GMAT Newsletter - CAT Prep.com

Major Upgrade to CATPrep's Simulator platform released!

2008-03-16T21:38:49Z

CATPrep.com is excited to announce the release of a major upgrade to our Computer Adaptive Test Simulator platform. The latest release is now available for both our GRE Test Simulator and GMAT Exam Simulator and includes the following new features:

The Java runtime requirement has been removed. Users are no longer required to install or enable Java in order to use our simulator software.
Completed exam sessions are now automatically saved locally as well as remotely on our servers, dramatically decreasing the possibility of losing saved exam results.
Several updates to our question pools and adjustments to our scoring algorithm.
Improved support for various browsers and operating systems.
Better overall performance and accessibility of the software platform.

This latest release is available immediately from www.catprep.com

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What's the critical factor in earning a GMAT score over 650?

2005-09-23T11:56:11Z

Do you know the most critical factor for high performers when they sit for the actual GMAT exam?

The aspect of the GMAT that severely impacts high performers is that it will continue to present you with harder and harder questions until your performance begins to level out. If you're shooting for a score above the eightieth percentile, you're going to be continually presented with more and more difficult questions.

This is a feature of the GMAT experience that is impossible to recreate with standard study aids and it throws thousands of test takers off "their best game" every year.

Only by practicing under realistic conditions will you learn to accurately manage your time and endurance in a manner conducive to achieving the highest score possible! That's why it is so important to practice with a study aid like our GMAT Simulator.

Our simulator is the most realistic si mulation of the actual GMAT exam available anywhere and it was designed specifically to recreate the unique features of the computer-adaptive GMAT exam. If you haven't already taken advantage of this unique preparation software, we urge you to visit the GMAT Simulator launch page now and begin preparing under truly realistic conditions.

Launch the full-featured comprehensive version of our GMAT Simulator using any of our five completely independent original question pools by clicking this link.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail support@catprep.com. We'd be happy to hear from you!

-C.A.T. Prep Support

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Are your GMAT study materials up-to-date?

2005-09-23T11:24:59Z

We hope your preparations for the big exam are going well and that you are using study-aids like our comprehensive GMAT Simulator, that are designed specifically for the computer-adaptive GMAT.

Most other practice material available today was written for the old paper-based GMAT. The old question types are no longer relevant and you should avoid wasting your time and money with these dated products. The easiest way to identify dated practice exams and material is through their long reading comprehension passages with more than four corresponding questions, but there are other attributes you should look for in quality GMAT products:

Does your practice material address the following?

reading comprehension passages should not exceed 350 words

only 3 or 4 questions should correspond to each comprehension passage

visual data interpretation, graph, and diagram questions are present

supplies the new bold faced critical reasoning questions

updated with tougher probability questions

selects subsequent questions according to your current performance

Competing products including cheap internet downloads and even software from reputable preparation courses fail to account for changes in the GMAT and have not been updated to address the points above. Worse, most aren't adaptive and simply present the same list of questions to every test taker. If you see the same set of questions regardless of your score, you are not practicing with an accurate exam!

Our GMAT simulator is the most accurate simulation of the actual GMAT exam available anywhere and it was designed specifically to recreate the unique features of the computer-adaptive GMAT exam.

If you haven't already, we suggest you read our instructions on how to \"Verify Your Preparation Level\" using our simulator. The instructions are available on our Main GMAT page.

Launch the full-featured comprehensive version of our GMAT Simulator using any of our five completely independent original question pools by clicking this link.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail support@catprep.com. We'd be happy to hear from you!

-C.A.T. Prep Support

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Are you fully prepared for the GMAT?

2005-09-23T11:16:24Z

We recently sent you instructions on how to access a free scaled-down version of our GMAT Simulator. We hope you have taken the opportunity to practice using this online recreation of the computer adaptive GMAT with an original question set updated with the latest question types.

The full-featured comprehensive version of our GMAT Simulator includes everything featured in the demonstration version:

all three sections (AWA, Quantitative, & Verbal)

realistic user interface and timing functions

verifiably accurate scoring engine

answers with explanations and timing analysis

updated question pools with newly introduced question types

Plus, with the complete question sets available with the full-featured version of the simulator you'll experience a truly adaptive testing session where questions become progressively harder or easier depending upon your current level of performance.

There is no other practice material available that can recreate the true GMAT experience like our GMAT Simulator. Keep in mind what a fantastic advantage it is to sit for a completely accurate recreation of the exam prior to test day. Take a lesson from every professional athlete and performer...don't let your first time on the stage or in the arena be game day!

If you haven't already, we suggest you read our instructions on how to \"Verify Your Preparation Level\" using our simulator. The instructions are available on our Main GMAT page.

Launch the full-featured comprehensive version of our GMAT Simulator using any of our five completely independent original question pools by clicking this link.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail support@catprep.com. We'd be happy to hear from you!

-C.A.T. Prep Support

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How do GMAT scoring algorithms affect you?

2005-09-23T10:55:22Z

Read on to learn more about GMAT scoring algorithms and how they affect you on test day:

One of the important benefits of a GMAT preparation plan that includes simulated GMAT exam sessions with the C.A.T. Prep GMAT Simulator is the feedback offered by the incredibly accurate scoring engine included in the simulator software. Students and instructors worldwide depend on our simulator to determine when a prospective test taker is prepared to achieve his or her desired score on the GMAT exam. Testimonials like that of a recent customer who earned an identical score with our software and on the actual exam are one way that we monitor the performance of our software, but many users have expressed interest in the finer points of how we successfully emulate GMAT scoring. In the next few paragraphs, I will attempt to shed some light on this subjec t.

The actual calculations for raw, scaled sectional, and cumulative scores are not published by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the current publisher of the actual GMAT exam, and the goal of the GMAT is to produce scores that are consistent year to year. In other words, a 650 from several years ago is supposed to be equivalent to a 650 today. To meet that goal, the scaled sectional scores continually fluctuate with regard to the associated percentile. For example, average quantitative scores have been rising for several years and it now takes a scaled score of 51 to reach the 99th percentile while a 48 now represents only the 87th percentile. By comparison, in the verbal section, there is a 7 point difference between the 99th (a score of around 45) and the 87th percentile (around 38).

Since these types of scoring adjustments are not announced publicly, the only reliable way to monitor these scoring fluctuations is to use observations of actual test scores. So clearly software algorithms must be continually monitored and adjusted to provide accurate scoring assessment. At C.A.T. Prep we devote the large majority of our effort towards the reliable reproduction of the total cumulative score with regard to test taker performance. We continually adjust our formula for cumulative score generation along with question pool content to reflect the observations and feedback of actual test takers. In stark contrast, many inferior GMAT preparation software products use static formulas and question pools that bear no resemblance to the current exam.

It is important to note that there is no simple relationship between the number of questions answered correctly during a single GMAT session and the associated cumulative score. Each question in each section of the GMAT is assigned a unique weight and earlier questions in the section are worth more than later questions while quantitative questions are generally worth more than verbal ones. Students should be aware that the cumulative score on the GMAT is calculated in increments of 10 points. So, the difference between a 690 and a 700 is only one "tick". This difference may be attributable to a difference in the number of correct responses, but that is not necessarily the case. 10 points is so narrow a margin in the cumulative GMAT score that the order of your incorrect responses could be the determining factor in whether you receive a 690 or 700.

For example, if you miss 3 verbal questions towards the end of the section during one GMAT session, but miss the same 3 questions in the middle during another session, your second session could easily be scored 10 points lower. This is one reason why our recommended GMAT instructors suggest that you give more attention to the earlier questions on each section. Quite simply, the earlier questions are worth more.

I hope this information helps resolve some of your questions pertaining to the mysterious GMAT scoring algorithms. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you haven't already, we suggest you read our instructions on how to "Verify Your Preparation Level" using our simulator. The instructions are available on our Main GMAT page.

-Cindy Anderson, CATPrep.com

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