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acfuture
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Fight the Noteboards 13 May 2006, 09:16
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I have read all your comments and it seems that this is a big factor in order to do well on the exam. I have a question though, do they also provide you with something to erase your work during the exam? I have noticed that the "Dry erase" sheets from office Depot and the wet erase markers don't work well with each other. It is really hard to erase...

I am quite confused, I bought both items to practise with and just realized HOW HARD IT IS TO ERASE...

Any comment with be appreciated greatly...
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consultinghokie
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Fight the Noteboards 14 May 2006, 13:18
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don't practice erasing - you can't on the exam. it simply doesn't work, so don't even try it during your practice.
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vivek123
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Fight the Noteboards 15 May 2006, 08:59
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Also, in the real exam, you are not supposed to erase anything on the erasable notepads. It's instructed. You get additional notepads if you need.
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rhyme
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Fight the Noteboards 02 Jun 2006, 21:05
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I liked the noteboards. Big fat oversized pages, double sided, a little messy.

I'm wierd.
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vivek123
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Fight the Noteboards 02 Jun 2006, 21:28
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Friends,
Erasable boards are really "not that bad" you won't be stuck because of this thing. I wrote in Bangalore & found erasable boards quite good. Not sure about boards at other testing centers...
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Fight the Noteboards 10 Jun 2006, 17:00
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I have taken the test twice and I HATE these pens, why you ask:

1) when you write and overwrite that line will disapears, i.e. a if you draw a circle it will dissapear.
2) The grid on the notepad is distracting.
3) The note pad is big and awkward.

I hope more will mail Pearson!
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walletless
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Fight the Noteboards 16 Jun 2006, 10:41
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Hi-
Can anyone please post the item numbers or links from officedepot (or ebay or whatever) with the writing pad and pen?
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consultinghokie
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Fight the Noteboards 16 Jun 2006, 16:39
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do a google search for these two items and you'll be set...


*******************************************
The sheets are laminated legal size yellow graph paper.

Office Depot sells a GoWrite erasable pad that will get the job the done...not the same size and they're solid white, but it'll do...

The pens are STAEDTLER Lumocolor Wet Erase Overhead Transparency Markers, Fine Pt.
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walletless
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Fight the Noteboards 16 Jun 2006, 18:44
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i did google them, and searched Office Depot as well... I was not able to find the noteboard and the laminated paper. I did find the Steadlear pens though.

Can onyone give me an example link of the other two please?
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consultinghokie
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Fight the Noteboards 19 Jun 2006, 20:29
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you won't find the actual noteboards (it's just one item - not two)

the GoWrite erasable sheets work great. if you really want to go for it, buy some yellow graph paper and have kinkos laminate it for you...
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walletless
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Fight the Noteboards 24 Jun 2006, 13:52
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Thanks consultinghookie.

https://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?lev ... ue&An=text

Also this one looks similar:
https://www.buy.com/prod/EASEL_PAD_WHITE ... 00713.html

I think I will get this and the steadtler pen. Laminating at Kinkos is going to be more expensive. I am not sure how gmac saves money doing this rather than giving the papers and pencil. I am sure most people would not mind getting plain paper from home if they are concerned about cost.
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GMATT73
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Fight the Noteboards 24 Jun 2006, 21:26
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walletless
Thanks consultinghookie.

https://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?lev ... ue&An=text

Also this one looks similar:
https://www.buy.com/prod/EASEL_PAD_WHITE ... 00713.html

I think I will get this and the steadtler pen. Laminating at Kinkos is going to be more expensive. I am not sure how gmac saves money doing this rather than giving the papers and pencil. I am sure most people would not mind getting plain paper from home if they are concerned about cost.
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Seems like more of a security issue than cost. Perhaps some people were bringing in their own paper and copying down problems in the past.
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Fight the Noteboards 17 Jul 2006, 13:57
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Hi guys!
I have to say, it was good to be forwarned about the eraseable noteboards, and I went into the exam expecting the worst......but it really wasn't too bad at all.

I wrote the exam in Ontario, Canada.
I was given a spiral bound "pad" of about 5 pages.
You can write on both sides.
I was given 2 markers, which the lovely woman tested before handing them over.
When I wanted an additional "pad", I just raised my hand and she took the used one and gave me a fresh one.

I suspect this is less of a cost cutting measure and more of a security device. People are weird. I'm sure there are some who'd pay the exam fee, copy down the questions and try to sell them....even though it is a CAT, and there are TONS of different questions you could possibly get.
( Honestly, just use the GMATPrep - I got some VERY similar questions, and I swear that one was exactly the same!)

One proviso - I can see how there may be some issues for the lefties out there........
Good luck!
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Fight the Noteboards 30 Jul 2006, 18:47
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Hey, I found this site: https://www.testdayscratch.com . They sell a noteboard just like what is used in the test center with the same pen for $25.
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Fight the Noteboards 31 Jul 2006, 20:54
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apeterson
Hey, I found this site: https://www.testdayscratch.com . They sell a noteboard just like what is used in the test center with the same pen for $25.
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Forumers, please have a look at this website.

Is the notepad used in the exam really similar to the picture on that website?
Thanks!
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Fight the Noteboards 31 Jul 2006, 21:06
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looks yellow... but the ruling of paper seems different... and can't make out the pen very well...

IMO doesn't worth $25 at all... buy some paper for $2 and laminate 5 pages for $1 per page and get eraseable marker for $3... TOTAL is more than 1/2 less than $25... and no shipping costs :lol:

save the money and noteboards are NOT a big deal!!!
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Fight the Noteboards 11 Aug 2006, 10:57
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I appreciate the heads up on this and now I am even more scared of taking it!!!

So what's the deal? We can bring our own dryerase board and pen/marker but cannot bring our own, or be given, regular blank cheaps of paper?!
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Fight the Noteboards 15 Sep 2006, 21:08
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I'm taking the GMAT for the first and hopefully last time next week and am nervous about the marker and laminated sheets. Are the markers pointed or will it get blobby. Do they smudge easily and is it a distraction? Basically, I need to know if I need to practice on a mockup so as to keep my confidence up. Any advice is appreciated.

Can we ask for additional notepads before we start the test? Will they accommodate. I've heard that some people have been successful but I don't know if its against policy or not.
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Fight the Noteboards 18 Oct 2006, 07:58
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I've read the posts on the subject and wanted to throw in my 2c:

While I agree that the noteboards can be a cause of heartburn for some people, I think the most important point for each test taker is to be mentally prepared for the setup (overall, not just the notebaords) before going to the test center. I've taken the test twice - first time with ETS, using paper and pencil, and then with Vue, using the noteboards. I honestly dont think the noteboards make that much of a difference. Like someone said earlier, any external factor can have a psychological impact on the test taker - it could be the awful cologne worn by the person in the adjacent desk, noise from the AC units, etc. During my second test, I had to endure a somewhat sick student who was coughing most of the time - the earplugs could only do so much.

The best strategy is to tune out all the extraneous factors and focus on the test. Specifically for the noteboards, I'd suggest using a similar setup on your very last practice test at home just to get a feel for it. About the only concern I really had with the noteboards was that all my fingers were soaked in ink by the time I was done - and the ink doesnt wash off easily.
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Fight the Noteboards 18 Oct 2006, 11:20
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New to this forum...

Is the pen different at different test locations ? I have a dry erase pen which is probably for a white board.

what make / model is this pen ?
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