Original Guide (OG) question difficulty

Question

I'm throwing this out there because I cannot seem to find a definitive answer concerning the difficulty level of the questions found in the OG from GMAC. Someone told me that the "easy" questions are roughly 400-500 level questions, "medium" are roughly 500-600 level questions, and "hard" are 600-700 level questions. Is there any truth to this? It is of course difficult to gauge a score based on the percentage of correct questions in any given category, but it would be useful information nonetheless if anyone knows for sure.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Calling a medium difficulty question a "500-600 level" question or a hard question a "600-700 level" question may or may not be correct. The GMAT itself does not measure question difficulty this (200-800) way.

If I may ask, what are you looking to do with more detailed question difficulty stats?

jps11920 · Answer

I am looking to better tailor my practice. Additionally, if one were to do well on medium level questions, roughly what level of performance can they anticipate on exam day?

AjiteshArun · Answer

There is no good way to get an estimate of the final score on the basis of the OG questions. Either the confidence level of the estimate would be low, or the confidence interval would be quite large. The OG is not the tool for scoring. Use the GMATPrep tests for that. At most, you could use the diagnostic test at the beginning of the OG to get a (very) broad idea of your ability level.

I get what you are saying about tailoring your practice though. I'd suggest you use the easy, medium, and hard categories for now, as that categorization is reliable (not so sure about the 200-800 categorization). Finally, there's a lot to be learnt even from the easy questions. Don't ignore them completely.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi jps11920,

Many Test Takers focus on the 'implied level' of the questions that they're working on, instead of more relevant issues - such as WHY they're getting questions wrong. From your last post, it's not clear how long you've been studying, but how did you score on your last CAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? And what is your goal score?

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

jps11920 · Answer

My last score was a 620 on the GMAC software and I am shooting for a 650. When I took the practice test it took about 3 months to get through it. I was busy and pecked away over a few months. Will constantly starting and stopping the test mess with the CAT score assessment and inflate or deflate the score?

I guess I should add my specific scores: 41 on Quant and 35 on Verbal.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi jps11920,

The only way to properly assess your current GMAT skills (besides taking the Official GMAT) is to take a NEW, FULL-LENGTH CAT under realistic conditions - meaning that you should take a CAT that you have NOT taken before, in a location that is NOT your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT and you must complete ALL sections (including the Essay and IR sections) in one sitting. If you have not done that with this last CAT, then you cannot assume that that score result is accurate. As such, I highly recommend that you take a new CAT sometime soon (and take it in the manner described above). Once we have THAT score result, we'll have a much better idea of what you should be focused on at this point in your studies.

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

	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

Original Guide (OG) question difficulty

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

My Rewards