GMAT Online - What We Know [Master Topic]

It's nice to see ETS/GMAC doing something to help people stuck at home out.

Some great points on test security in this thread, and I agree that if the system/location is someone else's, the test will be compromised to a greater extent, by someone, at some point.

1. One way to limit this would be to keep a separate pool of questions for these tests. The actual GMAT doesn't use one massive pool of questions. Instead, there are many smaller pools that are "rotated" across regions every now and then. Keeping one set of pools for these tests would limit the impact of any leaks from these tests.

2. They should identify these tests as taken at home, and let schools decide whether to treat these scores as equally valid or to ask for something else, maybe at a later stage. The date/location information would anyway make it very easy to identify these tests as taken at home.

The best thing, of course, would be an early end to the lockdowns we're seeing in many parts of the world.

You made a number of good points in your post but this one is my favorite. Ending the lockdown would be the best thing... but nobody knows how long it will last. And this seems like doing something about the issue rather than waiting. I personally dislike waiting What if it goes on till August? What other options would there be? Admissions without GMAT?

To remain credible and GMAC would, it would keep a separate strata of questions. Doing this would help it to remain afloat in turbulent times.

Just as a ship has segregated sections so that it does not sink, the above strategy might help it to sail through the storm.

I am more inclined towards GMAC/ETS/B-schools having far bigger role to play, B-Schools the most, than applicants here since whatever they decide ultimately that would be followed by us. And lockdowns are the only solution till the point vaccines are available or an effective medicine that prevents the spread.

As about cheating and other petty things, they would not deter anyone from taking things ahead. But before all of that, the security concerns on thousands of people data being stolen from their systems is of more concern as zhanbo mentioned.

I can see it as a concern that if cheating is uncovered and it breaks out and it is not possible to tell who cheated and who did not on the "at home" test, many or all of those may get canceled. It will be a step backwards.... I think it is in everyone's interests that cheating does not take place and tests are done fairly.

I think one other option would be have a "capsule" approach to the GMAT where a sterilized/clean room is available for taking a test. My crazy idea would be - it is an uber that has a computer in it or you can bring your own laptop that plugs into the power and you take the test in an uber that parks in front of your house. It has curtains or shades to prevent anyone else from peeking in. Would be helpful to both the Uber and to GMAC. Maybe?

May be Uber flying taxi
Corona has made us too creative.

Well... you have to innovate once in a while esp during times like these. Unprecedented events require unprecedented responses... it would not be such a big deal if we all knew what to do. It is like a question on the GMAT you have never seen and have no clue how to solve and the clock is ticking. What are you going to do? You are going to get creative or otherwise, pick an answer choice and leave it to a 20% chance.

Being flexible and creative make sense in GMAT. Just to point out if GMAC/ETS comes up with home based tests in India, applicants here might face problems with bandwidth. Point to note that Govt. of India has asked Netflix/Amazon streaming service to postpone their programs as, probably, its causing huge downfall in internet speed since people are sitting at home(all states under lockdown now and will be most likely extended).

India has lowest internet speeds among major economies which is not motivating.

Hopefully COVID-19 is not adaptive as GMAT.

Thank you. I agree. As early as possible without causing the healthcare system to collapse may take some time, so test providers doing whatever they can is a good thing.

GMAC might actually be responding to the current crisis - saw this post today on GMAC's website:


Source: https://www.mba.com/articles-and-announ ... oronavirus

Thanks. Yes welcome to the discussion

Posted from my mobile device

https://www.reddit.com/r/GMAT/comments/ ... l_took_me/

Quite a few working ideas on how to compromise GMAT home edition.

Why GMAT can allow its cash cow (and highly-guarded questions) to be in jeopardy is beyond comprehension. Whoever made the decision for Home Edition ruined the GMAT as we know it.

I wonder if this whole concept of "Home Edition" is just "experimental" just as they have experimental questions in the exam.

Dear Gmatclub friends,
I'm a test taker from Italy and I've just received this email:



"Hi Mario,

We all recognize this is a challenging time for testing with test center closures around the world. To help, GMAC is actively working to launch an online alternative GMAT™ exam to be used during the closure of test centers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online Testing Alternative
Our goal is to make available an online, live proctored version of the GMAT™ exam for test takers in areas impacted by test center closures, outside of mainland China. GMAC is continuing to work with the Chinese government authorities to present appropriate, alternative solutions for test-takers in mainland China.

In light of the current unprecedented situation, this interim solution will be offered at a lower price point than the standard GMAT™ exam to support you during this difficult time.

The online interim solution will have a similar structure to the GMAT™ exam delivered in test centers. The Quant, Verbal and IR sections (no AWA section) will contain the same number of questions and time for completion. This will allow us to maintain the same score scale for both the Section Scores and Total Score. The check-in and security protocols will be modified to accommodate online delivery and remote human proctors will be used to manage test integrity.

Preparing for the Alternative Test
If you have been preparing to take the GMAT™ exam in person you can feel confident in continuing your online practice with the GMAT™ Official Practice materials, as that preparation is relevant to the online, proctored experience.

We will share details on the registration timing and process in the coming weeks.

We know that as a candidate for an MBA or business master’s program, that you are likely facing uncertainty right now due to the global impact of COVID-19. It is a stressful time, and we want to help you navigate your journey to business school.

Stay up-to-date
We are working in close partnership with our testing partners to provide you with the most up-to-date information on test center closures, modified testing procedures, health & safety measures, and FAQs on a dedicated section of our website.

Please stay safe as we navigate through the next days and weeks together"


Yours Sincerely,
The GMAT Team

What do you think about?

Ravixxx

I think, among other things that demonstrate that GMAC is dumb enough to shun their Critical Reasoning (CR) skills for short-term financial gain, the sentence from the announcement contains at least two issues commonly tested in Sentence Correction (SC).

We know that as a candidate for an MBA or business master’s program, that you are likely facing uncertainty right now due to the global impact of COVID-19.
Issue (1): "That you are" should be "you are".
Issue (2): ”Due to" cannot be used to modify a verb. Change it to "because of".

I'm still wary of the possibility that people might and will find a way to cheat and share GMAT questions. That would ruin the integrity of the exam and is not fair to the people who actually spend the time to study for the exam to achieve their target scores :/

Maybe the test has already begun and we don’t even realize it





Posted from my mobile device

Let's also think about the number of questions that GMAC retires every year and adds to OG, Verbal Review, and Quant Review.

I do not have exact numbers at hand, but I estimate we look at ~30-60 quant and ~30-60 verbal questions every year. So... It is not a big of a deal to create a "special" pool of questions that the test maker is planning to retire soon anyway. Perhaps, those questions will be offered in the "at home" test, and the risk of someone cheating and distributing questions in long term is drastically minimized.