The GMAT is now only available as a computerized test. Instead
of having a predetermined mixture of easy, medium, and hard questions,
the computer will select questions for you based on how well you are
doing. The first question will be of medium difficulty (500 level questions
are halfway between 200 and 800). If you get it right, the second question
will be selected from a group of questions that are a little harder;
if you get the first question wrong, the second question will be a little
easier. The result is that the test is self-adjusting and self-correcting
to your skill level.
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Fig. 1.1 This graph shows
how the test keeps a running score of your performance as you
take the test. The student's running score goes up after getting
the first three questions right (blue)
and the score goes down when the test taker gets questions wrong
(red) (questions 4 and 5 on lower
axis). As the test progresses, the swings caused by getting
a question right or wrong progressively decrease. |
Harder
Questions Count More
A result of the CAT format is that the harder problems count more
than easier ones. If one student does twenty easy
questions, half of which he gets right and half of which he gets wrong,
and then another student does twenty very difficult
questions, half of which he gets right and half of which
he gets wrong, the second student who did the very difficult questions
will get a higher score.
The student who answered ten out of twenty very difficult questions
incorrectly would still get a very high score on the GMAT CAT because
the harder questions are more heavily weighted. Simpler questions
might be easier to answer, but they count much less. Your goal should
be to get as many hard questions right because that will get you your
highest possible score.
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The Early Questions Count More Myth
800score's CEO discussed the new 2006 GMAT exam with GMAC executives (note: 800score's tests aren't endorsed by GMAC and we have no affiliation with them). But, we learned that the actual GMAT weighs the early questions only SLIGHTLY more than later questions. Many test prep companies give false advice on this subject so students unnecessarily obsess over the first few questions. The reality is that the GMAT is such a sophisticated test that it doesn't rely on the first few questions. On test day, stay calm and don't panic; the test is "smart" enough to quickly adapt and get a fair reading of your ability even if you do choke on the first few questions.
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