Is it possible to study so hard to be confident to get perfect 800?

Question

If one will study 20 hours a day for a year could he/she get perfect 51/51 and if not, why?
If every task could be solved, why a person who will study 20 hours 365 days can't be sure to get 800 51/51?

for example is the Bunuel could be sure to get 51 on quant?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi abch1016,

First off, if your *goal* is to score 800, then that's a terrible goal (and not particularly realistic, since most Test Takers can't do it). Your goal should be to earn a GMAT score that helps make you a strong applicant for the Business Schools that interest you.

That having been said, the answer to your question is NO - while the Experts here (myself included) probably all have the necessary skills to score a perfect 800, there are far too many 'variables' that are out of our control on Test Day to make an 800 a certainty. For example, if you're too tired or face some other physical 'issue' (headache, illness, etc.), then your performance might suffer enough to cost you a few points. The 'little things' - external stresses, rare options in DS/SC/etc., a slightly-uncomfortable Testing Center, etc. can also add up over the course of a 4-hour Exam.

And for what it's worth, studying 20 hours per day for a year would be far more likely to lead to 'burn out' than a guarantee of an 800.

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

mcelroytutoring · Answer

The GMAT is an extremely competitive, international test that challenges even the brightest of students. I'm a GMAT tutor and Harvard grad with honors (class of '02) who has earned perfect scores on the SAT and ACT. I've taken the GMAT 4 times now, with a high of 770 (47Q /48V / 99%) and a low of 700 (46Q / 40V / 89%), and I'm still trying for my perfect 800.

Here are some of the many reasons why it's almost impossible to guarantee an 800:

-The Essay (AWA) and the IR section. These don't even count toward your 200-800 composite score, but they take up the entire first hour of the test! And most B-school programs consider your scores on these sections too, so you should still try your best (if not quite as hard as on Quant and Verbal).

-The Pacing (1.5 minutes per question on verbal, 2 minutes per question on Quant). The GMAT requires you to move quickly and confidently from question to question, with no time to waste.

-The adaptive nature of the GMAT and its scoring algorithm. You keep getting questions right, and the questions keep getting harder until they are *extremely* challenging. You also can't skip questions or go back, of course.

-Experimental questions. There are 23 experimental ("pretest") questions on the GMAT, but you don't know which ones they are. They don't count toward your score at all. If you get lucky, then most (or all!) of your incorrect answers will be on experimental questions. If you get unlucky, then you will perform well on the experimental questions (or spend a lot of time on them), which of course doesn't help you at all.

Think about this crazy fact: you could get all 23 of those experimental questions wrong, and all the other questions right, and still earn a perfect 800 score with only 74% correct (67/90 = 74% correct), if you happen to have incredible luck. Conversely, if you have terrible luck, then you could get 23 questions wrong, all of which are counted questions, and this might earn you a GMAT score of about 550-600, even though you got the exact same percent of questions correct!

-Other random factors such as lack of sleep and test-taking fatigue, abnormally tough RC/CR/SC questions / Quant questions on esoteric topics, wrong guesses on 50/50 questions, test center issues, etc.

Even those of us on GMAT Club who have achieved perfect GMAT scores will admit that they could never earn a perfect 800 every time. There is always an element of chance involved. That's why the GMAC had to institute an 8-test lifetime limit...students were taking it again and again, and trying to get lucky.

mihir0710 · Answer

Ha ha ...
Interesting question ...
and the example is even more interesting ..

I wonder what bunuel thinks on this one ...

AjiteshArun · Answer

Sounds quite interesting. But why would anyone spend that much time preparing for the GMAT? And (for example) there's no guarantee that spending 20 hours a day training for 10 years will make a runner as fast as Usain Bolt.

If you want to go in with a very high probability of walking out with 51 on both sections, you will have to train to a level higher than 51 on both sections.

mgo113 · Answer

Or you'd be too burnt out and sleep-deprived from your insane studying schedule to effectively retain information and perform at your best once test day arrived.

Also, if I were really trying to go for an 800 I would leave the essay blank and flat out guess on all the IR questions. No point wasting your mental energy on things that aren't going to actually affect your final score.

jkolachi · Answer

Lol... this is the craziest thing i have heard about gmat prep. 20 hours a day is not sustainable for more than 2-3 days.... You will do permanent damage to your health by only sleeping 4 hours a day for 365 days.... 20+ hours a day is worse than studying 3-4 hours a day 5 days a week for 6 months which could get you 700.

Whats the point of even getting 800? You could just as easily get into most schools with a 700+ score.

Whats the point of even getting 800? You could just as easily get into most schools with a 700+ score.

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Is it possible to study so hard to be confident to get perfect 800?

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