Cold GMAT Online Debrief by Veritas Prep Hailey

Question

Hi all! I'd be happy to jump in on a few of your questions. I just sat for the online exam - it was an experience, for sure!

While I've reached out and have not yet heard back from GMAC, the proctor was not aware of whether or not writing aids such as the use of a touchscreen or an external writing tablet are permitted. In general, the proctor is only aware of Pearson-specific policies. Anything GMAC specific needs to be fielded GMAC's way. (I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from them - though others may have thoughts or GMAC-specific responses!) I know a few have reached out and received seemingly-conflicting responses on the note of touchscreen use/etc.

Scores are not immediately released. The prompt mentioned a time window "within two weeks," though I know other sources on MBA.com cite a shorter window (7 business days, generally).

I would also mention for those taking the online exam soon that there were some glitches associated with the online whiteboard. Nothing major - but I did occasionally have an "enter" delete my text rather than move to the next line, etc. I've reached out to GMAC on that note as well.

The sections definitely required some approach adjustments, and anyone preparing for the online portion will want to know ahead of time how they plan to approach the use of keyboard vs. mouse tool, etc. There are also some strange nuances with the geometric figures/etc. that are worth noting (spaces have an automatic "fill" of white, etc.)

I unfortunately have to scoot right over to a tutoring session post-test, but I'll be running a webinar on the Veritas Youtube page tomorrow at 8pm eastern if anyone wants to jump in and ask any questions/hear my thoughts on how to make the best of the format. (I know that falls at a somewhat funky time for many of my GMATClub friends around the world - so feel free to leave a comment if you miss the live stream!)

If you have any questions, you're more than welcome to tag me here as well, and I'll try my best to hop back on the thread and get to them

Best of luck to anyone braving this format over the next few days!

bb · Answer

Thanks so much for posting VeritasPrepHailey - I have created a separate debrief for you

omarbelhadj · Answer

Hello, I would like to know if like in the normal test the quant et verbal are scored separately form the IR and that is will have not impact on the score

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

It is like a normal test....

omarbelhadj · Answer

hello everyone, do we have to pay again the online exam even if we are already enrolled in a test center?

Thank alone

HaileyCusimano · Answer

You'll need to sign up separately for the online version of the exam, GMAC isn't transferring enrollment from in-person to online.

Hope this helps!

priyaljindal · Answer

Hey!
Thank you for this live video, it really helped. I had a couple of questions:
1.I emailed GMAC regarding using touch screen of my laptop and they reverted after confirming with Pearson that touch screen can be used, however a stylus can not be. So do you think the proctor might deny that on the day of the exam?
2. About clearing or shifting the white board, when you said that we can move the white screen so that the questions are shifted, do you feel that won't be far more time consuming than simply deleting everything?
3. Before the exam starts, are we allowed to adjust the white board and everything as per our preferences?
4. How much time do you feel do we get in between quant and verbal sections during the instructions process? Also as you said, you said 30 mins before the exam, do you feel if we start it like 15-20 mins before, we'll be late or that'll be an issue? Because that way we won't sit idle for long!

Please let me know! Thank you

HaileyCusimano · Answer

Great questions priyaljindal ! I'd be happy to address them! So, I want to hold off on giving you a definitive answer on the touch screen. While we've had many students report that GMAC told them their touchscreen device was fine, GMAC also publicly tweeted late yesterday that "you can use a touchscreen device, but you may not use the touchscreen functionality of the device." Basically - that students cannot use their fingers to touch the screen. When did you receive the email from GMAC? As of right now we aren't quite sure whether GMAC is changing the policy, or if students/GMAC are confusing whether "use a touchscreen laptop" means use a device that is touchscreen enabled, or physically use the touchscreen. I still haven't heard back directly - but I worded the question in a way that should make it very clear to GMAC that I am asking whether students may use their fingers on the whiteboard to sketch their work. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back! That said, I think you can safely plan for the rules GMAC clarifies unless your proctor specifically directs you otherwise. (And if so - you can always request they look to GMAC's guidance/policy on the question at hand.) On clearing the whiteboard - I completely agree with you that for many students who don't plan to write any equations/benchmarking strategies/etc., clearing the board is likely the faster option. I opted not to do so to try to simulate the process for students who might want to be able to pan over for any notes/etc. - and, to be totally honest, because the whiteboard glitched several times for me, erasing my work completely. I wanted to test to see if there was any correlation between those glitches and whether the "last pressed command" was undo or clear. (The glitches seemed to decrease when I moved away from those actions - but there were definitely not enough instances for me to say with confidence that one had anything to do with the other. I also wanted to ensure I had a sense of the test experience as a whole when I reviewed my scratch work at the close of the test in the 15 minutes or so I had left over in Verbal. I would say that if you want to "start fresh" at each question, clearing the board is a perfectly fine way to do so

On the pacing between sections, there was only the normal 30 second instruction screen time before moving to verbal. That said, I wouldn't rush the process - if you need a full minute to stretch in your seat, take a few deep breaths and clear your head, you'll be way better off waiting to begin your first Verbal question with a clear head and the right mentality - even if it means you are formally looking at the question 20-30 seconds in. I would not suggest waiting to start the check-in process because of my experience. I think it's going to be way safer to check in early just in case there are any issues or necessary adjustments in your setup. I've also heard from several others who took the test and did not see the wait I did before beginning the test (most others cited that they were paired in 5-15 minutes.) So, I bring up the wait not to suggest that you hold off on beginning the check in process, but to make sure that if you do experience a bit of a wait, you don't let it get to you and are instead able to use the time to mentally reset and prepare (rather than - in my case, approach falling into a nap!

) I hope this helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!

Ap3ir0n · Answer

I will take the test next week, but I have doubts on the screen. I've a 15' laptot. Is it big enough to both read the questions and use the whiteboard? I prefer to use a bigger monitor, but seems that you can't connect a second monitor, so i'm a bit confused on this. Can you say which kind of device you used and if it was comfortable?

HaileyCusimano · Answer

Great question,  Ap3ir0n ,

I actually used my 12.5in windows PC, rather than my 15in Razer PC because the windows laptop was touchscreen-enabled and I wanted the opportunity to test the touchscreen functionality if it was allowed (according to my proctor, it was not). I would definitely recommend a larger screen if possible (I think 15in should be fine). The only case where I could see a larger screen posing a serious advantage beyond that is if you are using your cursor (or, if GMAC clarifies that it's allowed, touch functionality) to write and you find your handwriting on the board to be large. Otherwise, I think a 15in should be perfectly fine - and unfortunately no, we aren't allowed extra monitors. (I have a larger monitor I normally use with my laptop as my primary viewing monitor that I had to disconnect from my setup in preparation for the test.)

I would say that, by default, keeping your monitor use as close to what your "daily driver" setup looks like as possible is going to be your best bet, so long as that setup falls within GMAC's policies.

C18 · Answer

Hey Hailey,

Can I ask where you found the details of not bring able to connect to a larger monitor? I know a second screen is not allowed but I've been trying to contact Person and GMAC (who keep re sending the same link that I'm querying with them) as I'm trying to understand more details on this. 
I have my laptop connected to a bigger screen but have my laptop screen closed so only one monitor is in use like the rules suggest. But is this what you mention is not allowed also?

Thanks

HaileyCusimano · Answer

Hey,  AD19 !

So, this is a specific case that (to my knowledge) hasn't been completely clarified by GMAC. I've also reached out on this point to GMAC (I followed up on all questions not clarified thoroughly by my proctor Monday after my test) but have not yet heard back. I also have a larger monitor that I would have preferred to be able to use instead of the 12.5in touchscreen monitor once the proctor informed me that I could not use the touchscreen functionality of the laptop. I imagine that even if you leave your laptop monitor closed, the connected monitor would not be permissible for security reasons. I'll let you know when I hear back from GMAC with more certainty, but my understanding (from interactions with my proctor) is that no, this setup is not allowed.

I'd also keep in mind that you'd need a separate webcam and a wired keyboard even if GMAC permitted a second (but only actively in use) monitor. Just a thought! I'll let you know when I hear back on that one!

I wish I had a more definitive answer for you, but I'll let you know as soon as I know with more certainty!

C18 · Answer

Thanks Hailey, appreciate it - my exam is on Sat morning so hopefully they let us know soon. I still haven't heard back either.

HaileyCusimano · Answer

Fingers crossed! I'll report back as soon as I hear from them, but it's *sounding* like you'll probably want to prepare for the answer to be "no." :/ Best of luck on your exam!! I'll be rooting for ya!

Shivam1809 · Answer

Hi Hailey,

Thankf for this amazing post, it is immensely helpful.

I have one quick question,

It is evident that GMAC is treating GMAT online and the original version as seperate version of exam.

If i decide to give first: online then Original version, will I be asked to wait 16 days inbetween ?

Posted from my mobile device

vreddy1 · Answer

VeritasPrepHailey

Thanks brave one. However, on the quant, were the calculations and solving-process of a problem lengthy? I recall my multiple official attempts, and quant was quite lengthy on the pad. To replicate all that on the blackboard seems very time-consuming.

HaileyCusimano · Answer

Hi  vreddy1 !

I will definitely admit that the online platform required some pretty serious adjustments to move through efficiently. You'll want to game-plan what you plan to type vs. write with your cursor, you may want to consider optimizing your cursor settings if you plan to write quite a bit, and you'll want to be sure you know ahead of time how you plan to address strategies for each question type you encounter.

One piece of advice that I find valuable regardless of the test format, but absolutely essential with the new online platform is really over-emphasizing "front-loading your time on the analysis." That is, taking a bit more time on the front-end of the question to break down and fully address what the question is asking you in simplest terms, what "tools" you have to tackle that question, and what the most efficient path to the answer looks like. I did find that with this new format, the most efficient path did sometimes change from how I might otherwise have tackled any given question. I found myself relying more consistently on conceptual thinking over testing scenarios in many cases, and this may be a pretty major adjustment for some students. So, if you plan to take the online format, I'd begin practicing with it as soon as possible!

So, in short - while the questions were on-par with the usual difficulty/level of calculation, the approaches I took to the questions did sometimes adjust. Planning for those adjustments and ensuring you're able to tackle questions conceptually, not just algebraically, will become all the more important for the online format of the exam.

I hope this helps!

HaileyCusimano · Answer

Hi  Shivam1809 !

So, from what I understand, *no* you should not have to follow the usual wait period between exams, as GMAC has kept the consistent message that the online exam is a separate entity not included in the usual limits/location of score report/etc. That said, this is another question I've yet to hear directly back from GMAC on. I'll let you know just as soon as I do!

bb · Answer

VeritasPrepHailey  - how did it go? How was your experience and expectations now that you have the score?

behappy24 · Answer

Hi  VeritasPrepHailey ,  bb  - would you be comfortable sharing the Q and V breakup for this score? I'm trying to figure out how much the whiteboard is impacting Q scores. Thank you for biting the bullet and helping others out!

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