Thinking of taking the online course, but have questions

by **Eitan** Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:10 am

Hi,

I'm thinking of taking the 9 week online course. I took the first practice test and scored a 640. Before I sign up and make such a commitment, I'd like to get some questions answered.

1. How reliable is the practice test? Do you know how the scores on the practice tests might differ from the real thing? For example, a 20 point swing either way.

2. For people that scored around a 640 on the first practice test, what kind of scores are they getting after they take the real test?

Thanks for any info.

Eitan

by **mdinerstein** Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:58 pm

Hi Eitan,

The score you receive on your practice exam is not exactly what you should be looking at. Instead, we recommend analyzing your Assessment Reports to see a more in-depth breakdown of your performance on the exam. With this information, you will be able to focus your studies. The reason why the actual score is not accurate is because the ManhattanGMAT Practice Tests have a standard deviation of about 50 points, meaning you could be anywhere from a 590 - 690 level test-taker. Granted, the real GMAT has a standard deviation of 30 points, so our tests are a pretty close approximation of the real test, but like any practice exam, they cannot be relied on for an accurate score.

Hence, the second question that you pose is also difficult to answer. We don't keep track of students' diagnostics and their eventual GMAT score just because doing so would not be accurate. It would be like comparing to apples and oranges - one test is not indicative of a student's performance on the other. However, I can say that the median GMAT score for course graduates is a 690.

Best,

Michael Dinerstein
Marketing & Student Services Associate
michael@manhattangmat.com
800-576-4628
212-721-7400

by **StaceyKoprince** Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:18 am

If you want a (somewhat) more accurate "first test" indicator, try GMATPrep. The standard error for that one hasn't been published, but it should either be about 30 (like the real test) or a little bit higher, depending upon how much, exactly, it mimics the real test.