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Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken?

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rafgimenes
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Joined: 02 Sep 2011
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Location: Brazil
Concentration: General Management, Entrepreneurship
Schools: Duke '19 (A$) Kellogg '19 (WL) Sloan '19 (I) Tuck '19 (D) Anderson '19 (WL)
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V32
GMAT 2: 700 Q50 V34
GPA: 3
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Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   22 Feb 2015, 10:34
Hi all,

This week I wrote the real GMAT after 4 months of intense preparation.

Long story short: I scored 710 in the 3 Gmat Prep mock tests and was pretty confident to repeat the score on the day. However, I scored a 660.
I am 100% sure that stress or pressure did not play a role, since I was relaxed during that morning.

On the previous day, I had 39 C degrees (103 F) of fever, due to a flu. I took some medicines and during the tst I was feeling very well and motivated.

I cannot find a reason for this so low score. All the SC questions were incredibly more difficult than those I found in Magoosh, OG and other sources. Is that norma? Did I prepare wrongly? What do you recommend to improve my SC skills? I master concepts such as "fewer vs less", modifiers, comparisons etc, but I faced 0 questions with these topics.

I have the feeling that if I write the GMAT right now, without no extra preparation, I would score 700+. Could it be the case that I was unlucky with the set of questions? Or the fever made a bad effect on me without I realized that?

Thank you for the support and for being my psychologists :)
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sterling19
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   22 Feb 2015, 11:07
Who knows why you got the score that you got, but if you feel confident that you can beat it, then I say go for it again.
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   22 Feb 2015, 15:49
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Hi rafgimenes,

First off, a 660 is a strong score (it's right around the 80th percentile), so you might have enough of a score right now to get you into Business School.

GMAC has publicly stated that your Official Score on Test Day is within +-30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar "swing" in those practice CATs, your Official Score is 'in range' of your practice scores (albeit at the low end).

There's also the possibility that something you did during your practice was unrealistic (re: non test-like) and that difference (or differences) could have impacted your performance when you faced the Official GMAT. To that end, here are some things to consider:

1) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT and on each of your CATs?

2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) Did you take the CATs at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you take them under 'test-like' conditions?
5) Did you do ANYTHING that didn't 'match up' with Test Day (re: skipping sections, pausing the CAT, taking it at your home, listening to music, etc.)?

The sickness that you described could have easily impacted your performance (even if you didn't realize it) and there could have been any number of other "physical" issues that effected your performance on Test Day. The likeliest explanation is that you just made a few little mistakes - regardless of the cause, that's always what costs Test Takers points.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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rafgimenes
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Joined: 02 Sep 2011
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Location: Brazil
Concentration: General Management, Entrepreneurship
Schools: Duke '19 (A$) Kellogg '19 (WL) Sloan '19 (I) Tuck '19 (D) Anderson '19 (WL)
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V32
GMAT 2: 700 Q50 V34
GPA: 3
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   23 Feb 2015, 13:45
Sterling19, I will definitely take the test again.

Rich, thanks for your help. Just answering your questions:

1) 710 (49q,38v); 710 (50q,36v); 710 (49q, 38v)

2) For the first time, I took only math and verbal with small pauses, for the last 2, I took the entire CAT, no pause.

3) No, usually I practice in the afternoon and I took the test in the morning. This could be the reason of my fail, since I do not work so well during the morning. Unfortunatelly, the tests can only be taken in the morning in my city.

4) I think the mock tests were taken under 'test-like' situations. I even got the willies before doing them.

5) I took all the mock tests at home, but in a silent room, trying to reproduce the real test. But I know the test center is much more intimidating.

I will keep studying to improve my score and I hope I can get a 700+. Thanks again.
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   23 Feb 2015, 16:07
There was a recent discussion I stumbled upon in GMAT club about the SC being very different in nature compared the one of the OG. People claimed that a huge proportion of the questions were meaning based, basically all the answer choices are correct grammatically and you need to make a call based on slight nuances of meaning. Is that what you encountered ?
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   23 Feb 2015, 21:34
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Hi rafgimenes,

The difference in "starting times" for your CATs and your Official GMAT could have easily impacted your performance. Humans tend to be creatures of habit - you were training to take your GMAT in the afternoon, but your Official Test was in the morning. That 'shift' is definitive and, over the course of a 4-hour exam, could have effected your performance in a number of small, subtle ways.

If you end up re-testing, you should do your best to 'mirror' as many aspects of Test Day as possible, including the time that you start your practice CATS. You might also want to take those Tests away from your home - the act of getting dressed, traveling, etc. is a part of Test Day, so it should be a part of your practice.

You did not list it in any of your prior messages, but what were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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rafgimenes
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Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Posts: 15
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
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Location: Brazil
Concentration: General Management, Entrepreneurship
Schools: Duke '19 (A$) Kellogg '19 (WL) Sloan '19 (I) Tuck '19 (D) Anderson '19 (WL)
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V32
GMAT 2: 700 Q50 V34
GPA: 3
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   27 Feb 2015, 06:03
Hi Rich.

Official report:

PS: 77th
DS: 68th
CR: 63th
RC: 68th
SC: 57th

IR: 8 92th
AWA: 5 60th

Incredibly, SC as always been my strength and I scored so badly...
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   27 Feb 2015, 12:41
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Hi rafgimenes,

That extra data is interesting as it has pointed out that something was clearly "off" with your Verbal performance on the Official GMAT. I'm still interested in the Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT. You included that data form your practice CATs (when you were scoring 710), but not from your Official Test.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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rafgimenes
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Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Posts: 15
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
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Location: Brazil
Concentration: General Management, Entrepreneurship
Schools: Duke '19 (A$) Kellogg '19 (WL) Sloan '19 (I) Tuck '19 (D) Anderson '19 (WL)
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V32
GMAT 2: 700 Q50 V34
GPA: 3
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   09 Mar 2015, 06:42
Hi Rich, it was 48q, 32v

I had timing issues with Quant, (took +- 6 min on a question and guessed in the end), but my real problem was verbal.
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink] New post   09 Mar 2015, 22:58
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Hi rafgimenes,

It could very well be that you could retake the GMAT and score at a higher level....as long as you're not sick and your practice is geared more towards making your CATs match the 'reality' of Test Day.

I'm interested in some of the things that you said about SCs. Since the Verbal section is as standardized and predictable as the Quant section is, you likely DID face the various grammar issues that you claimed that you did not see (you just didn't realize the issues were there). As such, you might benefit from some additional SC practice.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: Why Real Gmat 50 pts below all official CATs I´ve taken? [#permalink]
09 Mar 2015, 22:58
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