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 Post subject: Verbal Section Score 53 (possible?)
PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:44 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:35 pm
Posts: 4
Hi there,

I just took the verbal section of the 800score practice test licensed through Veritas Prep. I received a section score of 53. Obviously pleased, but also a little confused. I thought the highest you could get was a 51. Any insights?

Thanks.


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 Post subject: Re: Verbal Section Score 53 (possible?)
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 10:29 am 
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Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 2:13 pm
Posts: 117
Hi Cassandra,

First of all, sorry for the tardy reply on this - someone just mentioned to me that we had a few questions on here without responses, and I apologize that we hadn't gotten back to you on this.

Secondly, congratulations! It sounds like you had a great verbal performance on that test, so I'm very happy to hear that you're doing so well.

As for the question, the official GMAT scoring algorithm is "saving" portions of its 60-point scaled score range for a time when the difficulty levels of the exam need to "spread their wings" broader to better differentiate between candidates. Currently, the quantitative scores max out at 51, and if I'm not mistaken the verbal scores are capped somewhere in the high 40s (evidence that the world has started to accelerate more quickly on the quantitative side than on the verbal).

Significantly more important than your scaled score is your percentile - whereas on, say, a medical school licensing exam, the score itself is more important - you wouldn't want a surgeon who was below a qualifying threshold to operate on your heart - on the GMAT, the percentile is paramount, as business schools want to be able to select the best candidates from the field of applicants. If only 2% of applicants can score above 49 on the quant section, they still represent the top 2% of applicants on that metric, and schools are committed to filling their x number of seats (and collect those tuition fees), so the schools will take the best applicants they can (there's no "pass" vs. "fail" on the GMAT - only a sliding scale).

So, you may find that some practice tests are a bit less precise on the scaled scores, but that's because the main metric that matters is the percentile, so I'd focus on that, and the way that your percentiles translate to your overall 200-800 score. We'll talk to the folks at 800score about re-calibrating their scaled scores, as well.


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 Post subject: Re: Verbal Section Score 53 (possible?)
PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:22 am 
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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:14 am
Posts: 2
Actually both quant and verbal are capped at 51. The fact that the Veritas practice tests allow you to score above the capped level is a little bit frightening to be honest. Aren't these people supposed to be GMAT experts?


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