What will my score be?

Question

I'm wondering what I can hope for with my overall score in light of my strengths and weaknesses.

My degree is in English, and I expect to nail the Verbal section based on my knowledge and the results of test questions I've gone through. I shouldn't get less than 90% correct on that section--hopefully more like 95% (again, not unreasonable based on my results so far with sample Verbal content).

Quant is my weakness; I'm studying it every day, and have been for a month. But it will never be as strong as my Verbal, and with just two more weeks to go until I test, I don't think it will improve significantly from where I'm at now. I'm thinking I'll get 60% - 75% of the Quant questions correct. Which I know is hard to place a value on, since getting the harder questions right does more for your score than getting the easier ones right. I suspect I'll miss the harder ones, and the CAT will end up throwing mostly average ones at me.

So in light of this, what kind of score range can I reasonably expect to see? Will a very strong Verbal performance be enough to offset a mediocre Quant performance? I was hoping for 700, but the closer the test comes, the less confident I am that I can do that due to Quant weakness. Could I do 600?

Maple · Answer

Consider yourself lucky for being bad at quant. Prior math knowledge makes quant harder not easier(you needlessly consider possibilities that will never be on a GMAT test). I have read that CAT grades heavily against major weaknesses. So focus and get the easy points. You will improve quickly.

ParrotHead · Answer

I hope so, but I'm running out of time!

I've found that with practice questions, I'm now able to get most of them right. However, it takes me way too long--much longer than the ~2 minutes per question that I'll have on the test. I've just got to keep drilling until this stuff is second nature and I can do it much quicker.

Yahsek · Answer

Have you taken the GMATPrep yet? It's a pretty accurate indicator of how you'll score on the real thing, not to mention great practice.

ParrotHead · Answer

Not yet, but I will within the next two weeks--definitely before I take the real test.

Yahsek · Answer

My suggestion to you would be to take the GMATPrep as many times as you can before going in for the real thing. One of my biggest mistakes prior to my last GMAT attempt was not taking the GMATPrep enough times.

ParrotHead · Answer

I definitely want to do this, but have been holding off while sharpening my Quant skills. They were so weak coming into this that I just didn't feel like taking practice tests would be very beneficial. They would get me used to the "feel" of the test, but the scores would be too low because my math was so poor.

Now that I've gotten my math skills up to a mediocre level--and since I'm short on time--I'm ready for practice tests.

RyanDe680 · Answer

Since there are different areas of quant, GMATPrep wouldnt be a bad idea to do before you brush up on your skills so you have an idea of what area to brush up on...

ParrotHead · Answer

Oh, it's all equally weak! :oops:

bsd_lover · Answer

Try the Manhattan GMAT series which has 5 books focused on specific areas of quant - Algebra, equations, geometry, number properties and word translations. I found these books to be extremely useful (and I already have a quant background).

Good luck.

Good luck.

Maple · Answer

2 tests for PowerPrep. I heard if you reinstall PowerPrep you get another 2 tests. So I don't think you will run out of tests in the short time period you have.

ParrotHead · Answer

Okay, I took a GMATPrep test today. First time doing it.

I somehow scored 680--38Q and 45V.

In going through the Quantitative section, my heart sank. It seemed like question after question confused me. I think I was panicking, with this being my first time doing these problems on the computer with a timer instead of on paper. I honestly thought I did way worse than I did. The only thing I can figure is that I guessed fairly accurately, because I did a LOT of guessing.

Verbal I did fine on, as I had anticipated. As I mentioned earlier, I'll be relying strongly on my strong Verbal skills to make up for my weak Quantitative skills.

How is the real test compared to GMATPrep? Can I accurately count on these scores being a decent predictor?

I test in exactly one week. I'm scaling back my Verbal studying at this point and focusing pretty much solely on Quantitative. I don't think I can improve much with V, but I've got plenty of room for improvement with Q.

mymba99 · Answer

Thats awesome score! 
Don't worry. You will do good on real test after some prep.

ParrotHead · Answer

Well, there's only a week left to prep! :-)

The good thing is that I'm not trying to get into Harvard or anything. Just Florida State University, and they only require a score in the 500's. I'm just shooting for 700 for personal satisfaction. But I'd be really disappointed to find out that the real GMAT was way harder than GMATPrep...

Yahsek · Answer

The GMATPrep is about as good an indication of the real thing as you'll get. I think it's safe to say you'll score around a 680 on the real thing. The difference between my real GMAT score and my GMATPrep score was only 10 points. Give the second GMATPrep a shot and see what pops out. 45 on verbal is really impressive. I wish I had a score like that!

ParrotHead · Answer

Thanks. I'm very good at English--and thank goodness, since my math isn't great. Although some of the Verbal points were kind of freebies, because they were questions I had already answered when working through the OG. But I got them right when doing them from the OG, so I guess it's okay for the points to count in the practice test.

I'll take the 2nd test this Wednesday, then the real test on May 3rd. I've seen people here mention that their scores can fluctuate quite a bit between GMATPrep practice tests. I won't be sure what to think if that happens to me. My Verbal shouldn't go down. Hopefully my Quant will go up a little. But I'm getting nervous because I've already spent 2 months studying intensely, focusing mostly on Quant. I don't think I will improve much during the last week beyond where I'm already at now.

bsd_lover · Answer

Parrothead, why dont you browse the verbal forums and help some of us mere mortals who'd kill for a 40+ in verbal

altaurus1 · Answer

That's exactly what i thought. I'll need some help with verbal. I'd definitely kill for a 45 in verbal.

uphillclimb · Answer

bsd suggested the MGMAT books - he's right - since you have so little time before your exam, try working your way through the number properties book of MGMAT. I found it by far the best aid in terms of increasing my quant comprehension. I raised my Quant score from a 38 to a 46, and honestly the number properties book was the best help. Do it in one session and see if you can lock down a few key concepts. Then focus the rest of your time on the GMATprep tests, over and over again. Good luck!

ParrotHead · Answer

LOL. I'd be glad to help, but I have a hard time explaining Verbal concepts. When it comes to RC, CR, and SC, I just sort of intuitively know what's right. It's not like Quant, where there's a crystal-clear formula. But I'll drop by that board and see if I can help. I've gotten help on the Quant board, and would be glad to return the favor on the Verbal board if I can.

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