you can get.
Also note that not all 500, 600, and 700 level questions are created equal. After getting a few 500 level questions correct, the algorithm may bump you up to a high 600 level question. If you get that wrong then maybe the next will be a mid 600 level question.
Its's not as much about effort as it is about efficient effort. You need to focus on your areas of weakness. If you are really good at DS questions, then it doesn't make much sense to read material on DS and ignore PS. If SC is your weakest area, then spend more time drilling that area. Also, just saying "I am bad at geometry" is not an effective use of your time. You need to be much more specific, "I am bad at triangles within geometry".
Remember, you still have three weeks. That is a lot of time to improve, but you need to maintain a positive attitude. It's easy and normal to want to give up but just think about how much sweeter it will be on test day when you walk out with your unofficial score report that says 550.
As mentioned above, nobody truly knows the GMAC algorithm. These practice tests are just there to help you gauge where you are along the process. Some may be harder practice exams while others may be easier. Maybe you had a good testing day one day and a poor testing day the next.
The most important thing is not to look and analyze the score, but rather what mistakes did you make and how can you improve?
if you can analyze your areas of weakness and work on them consistently, you can reach a 550. I would definitely make sure to take the GMATPrep exams and purchase the additional exam and question pack 1. I loved the GMAC official resources as those are the most realistic questions and exams you can get.
Also note that not all 500, 600, and 700 level questions are created equal. After getting a few 500 level questions correct, the algorithm may bump you up to a high 600 level question. If you get that wrong then maybe the next will be a mid 600 level question.
Its's not as much about effort as it is about efficient effort. You need to focus on your areas of weakness. If you are really good at DS questions, then it doesn't make much sense to read material on DS and ignore PS. If SC is your weakest area, then spend more time drilling that area. Also, just saying "I am bad at geometry" is not an effective use of your time. You need to be much more specific, "I am bad at triangles within geometry".
Remember, you still have three weeks. That is a lot of time to improve, but you need to maintain a positive attitude. It's easy and normal to want to give up but just think about how much sweeter it will be on test day when you walk out with your unofficial score report that says 550.
