Practice Tests vs. Real GMAT

[donkey_man_88]

I like the Advanced Course. I'm not sure what the regular course is about, but I do know that the teacher shares more "advanced" info in the advanced course (from what the teacher said). You also get 2 hours of free tutoring with the advanced course.

[Hokie]

I agree that the algorithm is harder for Kaplan, and I do think a lot of the questions are "easier" because they are not quite as complex -- however, the Kaplan questions seem to test harder concepts earlier and more across the board... who knows what is best?

 

Here is a link to help with figuring out the marks you need to hit: GMAT Score Calculator.

 

I took my ULT Practice test at the center on Monday. Scored 690 which had me feeling great until I mocked 40 quant questions from the med-hard in the OG and missed 18. Timing was fine. Lots of careless mistakes, but a few concept issues... going to do another set of 40 today; we will see how that goes. Starting to wonder if I should delay my test, but I think my app timeline is too tight for that.

 

How is everyone else doing?

 

@ aristocrat -- I wanted to take the Advanced, but couldn't do it bc of time. I would suggest that version bc i think that the students will have better questions to share with the class. I had a lot of people just trying for the 600 mark in my class, and they didn't exactly "push" the level of understanding. However, all Kaplan students have access to the Advanced material, so you can review that if you take the regular class.

 

@ ralph303 -- thanks - working on practice sets. Did you take Kaplan as well? Just wondering if you could provide Kaplan scores --> Real score example for us... also, what error ratio did you have on practice questions before the test?

 

@ donkey_man_88 -- how did you get a section score on Kaplan? I have just seen percentages... Also, how are your CATs going?

[sajjad_er]

Very disappointed...

Test1 from mba.com: 590

Paper based test 28, 53 .. all 7 exams ranged from 610-710.

 

Actual test: 530!!!!! Q:39 and V:28 ... what went wrong?? what should I do now?

[Hokie]

Took my GMAT yesterday. This was one of my biggest questions going into the test (what is the correlation between practice and real scores?), so I thought I'd briefly weigh in.

 

Real Score: 700 (44Q, 41V)

Kaplan Diag: 570 (10/08)

Kaplan CAT 1: 610 (10/17)

...CAT 2: 700 (10/19)

...CAT 5: 630 (10/26)

...CAT 6: 680 (11/1)

...ULT: 690 (11/3)

...CAT 8: 610 (11/8)

 

Disclaimers: I had a really rocky test day (lost 2 minutes before even starting the quant section, and never quite recovered). Then my expected failure in the quant section pretty much ruined the verbal section (my strong area) for me. Basically, I feel that I should have scored a lot better than a 700, and, for those Kaplan kids, expect to gain points on test day. However, I have noticed that there was a big swing in my test scores when I was tired or distracted - just ensure that doesn't happen to you.

 

Good luck! : )

[donkey_man_88]

Congrats man! Excellent score. I've heard that there is a "strong correlation" between someone's top Kaplan score and the actual GMAT score.

[TaTum]

Took my GMAT yesterday. This was one of my biggest questions going into the test (what is the correlation between practice and real scores?), so I thought I'd briefly weigh in.

 

Real Score: 700 (44Q, 41V)

Kaplan Diag: 570 (10/08)

Kaplan CAT 1: 610 (10/17)

...CAT 2: 700 (10/19)

...CAT 5: 630 (10/26)

...CAT 6: 680 (11/1)

...ULT: 690 (11/3)

...CAT 8: 610 (11/8)

 

Disclaimers: I had a really rocky test day (lost 2 minutes before even starting the quant section, and never quite recovered). Then my expected failure in the quant section pretty much ruined the verbal section (my strong area) for me. Basically, I feel that I should have scored a lot better than a 700, and, for those Kaplan kids, expect to gain points on test day. However, I have noticed that there was a big swing in my test scores when I was tired or distracted - just ensure that doesn't happen to you.

 

Good luck! : )

 

Hey, congratulations! You got a great score, which I think will help open a door to many leading MBA programs. I am a test taker who want the same score as you yet struggle with Verbal Section. My problem is that I don't have CATs to practice, since I have done GMAT Prep and MGMAT many times. My goal is to improve my Verbal from 29-30 to at least 35 level.

 

Do you think KAPTEST is worth enough to try? Where can I purchase it? Online?

 

Please help enlighten me.

[gOOters]

Kaplan CAT (CD): 540, 550, 550, 550

 

Real Exam: 690

[iccotdis]

I was expecting a score of above 700 but I ended up with this,

Real GMAT: 670 (AWA 6.0, Quant: 48, Verbal: 34 :mad:)

 

I followed Manhattan GMAT and I found their tests quite good.

 

MGMAT 1: 640

MGMAT 2: 710

MGMAT 3: 700

MGMAT 4: 520 (left the quant part halfway)

MGMAT 5: 720

MGMAT 6: 740

 

GMATPrep1: 680 (before the actual prep)

GMATPrep2: 740 (The final test I gave five days before the actual one)

 

In the actual GMAT, I found it very difficult to concentrate at the end. Due to some mysterious reason, I felt fatigued and tense. :mad:

 

I thought about giving the test again, but decided against it. I have just graduated and I am actually trying for the MSc. Program in Finance in European Universities, so 670 may be sufficient. Moreover, my GPA 4.87/5.00 and good recos and essay should be sufficient.

 

I will try to cross the 700 mark when I appear for my next GMAT (for MBA in 2014):)

 

NOTE: I will advise all to prepare for atleast 3-4 months. one and half month isn't sufficient to cross 700 for most. Even if you master the subjects, the duration of the test may become daunting. Condition yourself to face the test and stay healthy and fit.

[iyermama]

REAL GMAT 590 (FIRST ATTEMPT)

 

GMAT PREP 570 Q41 V28

Princeton Review 560 Q39 V28

Kaplan CAT 1 550 Q31 V32

Kaplan CAT 2 550 Q32 V30

MGMAT free test 540 Q35 V30

Kaplan CAT 3 480 Q24 V24

MGMAT CAT 1 620 Q42 V33

MGMAT CAT 2 620 Q38 V36

MGMAT CAT 3 630 Q42 V34

GMAT PREP 660 Q45 V36

MGMAT CAT 4 560 Q40 V 28

MGMAT CAT 5 620 Q42 V33

MGMAT CAT 6 640 Q43 V34

GMATPREP 680 Q45 V39

 

REAL GMAT 660 Q42 V38

 

Overall, I feel MGMAT has been the best tool, and it was well worth the 40$ I spent for it!! The last time I had dealt with Maths was in High School, and so for me maths had always been a cause for much apprehension. MGMAT helped me overcome that fear with their lucid explanations and a test pattern that most closely mimics the real deal. Kaplan, was a nightmare, I guess, Kaplan quant is clearly not meant for average blokes like me, as for the verbal, the less said the better!

For those who are gearing up to take a shot.... all the best .. stay cool and do not panic, if I could cross 650, I m sure you all will be able to cross 700 easily!! :grad:

[ekvall]

Could someone confirm that the algorithm of my GMATPrep isn't completely out of whack? I know it sounds like a little ridiculous, but I'm consistently getting Q48s on quant with as many as 13 problems. I am of course happy-as-can-be about it, I just don't want to show up on the day and have my score be like 100 points lower.

 

If it is working properly, then it goes to show that the first 10 questions are soooo important. You can literally get the last 10 questions wrong and still score a Q48.

[Cnic]

Guys, wanted to get your opinion on something. I finished the Kaplan GMAT Course (regular not advanced) on Thursday. Throughout the course I have seen steady improvement. However, at the end it has gotten weird. Here is a summary so far:

 

Diagnostic (Paper) – 620

CAT 1 - 620

CAT 2 - 640

CAT 3 - 690

CAT 4 - 660

CAT 5 - 590 (Taken on a Friday night – BAD Idea)

CAT 6 - 710

CAT 7 - 770

 

 

Ever since CAT 3 I was in the 99% on verbal but had horrible math percentiles and could not get higher than a 43 Quant (70%). Then, this morning I amazingly went from a 70% quant to a 99% quant (53).

 

This all seems very arbitrary to me now and I don’t really trust the Kaplan CAT grading scale. Has anyone else run into this with the Kaplan CATs?

 

By the way – I would be thrilled with a 710 on the actual test.

 

Thanks in advance for any input.

[donkey_man_88]

Took my GMAT yesterday. This was one of my biggest questions going into the test (what is the correlation between practice and real scores?), so I thought I'd briefly weigh in.

 

Real Score: 700 (44Q, 41V)

Kaplan Diag: 570 (10/08)

Kaplan CAT 1: 610 (10/17)

...CAT 2: 700 (10/19)

...CAT 5: 630 (10/26)

...CAT 6: 680 (11/1)

...ULT: 690 (11/3)

...CAT 8: 610 (11/8)

 

Disclaimers: I had a really rocky test day (lost 2 minutes before even starting the quant section, and never quite recovered). Then my expected failure in the quant section pretty much ruined the verbal section (my strong area) for me. Basically, I feel that I should have scored a lot better than a 700, and, for those Kaplan kids, expect to gain points on test day. However, I have noticed that there was a big swing in my test scores when I was tired or distracted - just ensure that doesn't happen to you.

 

Good luck! : )

Hey Hokie,

 

What was your score breakdown on your UPT? I'm just curious. I'm been consistently scoring 710-730 on all of my Kap tests. I received a 710 on the UPT (90% Quant, and 91% verbal). I'm just curious to see how these translated into your real score. My Kaplan verbal scores have been consistently high (93%, 99%, 99%, and 91% for my last 4 exams). Wondering if this will translate into a decent verbal score during test day. I received a 56% during my original Gmat, which I took over a year and half ago.

[donkey_man_88]

Took my GMAT yesterday. This was one of my biggest questions going into the test (what is the correlation between practice and real scores?), so I thought I'd briefly weigh in.

 

Real Score: 700 (44Q, 41V)

Kaplan Diag: 570 (10/08)

Kaplan CAT 1: 610 (10/17)

...CAT 2: 700 (10/19)

...CAT 5: 630 (10/26)

...CAT 6: 680 (11/1)

...ULT: 690 (11/3)

...CAT 8: 610 (11/8)

 

Disclaimers: I had a really rocky test day (lost 2 minutes before even starting the quant section, and never quite recovered). Then my expected failure in the quant section pretty much ruined the verbal section (my strong area) for me. Basically, I feel that I should have scored a lot better than a 700, and, for those Kaplan kids, expect to gain points on test day. However, I have noticed that there was a big swing in my test scores when I was tired or distracted - just ensure that doesn't happen to you.

 

Good luck! : )

Hey Hokie,

 

What was your score breakdown on your UPT? I'm just curious. I'm been consistently scoring 710-730 on all of my Kap tests. I received a 710 on the UPT (90% Quant, and 91% verbal). I'm just curious to see how these translated into your real score. My Kaplan verbal scores have been consistently high (93%, 99%, 99%, and 91% for my last 4 exams). Wondering if this will translate into a decent verbal score during test day. I received a 56% during my original Gmat, which I took over a year and half ago.

[ekvall]

Hi guys,

 

I sat my GMAT yesterday and received a 740 (Q46, V46).

 

My practice tests score have been a pretty good indicator of performance. They are:

• GMATPrep 1 (two weeks ago): 730 (Q48, Q41)
  
• GMATPrep 2 (one week ago: 750 (Q48, V45)
  
• GMATPrep 1 (resit two days before the exam): 750 (Q48 V46)

IMO, my low quant score on the day was not due to differences in difficulty, but more due to the centre not having a pen that worked properly. I am definately smuggling in my own pen next time, as they seemed quite slack about that sort of stuff.

[Shereen GMAT-Scared]

Hello,

Guys, what do you think of Manhattan GMAT practice tests? are they easier than the actual GMAT?

Why hasn't anyone taking them on this thread?

Where can I get good practice tests online?

Thanks a lot

Shereen

[donkey_man_88]

I wouldn't say that the Manhattan Gmat tests are easier. In fact, I think the math can be somewhat tougher. The Verbal questions aren't quite the same as the real exam. Overall, I think those tests do not correlate that well. If you are shooting for 700+, then you need to shoot for well over 700 on the Manhattan tests to receive that score on the real thing. That is just my opinion. People say Gmat prep is great, but I think those tests are way easier than the real thing as well. Overall, if you need a test that will skew lower, I think the Kaplan CATs are your best bet. This is only based on my performance throughout. A lot of test takers feel that the Gmat prep software is the best indication.

[donkey_man_88]

Hey All,

 

About a year and a half ago I took the GMAT and scored a 600 (45Q 28V). I enrolled in a Kaplan Advanced course. See all of my practice test scores below, along with my second official GMAT score.

 

Kaplan:

Diagnostic - 700

CAT 1 - 680 (49Q 35V)

CAT 2 - 710 (49Q 41V)

CAT 3 - 730 (48Q 49V)

CAT 4 - 700 (44Q 48V)

CAT 5 - 690 (41Q 51V)

Ultimate Practice Test - 710 (49Q, 41V)

 

Gmat Prep 1 - 710 (46Q 42V)

Gmat Prep 2 - 670 (43Q 39V)

 

Actual GMAT - 600 (45Q 28V)

 

The actual verbal is way tougher than anything else. I don't know what to do because I couldn't apply most of the rules that I learned. It seemed that I received a lot of style/usage questions. Reading comp was insanely tough. Quant wasn't so bad. I had some timing issues with Quant.

 

-Donkey

[Shereen GMAT-Scared]

I am sorry for the 600,

I am actually really surprised as you were scoring exceptionally well on the CAT's and the GMAT prep's ;(

I wannet to ask, did you notice the difficulty level of the real GMAT questions? do you think it was more difficult than Kaplan's?

 

I am facing a lot of difficulties in the verbal part

I just took a Kaplan crash course (private tuition) in London as we dont' have a decent Kaplan Center in Saudi Arabia, and I must say the techniques I learned for CR were good, but I felt they are most applicable for Kaplan questions, anyone to comment to that?

 

are you taking the GMAT again anytime soon? (is there another nickname I can use, it's wierd addressing you as Donkey?)

[Shereen GMAT-Scared]

Hello Guys

 

I would like to get your opinion on my study plan and progress,

Started during the last week of October,

GMAT Prep I 480

Manhattan GMAT 590

KAPLAN Diagnostic 550

CAT 1 640

 

I still have about a total of 13 full GMAT tests to go. The books I am using are:

- KAPLAN Prep

- Kaplan 800

- Manhattan GMAT (all math books and CR + SC)

- Of course the OG 10 & 11

I am to take the test on 27th of January

if you have any suggestions on my progress/study plan please feel free

I am aiming for at least 680 on the real GMAT

Thanks in advance

[jmdgirish]

Hi Shereen,

 

I will be eternally grateful if you could kindly let me know of some practice exams. I seem to be unaware of any right now. I am preparing but I believe it would help to go through a practice test to see where I stand. Hope you understand my concern here.

 

If you could let me know of any webiste links / soft copies , I would be eternally grateful.

 

Many Thanks.

 

-Girish Malik

[jmdgirish]

Hi,

 

Could you please help with some practice tests - websites/links/soft copies.

I will be eternally grateful.

 

My email address is malik.girish@gmail.com

 

Many Thanks.

 

-Girish Malik

[stalion529]

Hello everyone.

 

Actual GMAT 2007 : 540

 

Last Three Months:

Kaplan Diagnostic 600

GmatPrep: 580

Paper Tests (580-715)

Kaplan CAT 650

GMATPREP 700

GMATPREP 680

 

ACTUAL 12/13/2008: 700

WAT A RUSH!

[Shereen GMAT-Scared]

Hey Girish,

 

let me give you a quick crash course on how to prepare for GMAT,

1) register for it, give yourself about three months (average) to prepare. Once you register, you will be able to download two practice tests and some practice questions.

2) Get the following books (must have's):

- OG 11

- Manhattan GMAT SC

- Kaplan Premier prep

- Kaplan 800

3) depending on your score in one of the GMAT practice tests, you should have a study plan. I can help you come up with one. Take the test and let me know how much you scored. Now, it is better to go online and have a bit of knowledge about GMAT and its details (i.e. how many questions, how many sections, timing, ... etc)

- I have bought many books, some of which were a complete waste of money, so I can help you a great deal in picking up the right type of books, again you must tell me what you need to brush up on the most in order for me to help you.

You can buy many practice tests online from Kaplan and other websites such as 800 score and power prep. I personally prefer Kaplan. I have downloaded the two practice tests and have 8 Kaplan tests, also once you buy Manhattan GMAT you are eligible for 6 practice tests. I believe the more tests you do the better you get. So I have taken 4 so far and looking forward to finish about 10 more.

let me know how does it go

 

Best Regards,

Shereen

[Shereen GMAT-Scared]

Hey Stalion,

 

CONGRATULATIONS ;) WOHOOOOOO

Could you share with us how you got to the 700 figure? I would love to get your feedback on my study plan.

 

what a score ;)

[Shereen GMAT-Scared]

oops sorry Stalion, the smily was supposed to be :) :) :)

not ;)