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Last Updated on September 10, 2024
Taking GMAT practice tests is an aspect of basically any GMAT study plan you can find. So, it’s natural that many GMAT students wonder, “Is the GMAT harder than practice tests?” After all, students want to know how closely their practice test experience matches what they will experience on test day.
Moreover, many people preparing for the GMAT hear rumors that the real test is more difficult than official practice tests.
So, in this article, we’ll look at GMAT practice test vs. actual test difficulty. We’ll also discuss why people get mistaken impressions when making difficulty comparisons between practice tests and the real deal.
Here are all the topics we’ll cover:
- Is GMAT Prep Easier Than the Real GMAT?
- Is GMAT Prep Harder Than the Real GMAT?
- Official Practice Tests Use the Real GMAT Scoring Algorithm
- Why Do People Report Differences Between Practice Test and Real Test Difficulty?
- Key Takeaways: How Accurate Are GMAT Practice Tests?
- What’s Next?
We’ll begin by comparing the GMAT Prep practice test difficulty with the real test difficulty.
Is GMAT Prep Easier Than the Real GMAT?
When people wonder about practice test vs. actual test difficulty, they are usually wondering about the official mba.com practice tests. (Those practice tests are often called “GMAT Prep” tests. In the past, they were included in software called “GMAT Prep.”)
Many people claim that the official practice tests are not as difficult as the actual GMAT. However, the evidence points to the contrary.
Test-taker debriefs indicate that generally, a score difference between practice and actual tests has a clear reason besides test difficulty. For example, test anxiety or issues with the test center environment are common factors in score differences.
In other words, analysis of test-taker performances reveals no pattern of test-day score drops due to lower mock exam difficulty.
KEY FACT:
Analysis of test-taker performances reveals no pattern of test-day score drops due to lower mock exam difficulty.
So then, what about the reverse? Are the official GMAT practice tests harder than the actual GMAT?
Is GMAT Prep Harder Than the Real GMAT?
As for whether GMAT Prep practice tests are harder than the real GMAT, the evidence indicates that they are not.
Here is what we know:
- Many test-takers who take the official practice tests and the actual GMAT score virtually the same on both. In fact, the predictive ability of scores on official practice tests is high.
- GMAT experts who have taken official practice tests and the real GMAT report that the exam difficulty level is comparable.
So, if you’re wondering, “Do GMAT Prep tests accurately reflect the difficulty level of the actual GMAT?”, rest assured. You can take official GMAT practice tests with confidence, knowing that they closely match the real test difficulty.
KEY FACT:
Test-taker reports and score data indicate that official practice tests and the real GMAT are comparable in difficulty.
Not convinced by test-taker reports and score data? We have another key reason to be confident that official practice test difficulty aligns with the real GMAT test difficulty. Let’s discuss.
Official Practice Tests Use the Real GMAT Scoring Algorithm
You probably know that the test format and types of content tested on official practice tests are the same as those on the real GMAT. However, you may not know that official practice tests also use the same computer-adaptive testing system and scoring algorithm as the actual GMAT.
So, as on the real exam, the difficulty of official practice test questions changes depending on your performance. Furthermore, after completing an official practice test, you’ll receive section scores and a total score, along with their percentile rankings. These scores and percentiles were calculated using the same methodology used for the real GMAT.
KEY FACT:
Official practice tests use the same computer-adaptive testing system and scoring algorithm as the actual GMAT exam.
With all of this in mind, there is no reason to believe that official practice tests are either easier or harder than the real test.
So then, why do some test-takers report one of those scenarios to be the case?
Why Do People Report Differences Between Practice Test and Real Test Difficulty?
We know that some test-takers report difficulty differences between practice tests and the actual GMAT. We also know that the evidence supports those test-takers who report that the exam difficulty level is essentially the same. So, what’s going on here?
There are a few reasons why test-takers might perceive a noticeable difference in difficulty between practice and real GMATs. The 3 most common reasons are the following:
- small, inherent differences between each GMAT
- unforeseen issues on test day
- taking third-party practice tests
Let’s explore each of these reasons further.
Each GMAT Is a Little Different
No two GMAT tests are exactly alike. In other words, you’re never going to see the exact same mix of questions on any two GMATs. That fact remains true whether you’re taking official practice tests or actual GMAT exams.
So, different GMAT question mixes will cause a test-taker to find some tests easier or harder than others. After all, one test might play slightly more to a particular person’s strengths. Conversely, the next test might include a few more questions that expose that person’s weaknesses.
Thus, when some test-takers assert that the real GMAT was harder or easier than their official practice tests, they’re right! The thing is, only the GMAT they happened to take was harder or easier, and only for them.
In other words, there is some “luck of the draw” involved in the questions you see on any GMAT. Thus, one of the biggest GMAT preparation mistakes is picking and choosing what to study or what practice questions to solve. Many test-takers unwisely base their prep on what they’ve heard are the most common GMAT topics or what they’ve seen on past practice tests.
The only way to be truly prepared for the GMAT is to be ready for anything that could come your way on test day. As far as test-taking strategies go, trying to predict what you’ll see is among the least reliable.
The only way to be truly prepared for the GMAT is to be ready for anything that could come your way on test day.
Unforeseen Issues Can Derail Test Day
Earlier, I alluded to problems that test-takers can experience during the real GMAT that they wouldn’t experience during practice tests. For instance, maybe the test pressure affects them more than they anticipated. Thus, they find it much harder to focus or recall information during the real GMAT than during practice tests. After all, practice tests are inherently less pressure-filled, even when you try to replicate the test-day experience.
Or maybe there are distractions in the test center environment that throw a test-taker off her game. Perhaps a test-taker did not sleep as well the night before his actual GMAT as he did before his practice tests.
While we should try to simulate the testing experience during practice tests, it isn’t possible to perfectly duplicate test day. So, when test day doesn’t go as planned, people suspect that the test itself was more difficult than practice tests.
KEY FACT:
Issues such as test anxiety, poor sleep, or test-center distractions can make the real GMAT seem harder than practice tests.
Third-Party Practice Tests May Not Be Accurate
Difficulty levels vary widely among third-party practice tests. Some third-party tests are much more difficult than the actual GMAT. (And let’s remember, more difficult doesn’t necessarily mean better preparation.) Others are much less difficult. Still others may be fairly close in difficulty to the real test, but there’s a catch.
The only practice tests that use the actual GMAT scoring algorithm are the official ones that GMAC provides. So, the difficulty and score validity of third-party practice tests can’t be “guaranteed” as they can for official practice tests. Nobody knows the secret sauce except the actual test-makers, and they’re not sharing their recipe!
TTP PRO TIP:
The only practice tests that use the actual GMAT scoring algorithm are the official practice tests that GMAC provides.
Now, let’s review the key takeaways from our comparison of practice vs. actual test difficulty.
Key Takeaways: How Accurate Are GMAT Practice Tests?
- Only official practice tests use the same computer-adaptive testing system and scoring algorithm as the actual GMAT.
- Test-taker debriefs and score data indicate that the difficulty of official GMAT practice tests is on par with that of the real exam.
- People may find the real GMAT more difficult because of test-day issues such as anxiety or test-center distractions.
- Third-party practice tests may be inaccurate and thus give people a false impression of what their test-day scores will be.
- No two GMAT tests are exactly alike, whether they’re official practice tests or actual GMATs. So, from one GMAT to the next, people may perceive differences in difficulty, depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
What’s Next?
Check out our guide to incorporating GMAT practice tests into your study plan.
Not seeing the score improvement you need? Get some expert advice on how to increase your GMAT score.
