Does the GARP Mock / Practice Exam for Part II approximate the actual exam?

[nikic]

I just did the pre-mock test for Part II from GARP and scored 14 / 20. I was actually pretty surprised cause the calculation questions were pretty direct, and there seemed to be around half or more than half of questions revolving around calculations.

For Part 1, as I recall, the actual exam was kinda like the practice exam (I sat in May 2018). But for Part 2, I keep reading that the calculation questions are far and few between.

Would appreciate all your feedbacks!

Thanks!

 

[budiman90]

There are still a few hours left before the May 2019 exam feedback thread is open, so I'm not going to comment on the May 2019 exam. But if I recall, the actual Nov 2018 was not really "kinda like" the practice exam. At least if I compare with how alike CFA mock exams to the actual ones (I'm not saying that CFA mock exams are really like the actual exams either; we are talking relatively here).

True, there are some questions (I'd guess around 20-25%) that are similar, and even one or two that are exactly the same (bonus questions, I guess) but overall I feel it has enough differences that you should not rely too much on just studying practice exams. You should still review all the topics (e.g. with Schweser notes: the key concepts section, concept checker questions, and all the examples in the blue boxes).

 

[Rosa Rodríguez]

I completly agree with @budiman90... It was not really like the practice exam.

 

[nikic]

I can say for sure that the mocks ARE NOT representative of the actual questions. I eventually scored around 64/80 for the 2019 full mock. But as it is I am not even certain of hitting 40/80 for the actual exam.

 

[Nicole Seaman]

I can say for sure that the mocks ARE NOT representative of the actual questions. I eventually scored around 64/80 for the 2019 full mock. But as it is I am not even certain of hitting 40/80 for the actual exam.

@nikic

I know you are referring to the GARP mocks, but just for reference for others who may be reading this, I do want to say that the BT mocks are very representative of the exam questions, as I'm sure our paid members would agree. Many times, our PQs are a notch harder than GARP's mocks, which is intentional. We want to make sure that our members learn the concepts in-depth enough to use them outside of the exam so we make them a bit more difficult. I hope this is helpful to anyone who is currently studying for the exam or thinking about it.

Nicole

 

[Rosa Rodríguez]

@nikic

I know you are referring to the GARP mocks, but just for reference for others who may be reading this, I do want to say that the BT mocks are very representative of the exam questions, as I'm sure our paid members would agree. Many times, our PQs are a notch harder than GARP's mocks, which is intentional. We want to make sure that our members learn the concepts in-depth enough to use them outside of the exam so we make them a bit more difficult. I hope this is helpful to anyone who is currently studying for the exam or thinking about it.

Nicole

In my case, I've talked about the difference between the pre-mock test of GARP vs the real GARP exam.

 

[budiman90]

Just to clarify, GARP practice exams and GARP mock exams are the same thing, correct?

 

[Nicole Seaman]

In my case, I've talked about the difference between the pre-mock test of GARP vs the real GARP exam.

Yes, I just wanted to make sure that future candidates realize that our (BT) mock exams are more representative of the GARP mock exams in case they are looking for mock exams that are closer to the real thing. Our feedback threads over the years have shown that many people feel that the GARP mock exams are not representative of the real exam. It is important for candidates to know where they CAN find mock exams (practice exams) that are more representative of the real GARP exam.