Is GMAT Focus Harder Than Official Mocks?

Question

Is  GMAT Focus Harder Than Official Mocks?

Ruchika C · Accepted Answer

The GMAT Focus exam can feel harder than the official mocks, but that&rsquo;s mostly because of test-day pressure, not the actual difficulty level. The official mocks from GMAC are pretty close in format and question style to the real test. What throws people off is the shorter time frame and less time per question on the real thing&mdash;you get fewer questions, but each one carries more weight.
Also, on test day, you don&rsquo;t get to skip or flag questions, which adds pressure. That alone can make the real exam feel more intense than the mocks. But in terms of question type and difficulty, they&rsquo;re fairly aligned. If your mock scores are consistent, your actual score shouldn&rsquo;t be far off&mdash;unless stress gets in the way.

Supriya J · Answer

For most people, the GMAT Focus feels harder than the official mocks not because the questions are trickier, but because of how adaptive scoring hits during the test. On the real exam, the algorithm adjusts quickly and if you get a few early questions wrong, it can impact your score more than expected. That doesn&rsquo;t feel as harsh in the mocks.
Another thing that makes the real test feel harder is the lack of detailed feedback after the exam&mdash;you don&rsquo;t get a full breakdown like in mocks, so it&rsquo;s tough to know where you went wrong. If you&rsquo;re getting good scores on the mocks, that&rsquo;s a good sign, but don&rsquo;t assume the real test will feel exactly the same in pressure or flow.