gmat official prep scoring algorithm?

Question

I tried four gmat official prep test (i bought extra 2) and on the first test, i got 11 questions wrong in verbal and scored V40 and in the last test, i got 10 questions wrong in verbal but scored V34. What was more surprising is that in the last test, I only got 1 question wrong in the first 10 questions which are considered to be quite important. I don't know well about gmat scoring algorithm, so can anyone please explain why I got V34 with 10 questions wrong and how I can improve?

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi  laen3099 ,

You may find this video helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXyfn3jeU5M

Feel free to reach out in case of any queries!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi laen3099.

The scoring of the verbal section of the GMAT is different from that of the quant section. You can score in the mid to upper 40s in quant with 10 questions missed, but if you miss 10 more verbal questions, your score will likely be in the 30s.

So, your V34 with 11 missed is more typical than your V40 with 10 missed.

Meanwhile, when you scored V40 with 10 missed, you must have missed mostly hard questions and thus indicated to the test that you have strong verbal skills. On the other hand, when you scored V34 with 11 missed, you must have missed some medium or easy questions because your score gets dinged more when you miss easy questions than it does when you miss hard ones.

If your goal is V40+, shoot for missing a max of 5 questions on the verbal section.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  laen3099 . I agree with what Marty has written above: It is less a matter of how many questions you miss than what types of questions you miss, in terms of difficulty. My guess is that if you look up the questions one by one in the forum and track the difficulty (I use a spreadsheet for the purpose), you will expose the underlying cause of the discrepancy. I have even seen a single missed question in the Verbal section move the subscore anywhere from a 50 to a 48 (and yes, I have even seen a 49 as recently as last year).

How can you improve? Spend a lot of time with the questions you miss before you continue to practice others. Think of a mechanic who trains to work on cars by stripping down an automobile to its various components and then putting them all back together. If you can pick apart a Verbal question and thoroughly understand its nuts and bolts, you will be much more likely to see how to approach a similar question down the road in practice.

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Probably fair to say the situations you describe depend on a number of factors such as the difficulty level of the questions you got correct and incorrect.

so can anyone please explain why I got V34 with 10 questions wrong and how I can improve?

Here's someone I helped go from a V31 to a V40 on a re-take. They took a bit of tutoring and did some other stuff along the way that may bring some helpful insight.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html

laen3099 · Answer

thank you all! I took the test today and thankfully got 750 (Q51 V39 IR8) after all, all those algorithm things did not matter lol

just did my best for each of the questions XD Posted from my mobile device

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi laen3099 Many Congratulations to you on achieving such an amazing score! All the very best for your future endeavors!

Feel free to reach out in case you need any help with the application process

Russ19 · Answer

Hi laen3099 , GMAT Score Chart might give you some insights: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/gmat ... alculator/ Best Wishes!

AndrewN · Answer

Congratulations on an excellent performance,  laen3099 . I did not realize you were calming some nerves, perhaps, the day before the exam. Rather, I assumed that you were just starting out. In any case, those are wise words at the end of your post, and I doubt anyone could put the matter more succinctly. You cannot game the test, and anything that takes your mind off the question in front of you is a distraction. Well done. You should think about writing a debrief for the benefit of the community. Those from people who have reached such high scores get a lot of attention and steer aspirants in the right direction.

Good luck on the next step in your journey.

- Andrew

ReedArnoldMPREP · Answer

For anyone who stumbles on this post, here's an in depth video I did on the scoring algorithm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05zDv5Joxvc

It's a weird way to grade a test, but this will help you know what to expect and look for.

nislam · Answer

Hi laen3099, Explore the link, it might be useful for you; https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/gm ... -algorithm Thanks!

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