GMAT Online - What We Know [Master Topic]

Doesnt running windows via bootcamp on a mac kill wifi speeds and reliability in general?

With regard to cheating prevention, dropped connections / computer reboots are more of a potential problem on the GRE, where a cheater could look at all the questions, intentionally sever the internet connection or turn off the computer, solve the questions with help, then log back into the test and answer them correctly.

I do think that GMAC would be wise to anticipate that a dropped internet connection or computer crash / electricity outage is something that is likely to happen during the exam. (Though an electricity outage isn't necessarily a problem for a well-charged laptop, it would obviously sever the internet connection.) By the time my connection got dropped for the 5th or 6th time on the At-Home GRE, I realized that a wired, reliable, fast internet connection is key to maintaining your momentum on the exam, and to not having what should be a 3 or 4-hour test turn into a 5 or 6-hour slog.

With regard to cheating prevention, dropped connections / computer reboots are more of a potential problem on the GRE, where a cheater could look at all the questions, intentionally sever the internet connection or turn off the computer, solve the questions with help, then log back into the test and answer them correctly. The fact that the GMAT only lets you see one question at a time (and you can't go back) would make this less of an issue.

Well... I am not a huge fan of ATT but it really depends on where you are. Most of the time I connect to my hotspot via WIFI so it is. It really hotspot vs WiFi but hotspot vs cable or DSL or Fiber

However if you are in a good coverage area, hotspot can be faster and better.... Especially vs slower DSL.

I don’t think it really matters most of the time.

Posted from my mobile device

Today LSAC (maker of the LSAT) announced its own plans for an online, at-home, shortened version of the LSAT, called the "LSAT Flex," which will debut in mid-May:

https://www.lsac.org/update-coronavirus ... /lsat-flex

Meanwhile, it's April 8th, and GMAC's claim that the Interim GMAT will begin in "mid April" appears more suspect with each passing day.

Yes, you can use a blank, laminated sheet instead of a dry-erase board. The proctors were not too strict, other than the fact that I had to be on camera all times and show them my wrists, ears, glasses, etc.

I did well, but not my best. The score wasn't quite up to my high standards, but the conditions were not optimal, and I treated it mostly as an experiment anyway, so I'm OK with that. My entire family was home at the time (obviously), and although my wife tried to keep the kids on the quiet side, we have 3 of them, including a 2-year old, and as any parent knows, you can only do so much. ; ) Before the exam, my internet connection was diagnosed as "sub-optimal" in my daughter's room, the only suitable room for the exam (which also happens to have the worst wireless reception in the house), so the exam ended up taking 50% longer than it should have (see picture below).

Did I miss the relative quiet of the testing center? Yeah, a little--but that's simply not an option. However, taking it at home was also supremely cool, despite all the technical snafus, and I can see it being perfect for someone who lives alone in a quiet apartment with a fast, reliable, wired internet connection--or someone who has access to a quiet hotel room or office with similar amenities.

Thanks for the reply, it was very helpful. Btw how do you get the final score? Am I allowed to take a screen shot of the final score to share it with universities since the official score will take 10-15 days?

Btw, can one go to the bathroom in the one minute break if they really have to? After giving so many GMAT exams I’m almost habitual to use the rest room after 1 hour haha I always end up drinking too much water in the breaks.

Posted from my mobile device

Archit3110 I think you're overinferring a bit from what they said. Yes, they said that the exam will be "primarily" for those who are trying to meet the upcoming deadlines, but they are not concluding that it won't be valid for other people who are taking the exam with the hopes of it being valid for a longer timeline.

I really just do not see why GMAC would only render these tests valid for perhaps the next year or so (rather than keep them valid for the next 5 years per usual). As I believe an instructor stated somewhere, the "At-Home" score will likely be comparable to what you would get at a test center on average, simply because people will have other distractions at home that are not prevalent at test centers (e.g., roommates, less robust of an exam setup, no noise cancelling headphones, etc.) Also, I'd argue some might score higher at a test center, because that psychological feeling of being in such a high-stakes environment could propel one to be more laser-focused than usual on gameday (take me as an example: I scored 60 pts higher a month ago on the actual test than any practice test I had ever taken).

I think GMAC has to understand that performance on the GMAT can be a very momentum-based test. A lot of people peak through excessive amounts of reps and practice - a simple example of this is the mental math one gains from memorizing calculations such as what 6^3 is or what the 45-45-90 degree triangles' dimensions are. If you delay a certain subset of test takers the ability to take the exam (e.g., people applying to MBAs in 2+ years, such as myself), you are actually really screwing them over. Because if we have to wait another two to three months before we can take an exam that we are ready to take right now, there is a high probability that we will not be at our peak areas. Or, something at work could come up and result in people like us having to revert away from the test, and then those key advantages I just described to you from doing mass amounts of practice are lost, thus lowering the score.

It's a murky situation for sure because people on the outside looking in could say "that's so unfair that they get to take it at home - I bet they score better!" or perhaps they may just not like that someone scores their GMAT score in a way that appears 'nontraditional' to what has been typically done-yet, these are unprecedented times, so audibles have to be called. I am extremely interested in what GMAC will say to us in the coming days, to say the least.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on test center locations around the world, we will offer a GMAT online alternative exam to test takers. Join us on Friday, April 17 at noon (ET) to learn more about the details for the online exam.

This webinar is for candidates who will take the interim Online GMAT to apply to graduate business programs. Topics will include:

• Alternative exam structure and scoring
• Test registration pricing and process
• Computer requirements and test security
• Test preparation recommendations

This is your opportunity to have your questions answered by the makers of the GMAT exam. If you have any questions that you would like to be answered during the webinar, submit your questions here.

Did everyone get an email for an invitation to the webinar on April 17?

[Webinar] Introducing the Online GMAT™ for Test Takers on April 17



PS. April 17 is the date of the webinar, I don’t think that’s the date of the home test opening. My guess GMAT at home will start the following Monday, April 20.

Posted from my mobile device