The GMAT score is an essential admissions requirement for most of the top MBA programs. For those keen on being admitted into a top-ranked business school, a GMAT percentile in the top 10% can improve the odds of acceptance. And of course, the class average also plays a role in defining the threshold.
If you can get your GMAT score above the business school average (20-30 points higher for over-represented applicant pools), you’d be in a relatively safer position than other applicants who’re applying with a lower score. Not much to debate there.
Other than gaining an admit, a good score together with a strong application can also improve the chances of bagging a scholarship.
Unfortunately, the GMAT score tends to be the Achilles’ heel for several applicants. Many take mock or practice tests to get a feel for the real tests. The assumption is that these practice test scores would be a close approximation of the actual score.
But that often doesn’t happen! It has happened with the earlier editions of the GMAT, and now we’re seeing it for the GMAT Focus Edition too.
Candidates who come to us for MBA applications help often say that they were expecting a higher GMAT score (on the basis of their scores in the GMAT official practice tests), whereas they ended up scoring much lower.
This can be very disappointing, especially if the time crunch (with fast approaching application deadlines) doesn’t permit another attempt at the GMAT.
This raises three big questions:
- Is the actual GMAT test tougher than the official practice exams?
- What are the reasons why GMAT practice test scores don’t match the actual test scores?
- What can you do about it?
What are the GMAT official practice exams?
There are private companies that offer practice GMAT tests for test-taker. These are based on proprietary algorithms hosted on their independent platforms. They’re good to get a general feel of the test.
But there is an alternative if you’re looking for accuracy in the practice test scoring.
GMAC, the creators of the test, offers its test-takers two full-length official GMAT practice tests. According to the official website, these GMAT practice tests leverage the same scoring algorithm as the real GMAT exam. They adapt in difficulty as you improve and simulate the real GMAT exam test-taking experience.
The first two tests are available free of charge while there’s an additional fee for the additional practice tests.
| GMAT official practice exams | Exam fee |
| 1st & 2nd | Free |
| 3rd & 4th | $59.99 |
| 5th & 6th | $59.99 |
| 3rd to 6th | $107.99 |
So far, so good! But if this is the exact algorithm that you’ll encounter on the real test day, why do the scores differ so much between these official tests and the real score?
Is the real GMAT test harder than the GMAT official practice tests?
The purpose of the GMAT official practice exams is to prepare test-takers for the actual GMAT test which is why they follow the same format.
It’s neither tougher nor easier; the difficulty level changes depending on the answers you provide and they follow the same computer-adaptive algorithm as the real test. It’s the closest you can get to the real GMAT test.
The mock tests that are offered by other test prep companies can be a good way to practise and polish your test-taking skills helping with better time management. You’d get to know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can devise a GMAT study plan accordingly.
However, it is recommended that you save the official GMAT practice tests for final practice, as there are limited number of tests available and it would be good to attempt these tests closer to your GMAT test day when you’ve completed your test prep.
Why GMAT test scores don’t match practice test scores
There are several reasons why the two scores differ. We’ll cover the top ones.
1. GMAT test anxiety
Test pressure is one of the top reasons for poor exam performance. This applies to all tests, and not just the GMAT. In fact, exam stress has also been known to impair a person’s ability to retrieve knowledge from their memory during a test.
According to the International Online Medical Council research report findings, anxiety can lead to overthinking, sleep deprivation, bad performance on exams and in extreme cases can trigger panic attacks. Other symptoms may include headache, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting.
Some MBA aspirants use meditation to calm their nerves. Here’s the story of one such applicant who worked with us. He explains how meditation helped him improve his GMAT score
The GMAT can be re-taken if your score is not up to the mark. From our experience, we’ve seen that the average number of GMAT attempts is between 1 to 2. A few go for more attempts (we know a few who’ve reached the lifetime limit of 8). In many cases, the second attempt could be less stressful, since test takers are already aware of what to expect.
Many students see a jump in their GMAT score in their successive attempts which may be due to a more focused GMAT exam preparation, and the familiarity with the entire process also helps.
Also read: How Puneet improved his GMAT score from 540 to 740
The GMAT ESR (Enhanced Score Report) which was earlier available at an additional fee of $30, is now part of the standard test results.
It provides a review of your GMAT test performance with detailed insights into various aspects of your performance including how you rank for each section and sub-section, time management skills, correct answers (percentage) you got and the average difficulty of each question, how you fared compared to other test takers.
Using the ESR, you can have a clearer picture of how you performed across sections and the areas that need improvement.
2. Environmental factors
Compare taking the test in a familiar environment from the comfort of your home as against taking it at the test center, where there may be distractions (for example, surrounding noise from ongoing construction or busy market in the neigbourhood) or you may be uncomfortable due to the room conditions (very high or low air-conditioning). All of this can affect your concentration and impact your test performance.
Though you cannot enter the test center beforehand, you can still visit the test center area and spend some time there to get a feel for the surroundings. Is it close to a busy metro station or a stadium or a construction site? What’s the nature, intensity, and frequency of the noise?
Obviously, you may not be able to replicate those sounds at home. But at the very least, the awareness would help you be mentally prepared for it on the test day, and the discovery won’t hit you like a ton of bricks on D-Day.
3. Test timing
During practice tests, you can choose your test timings based on your convenience. You may be a morning lark or a night owl, and accordingly take practice tests when your alertness and energy is at its peak.
You also have the option to take a break and resume the test later in some GMAT practice tests.
In the actual test, you may not have any of those luxuries.
However, if you book well in advance, you do have the option of choosing a GMAT test day and time slot that works for you.
Also, take into account traffic conditions during the time you’d travel to the test center while leaving enough buffer time.
Reaching the test center half an hour early ensures that you are relaxed and have sufficient time for the check-in process. You have to be physically & mentally well-prepared to give it your best.
Time management during the GMAT exam can also be quite challenging. So, practice well before the exam to ensure that you have a better understanding of how to pace yourself on the test day.
4. Understanding GMAT concepts
While working on probability related questions, let’s assume there are 10 commonly asked probability question types which you’ve thoroughly practiced and tested.
What if you’re faced with a new (11th) question type you had not expected or practiced?
To avoid facing such a situation, make it a point to focus on grasping the fundamental concepts comprehensively and developing an understanding of key strategies, rather than just practicing specific past questions.
The questions you cover in mock tests are just a sample, not the entire set.
5. Test day fatigue
You have been cramming for your GMAT exam and now when the test day arrives, you feel completely exhausted. This is not unusual.
There are also candidates who experience fatigue and a drop in their performance on the test day, as the exam progresses.
In order to not get completely burnt out before the GMAT test day, you need to slow down and take time to relax the day before the actual exam.
Try to follow the same schedule a few days before the exam – including waking up and eating at the same time. This will help ensure that you get used to the timings (especially meal times) and there are no last-minute surprises or health issues.
Get enough rest; sleep well the night before and have nutritious meals and breakfast. Keep yourself hydrated and carry healthy snacks to energize yourself during the GMAT breaks.
6. Inflated mock test scores
Payal Tandon, co-founder of e-GMAT pointed out an additional factor. She says that the biggest reason why there is such a stark mismatch is the familiarity with official questions that are posed in the official mocks (due to their availability in the public domain). Such familiarity can lead to inflated mock test results.
At the end of the day, what if you don’t get a good score in spite of having attempted several times earlier?
The short answer – don’t despair!
The GMAT is just one component of your entire application and none of the business school assess candidates solely on the basis of a strong GMAT score.
On the contrary, applications are evaluated holistically, so focusing your effort on the remaining components of the application would be the right strategy.
Let’s take a look at the GMAT score range for some of the top business schools.
Note: We’re using Classic GMAT scores in this article for bschool averages as well as our older success stories, as b-schools have only started accepting Focus Edition scores from this year.
At Harvard Business School, it was 500-790, the median being 740. This means that even a 500 GMAT scorer got into Harvard. [Don’t aim for that score though!]
At Stanford, the GMAT score range was 630 to 790, the average being 738. At Chicago Booth, it was 600 to 780, the average being 728.
This shows that even if your GMAT score is not up to the mark, backed by a stellar application and a strong profile, your dream school may be well within your reach.
We have plenty of stories on how to overcome a low GMAT score and get into top MBA programs. Find out what strategies these applicants followed and how they came up with a strong application.
If at some point, you realize that the GMAT is not your cup of tea, you can give GRE a shot!
Read this : Switching from GMAT to GRE led to admits with scholarship
Once you’re done with your test, if you need any help with your MBA application, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us: info [at] mbacrystalball [dot] com
We’ll help you navigate the post-GMAT journey.
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