Kapln CD Companion Test ::: Comments from GMATTERS needed.

Question

Hi All,

I attempted one test of Kapln CD Companion 08-09 edition.
I scored 600 Q50/V29

Looking at the individual score and referring to all those GMAT score graphs I think I should have got atleast 640 overall. Hence I am a bit disappointed as well as confused.

I request people who have taken Kaplan tests to help me here. How would the rate this score against the score one can expect to get in actual test.

bb · Answer

Take a look here: https://gmatclub.com/gmat-score-estimate/

GmatNY86 · Answer

bb, at one point you said that they've been trying to change the test. Does that mean that the discrepancy isn't there anymore? I took the CATs from their actual courses. It seems that the difficulty per level, is different across their CATs. By that I mean, one test's medium can be another test's difficult. I thought that the first question (in math) in the test I took today was actually very difficult.

bb · Answer

There have been a few reports that supposedly Kaplan was getting to be more on-par with real GMAT score, rather than the usual (add 100 points to get a realistic expectation) but none of these have been confirmed.

As you are taking a Kaplan course, i think you are in the best position to check with your instructor or test center director (in case the instructor is not up to speed) to get this "mystery" resolved. Probably the best approach is to ask if the test scoring has changed in the past 6 months or at all, rather than get into a philosophical discussion of Kaplan scores being 100 points below GMAT.

Hope this clears it all.

GmatNY86 · Answer

I've asked a couple of times (once a sub and once my regular instructor). Although it wasn't on whether it changed, but whether it's harder than the real test. However, they're very corporate in their answers. I liked both guys (especially my regular instructor), however, I don't particularly trust his answer on the manner (or the sub's). I think that no matter what they'd want people to believe that the Kaplan is similar to the GMAT. That's the safest route. You can get mad at a practice test being easier than the GMAT or harder, hard to get made at a practice test being on par with the GMAT. I think that they will always say that it's on par. The most "maverick" response was that it may vary, may be a little harder sometimes, may be a little easier. However, I feel like if they say it's harder it may open up a can of worms. Also, if someone expects an easier test when taking it for real because of what the instructor says, then he/she may be pissed if that expectation isn't met, and may be pissed at Kaplan. Less of a headache and a smarter business decision to just say that it's close to the real GMAT, with a little variation once in a while (to not sound too fake). I certainly hope that the Kaplan is harder than the real GMAT. I took 4 tests (3 CATs) and broke 700 only once and received a passable (by my own standards) score twice (one of those not being a CAT). Although I have a friend that took Kaplan and the real GMAT not long ago, who I haven't talked to in a while, I think I have a phone call to me.

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Kapln CD Companion Test ::: Comments from GMATTERS needed.

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