CAT Guide

How the CAT Works?

The CAT is an adaptive test, which means that the test software uses your performance on one question to determine which question you'll be asked next. While all CAT questions are pulled from the same pool, each test taker will have a unique combination of questions that forms his entire GMAT.

When you take a CAT you'll start with a medium-level question. If you answer correctly, the computer will raise your score and proceed to give you a harder question. If you answer incorrectly, your score will go down and you'll get an easier question. The process repeats for each question on the section.

On a paper-and-pencil standardized test, each question counts the same toward your final score. On the CAT, the first questions are much more important than later questions in determining your final score. It is imperative for you to get off to a strong start on the GMAT CAT.

Many CAT features will be completely new to you. Don't worry; at The Princeton Review we've been helping students crack computer adaptive tests for more than five years. Here are some common issues with CAT format:

• Make effective use of scratch paper for notes, calculations and process of elimination.
• Give full attention to each question as it appears: you cannot skip a question and return to it later.
• Don't panic as the question difficulty changes. The test adapts itself based on your performance, so all the questions should seem challenging to you.

The Structure of the GMAT CAT

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
The CAT starts with two Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) essays. You'll be given 30 minutes for each essay. You will type your AWA essays into the computer using a basic word processor with cut-and-paste functions.

Math
Next come the Quantitative Section and Verbal Section (75 minutes each). The quantitative section contains a mixture of two basic question types, Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

Verbal
The CAT Verbal Section contains Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning questions.

Each Math and Verbal section in the CAT format contains several unscored pretest questions. These questions will not match their difficulty level to your performance and will not affect the questions that follow.

In the last few years, the GMAT has introduced computer adaptive test (CAT) forms, as opposed to paper-and-pencil (scantron) test forms. Today, you can take the GMAT only on a computer. The following explains the way CATs are scored and the best strategy for taking one.

All Is Not Created Equal
The CAT gives varying weights to the questions. Each CAT question is added to provide a raw score, which is converted into a scaled score. The GMAT scaled scores range from 200-800, with the Quantitative and Verbal raw scores combined into a single score. A paper-and-pencil test gives each correct question the same point value; a CAT gives each correct question a different point value.

Next, you should understand how ETS assigns weights to the GMAT CAT questions. The questions are roughly divided into thirds, and the first third of the questions in any section is weighted the most. This means that the first third of the questions determines the bulk of your GMAT scaled score. The second third accounts for a lesser amount of the scaled score, and the last third counts for a relatively insignificant amount of your overall score.

What the ...?
Before you ask why ETS has structured the test this way, you should ask, "How should I approach a test with such a bizarre setup?" The is this: Make sure you do your best on the first third of the questions in each section. Then, focus on the second third. Your personal goal will dictate how much time you spend on the last third.

Let's place the idea of weighted questions in context. A section will begin with an "average-level" question. For simplicity's sake, we will associate this question with a scaled score of 500, which is an average GMAT score. If I get this question right, my scaled score could increase by as much as 80 points; if I get it wrong, my scaled score could decrease by as much as 80 points. See how much significance is placed on the first group of questions? Your raw, and thus scaled, score can become very high or very low in no time.

What Else Can I Do?
Be cautious. You want to be sure about accuracy on early questions, and worry less about getting to the last questions in a section. Remember, later questions have a progressively smaller impact on your overall score, but you need to answer all of them. If you are pressed for time, guess. Just don't leave any questions unanswered.

I know, you're still thinking, "But why?" Well, hold those thoughts and take in a couple more details. First, along with getting a question right or wrong, the level of difficulty of the next question will change. A correct answer "rewards" you with a harder question; an incorrect answer "rewards" you with an easier question. Potentially, each of you can have a different test in terms of the questions that you see. There are a significant number of experimental questions sprinkled in as well, and the experimental questions do not factor into your score. It is hard to predict how you are doing throughout the test because you could get a very easy or difficult experimental question out of the blue. You won't know how you did on the prior question, so just focus on doing your best on each question.

More CAT Strategies

The CAT doesn't let you go backward, so do not move on to the next question unless you are sure about your answer (or you have no idea and decide to guess). You'll be penalized for incorrect answers, but the penalty becomes less severe as you get deeper into each section. Essentially, ETS will reduce your raw score by the percentage of unanswered questions in a section (e.g., a 30-question section with 6 questions left blank will mean a 20% reduction of your raw score). Do not leave anything blank-when you have only one minute left, fill in your "psychic friends" letter of the day for any remaining questions.

Why Does ETS Do CATs This Way?
Remember, ETS is "hired" by graduate schools to divide test takers; therefore, it must create a reasonable distribution of scaled scores. People usually approach tests with the goal to finish. Using this knowledge, ETS designed a test that punishes you for rushing at the beginning.

Final Words of Wisdom
You simply must do your best on earlier questions. Pace yourself, and work on accuracy as opposed to quantity.

Finally, let me emphasize that these explanations and strategies are guidelines only. Different goals require different pacing. You cannot score in the 700s without answering a majority of the questions. At the same time, it is very hard to score above 500 without answering the first 5-10 questions correctly.

Good luck, and happy testing!