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henriquem22
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1st attempt 660 very different from kaplan prep scores what is wrong? 04 Jan 2018, 09:04
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Hi everyone,

I have spent the last few months preparing to take GMAT. Subscribed the Self-Paced on Kaplan. Did the full course with videos, book and so on. On the CAT tests available I go consistent 710 scores in the last 4 I took. But when I went for the test I got a 660. Am I doing something wrong? Is it my way of dealing with pressure? or Kaplan Scores are really different from the official ones?

Moreover, I am planning to retake at the end of this month and I am planning to just practice over and over, Is there any way to prepare myself to get a better score? I just took the diagnostic test at kaplan again and took 720. Don't know what is wrong.

Thanks for your help,
henrique
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1st attempt 660 very different from kaplan prep scores what is wrong? 04 Jan 2018, 10:56
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henriquem22
Hi everyone,

I have spent the last few months preparing to take GMAT. Subscribed the Self-Paced on Kaplan. Did the full course with videos, book and so on. On the CAT tests available I go consistent 710 scores in the last 4 I took. But when I went for the test I got a 660. Am I doing something wrong? Is it my way of dealing with pressure? or Kaplan Scores are really different from the official ones?

Moreover, I am planning to retake at the end of this month and I am planning to just practice over and over, Is there any way to prepare myself to get a better score? I just took the diagnostic test at kaplan again and took 720. Don't know what is wrong.

Thanks for your help,
henrique
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Hey henriquem22 ,

Welcome to GMATClub :)

Here are a couple of suggestions for you.

1. Focus only on GMAT official Mocks. Download free software from www.mba.com and buy exam pack 1 and 2.
2. Order your ESR and try to understand what went wrong.
3. If you fall short of tests, your next trust worthy mocks should be Manhattan only.
4. Focus on your weak areas and learn from your mistakes.
5. Remember Quality matters over quantity.

All the best. :)
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henriquem22
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1st attempt 660 very different from kaplan prep scores what is wrong? 04 Jan 2018, 11:38
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Hello, thanks for the warm welcome.

Regarding your answer, do you think that kaplan mocks are not trustworthiness? If so, can you tell me why? Because I feel a bit stupid by having paid a large amount of money for preparation tools that seem like they are not as good as they seem. And why Manhattan ?

Thanks a lot,
Henrique
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1st attempt 660 very different from kaplan prep scores what is wrong? 04 Jan 2018, 14:20
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Hi henriquem22

It is not about the trustworthiness of Kaplan's tests. Those tests are also quite good.
IMO, its not so much about the quality of the questions as it is about the algorithm of
the tests

The 2 free tests and the 4 tests which abhimahna has suggested you to buy are from
the makers of the GMAT and they help you gauge your current level to the best possible
extent. The scores you get in these tests are the closest to the score in the original test.
As for the ESR: It should help you get a clear picture of which sections you made your
mistakes in and what needs work before your next attempt.

Hope this helps you!
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1st attempt 660 very different from kaplan prep scores what is wrong? 04 Jan 2018, 16:07
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Hi Henrique,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. If you can answer a few questions, then we should be able to figure this out:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you took your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE (re: in an online forum or in a practice set)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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1st attempt 660 very different from kaplan prep scores what is wrong? 05 Jan 2018, 19:18
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henriquem22
Hello, thanks for the warm welcome.

Regarding your answer, do you think that kaplan mocks are not trustworthiness? If so, can you tell me why? Because I feel a bit stupid by having paid a large amount of money for preparation tools that seem like they are not as good as they seem. And why Manhattan ?

Thanks a lot,
Henrique
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I'm not saying that those mocks are (or are not) accurate, but it is a good idea not to expect the scores that non-official tests generate to be very accurate. Treat those scores as a broad indicator of your ability. The GMATPrep software generates better score estimates, but even those are not always going to be the same as the actual GMAT score.
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