Why Was My GMAT Score Lower Than My Practice Test Scores?
It’s a dreaded scenario for any GMAT student: You study for the GMAT for months, hit your score goal on some practice tests, and figure that you’re ready to sit for your exam, only to see a lower score on your actual GMAT than the scores you earned on your practice tests. While this situation is likely to come as quite a shock to any test-taker who experiences it, it’s actually pretty common to see a discrepancy in GMATPrep vs. real GMAT scores. So, where did you go wrong?
There are a number of reasons why a GMAT student may see a drop from her practice test scores to her actual GMAT score, so it’s imperative to troubleshoot key aspects of your GMAT test prep to ensure that you don’t set yourself up for a rude awakening on test day. not
In this article, we’ll look at the 10 most common GMAT preparation pitfalls that can lead to a score drop on test day. Whether you’ve already experienced a lower GMAT score than you expected or you’re hoping to avoid one, read on.
Pitfall #1: Not Taking Practice GMATs Under Realistic Testing Conditions
If you expect to obtain an accurate score from a GMAT practice test, the conditions under which you take that test should be as close as possible to the conditions you’ll encounter on the day you take your actual GMAT. If you skip the Integrated Reasoning section, use a
calculator during the Quant section, take a 10-minute break instead of an 8-minute one, peek at your notes during the practice test, or do anything else that you would not or could not do on test day, you may not get an accurate practice test score. So, always follow realistic test-day conditions when you take your official practice exams.
To create a realistic GMAT experience for yourself, I recommend the following:
- Plan to go to the library and rent a private study room, or go to another quiet location to take the practice test. Do not take the test at your home. After all, you will not take the actual GMAT at home (unless you’re taking the exam online because of the COVID-19 pandemic; in that case, taking practice tests at home, in the same location where you’ll take the actual exam, is a good idea).
- Do not skip any of the test sections. Yes, that means you must do the Integrated Reasoning section and the essay.
- Do not take any additional breaks or do anything that you could not do on test day (such as pause the exam and go for a walk).
- Turn your cell phone off.
- Do your scratch work with a dry-erase marker and pad similar to those provided at GMAT test centers. If you are taking the online GMAT, then use the exact same whiteboard that you plan to use while taking that test.
- Try to take the practice test at the time of day that you will take your actual GMAT. If you work or go to school full-time and plan to take your actual GMAT on the weekend, then take your practice test on Saturday or Sunday morning, when your mind is fresh. It would not be a great idea to come home after working all day and sit down to take a practice GMAT.
Remember, the practice test will not be an accurate gauge of your current GMAT skills unless you adhere closely to actual GMAT testing conditions when taking it. If you repeatedly pause the test, go over the allotted time for a section, or eat your lunch while you’re answering questions, your score will not be accurate.
Think of the precious hours you must spend on each practice test you take and the limited number of official practice tests available — do you really want to waste those resources by relaxing the rules of the test? The result may be not only receiving an inaccurate score, but also missing out on the valuable training for the rigors of test day that a practice test can provide.
For more on how to maximize the use of practice tests during your GMAT prep, check out our article on
taking GMAT practice tests.
Pitfall #2: Taking Mock GMATs That Are Not Representative of the Official GMAT
If you take practice GMATs other than those from GMAC (the GMAT test-makers), it’s possible that you will see inaccurate score results. Does this mean that you should not take any practice GMATs from anyone but GMAC? I wouldn’t go that far. However, it does mean that if you need to see the most accurate score possible, you probably are better off taking an official GMAT practice test.
Similarly, you need to be careful when comparing practice test scores from different sources. For example, let’s say that you took two practice GMATs, one from GMAT Prep Company X and one from GMAT Prep Company Y, scoring 700 and 710, respectively. Then, you took two official practice GMATs and scored 640 and 630. Does this data indicate that your score is dropping? Good question. Perhaps there are inherent differences in the tests you took from Companies Y and X and the official tests. Perhaps the official GMAT practice tests are more accurate. The data could, in fact, indicate that your score is dropping, but since the tests are from three different sources, making that determination is difficult.
You need to compare apples to apples. So, prioritize taking all
six GMAC practice exams; you may find, in fact, that you don’t need any further full-length practice exams prior to taking your actual GMAT. If you MUST take more practice exams, then you can take some non-GMAC tests, but don’t be surprised (or stress yourself out) if the results vary from those of your GMAC tests.
Pitfall #3: Not Taking All 6 Official Practice Tests
Let’s say that your
GMAT score goal is 700+ and you take two official GMAC practice exams from mba.com. You score 710 and 720 on those exams, so you figure that you are ready to sign up for the GMAT. Needless to say, you’re shocked when you score 660 on test day. How could that have happened?
This is a mistake that many GMAT students make. Although you scored high on your practice exams, because you took only two exams, your average score was not a true representation of your abilities. Your sample size was too small.
As I just mentioned, GMAC offers six full-length practice exams. There is a reason why the
Target Test Prep study plan recommends that every GMAT student take all six of those exams prior to taking their actual GMAT. By doing so, you give yourself a substantial enough sample size of data to get an accurate picture of whether or not you’re prepared to hit your GMAT score goal. If, after taking all six official practice exams, your average score is 700+ (or whatever your goal may be), chances are you’re ready to go!