GMAT ONLINE - EVERYTHING WE KNOW!
(this post is stickied at the top to provide a quick reference about GMAT Online)

• New! Retesting Coming end of September - announced by GMAC on Sept 2, 2020
• Online exam registration is $200 USD; there is no cost to reschedule even if you miss the test
• Appointment dates are available beginning April 20, 2020, until June 15, 2020, July 17, 2020, Aug 14, 2020, Dec 31, 2020
• Physical dry-erase white-board is allowed

Whiteboard Questions

• Everything about Physical Dry-Erase whiteboards for the GMAT?
• Practice with a Virtual Whiteboard

GMAT Online Debriefs

Should be okay but I would verify with customer service. The online proctors may not be aware of nuances.

Btw, how did you get your new passport so quickly in India? Did you go through any special channels or are you located in a city that has quick service?

Good luck on the exam.

I live in Gurgaon. Passport service is very quick now a day, unlike 2010 types. When passport used to take months. When I went for reissue of passport, there were hardly 5 people in total who had come for passport related work. If anyone plans to go for passport thing, better get a haircut and go ready, they click your photo there itself. I was not aware of it and just went. Later over there I got to know that they don't accept photographs, which you bring they prefer clicking photos there itself. I went through normal channel. Now it takes 15 days for your passport. Though It took almost over a week for delivery thing rest police verification and printing and everything was done within 10 days.
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I know it may sound stupid but just want to confirm that whether GMAT ONLINE is as accepted by most of the B-schools as traditional GMAT?

It is. There haven’t been any issues with online gmat not being accepted. Only one program (Wharton) said that they are extending their acceptance of gnat online for the next year (vs 5 that the score is valid)... a very odd statement that is not clear what it means but otherwise we haven’t any any other indicators.




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Hey bb,

I have been seriously preparing for GMAT for past 3 months and I intend to take my exam in the next month.
I am joining work in September end and want to get done with my GMAT before that.I know that you said that schools are accepting the GMAT online scores as they are the traditional ones,but I want to ask your opinion on the below :
The Test centers in my area have opened up but the number of reported cases of COVID-19 are increasing rapidly.
Therefore,I am scared to take the exam in the center and prefer the online one even though I would love to have the optional break between Quant and Verbal but I guess I will get used to it after few mock attempts.
I want to apply to B schools next year or maybe a year after that, if I do not get accepted to B school of my choice.Meanwhile strengthen my profile along with my full time work.
What I am apprehensive about is - What if schools next year or a year after that request the candidate to take the exam again at the test center (considering the risk associated with COVID -19 reduces ) .Like Wharton,other schools start to not accept\reduce the validity of the online scores and prefer the test center scores?I am asking this because I am not applying to schools this year but I do not want to take the exam again because preparing for exam again with work will be challenging for me.
Since I am at the peak of my preparation , What do you think I should do?
I know there are a lot of ifs in my sentences but I want to understand what is a better option in your opinion - taking GMAT online or overcome my fears and take the exam at the center?

Thank you.

Mixed experience. I had to wait for 55 mins until the proctor joined. Almost fell asleep in front of the screen waiting for them.

Gave my test yesterday. And i am honestly flabbergasted. The test initially gave some challenging quant questions, but then kept on looping between extremely tricky and extremely easy questions (A 5th Grader in india could solve them ) . So i do not really know how i fared in the actual test. I have answered GMAT Prep 1,2,5,6 with scores of - Q49,Q50,Q49 and Q48. But i am not sure how i fared in this test.

By the time i reached verbal it became worse. The RC were complex and never ending . Then the last 2 RC were shorter but the sentences used words i hardly understood

Apart from waiting for results, i have started preparing to answer it again

We have no reason to believe that GMAT online will not be Accepted in the future. Wharton has so far been the only school with this next message that they will accept it next year and I think they will follow the suit with all the other programs

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Did anyone who has recently given a test centre GMAT experience how uncomfortable wearing a mask is during the exam. Also if you wear spectacles along, it makes it worse. Apart from touching the mask again and again to adjust and touching so many places during break and not having enough time or bandwidth to sanitise each time, have water etc etc. it's like double the stress and sort of does not feel the safest for covid times.

Same happened with me, it was first GMAT experience, thought i will score not more than 650 but ended with 690 just like getting out on 99 in the game of cricket.
So u cannot tell or predict ur score until it comes.

Gagan

Same happened with me, it was first GMAT experience, thought i will score not more than 650 but ended with 690 just like getting out on 99 in the game of cricket.
So u cannot tell or predict ur score until it comes.

bb and others - I just gave the online GMAT and had a weird technical issue. Kindly let me know if I should do anything about it.

I did the check-in in 5 mins, and the proctor came immediately. He/she asked me for a 360 degree view of the room, then after all that, told me they're giving clearance to proceed to the test. After that, however, the screen just went black. I was thinking the test was probably loading, but nothing happened. I did not know what to do, and so asked the proctor in chat to kindly help. There was no response for a while, and in a minute or so, the software froze (the mouse icon turned into a loading one, and nothing was clickable anymore). I waited for 6-8 mins for it to come back, but it was like really stuck with no sign of coming back. I was hoping I would get a call from the proctor during this time to ask me what went wrong and help me out, but did not receive anything.

So, I switched off the laptop (using the power button), hoping to restart the process again and speak to the proctor (since the questions and the actual test had not started, I thought this was the best approach). As soon as the laptop turned on, thankfully, I saw the first screen of the test (where they ask you to confirm if your name is so and so). It was a little surprising to see that, but I guess my test resumed from the point where it had previously got stuck. I opened the chat (to see if there were any remarks from the proctor) but the chat was exactly the same as before. So, I just continued and started the test. Everything went smoothly after that till I finished.

I'm slightly worried about 2 things.

1. Should I inform GMAC about the issue? I'm worried the recording might have been broken at the initial point where the laptop was off for a brief 1 minute or so. Though it was before the actual test had started.

2. This is on a different tangent. After the verbal section, I clicked on chat and asked the proctor if I could go out of the room and take a break (I read somewhere that one should get up only after taking permission). But I didn't get any response from the proctor. I waited but 2-3 mins, and when only 3/5min remained of the break, I showed my whiteboard to the screen, wrote in chat that I am taking a quick break, and went away. Was this okay? Anything to worry about? I lost 2-3 mins of the break just waiting there in the first place, but still slightly worried.

UPDATE: I got my scores after 2 days of giving the test. So I guess there was no issue.

You can leave during the break. Proctors notoriously take a long time to get back with you and sometimes they will not go back with you within 10 minutes so you will end up missing your whole break if you ask for permission. When it’s Breaktime, you can show your whiteboard get up and leave exactly like you did. (It is only during the test you should not be getting up).

I have no idea about the test and interruption. If GMAC invalidate your test for any reason, you can retake it but they are notoriously difficult and usually side on the safe side. I am leaning towards not telling them anything because I don’t see how this would change anything for you.

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Okay thanks bb

If anyone else has any input on the issue, please kindly share.

Tough luck man.. Just 2 more in verbal and may be you would have breached the mark.

I took the exam at the centre with my spectacles and it wasn't a good experience. My glasses got fogged in the middle, probably due to heavy breathing. But the GMAT centre felt really safe because they were talking all precautions, cleaning the workstation and all staff were wearing protective equipment. Didn't feel unsafe, but yes wearing the mask was uncomfortable to an extent.

HI! After months of studying, I have already made an appointment to take the gmat online on thursday... I have alreayd done the system test... Do I have to do anything else? Maybe upload some photos of the workspace? Where can I do so if apply?
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You cannot upload any pictures right now. You can upload the pictures only before you take an exam, when the proctor asks you to.
Now that you’ve completed the system test, there is nothing apart from that...
Good luck for your exam and All the best!

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Yes they do sanitise, but still. Plus my exp. was just as yours, I kept taking off the glasses as it got foggy.

1. Since you were able to start and finish the test to your satisfaction, there would normally be no need to inform GMAC of anything. You didn't sign any agreement to that effect. If GMAC later asks you, then you could explain to them. They would have the recording. I suppose that they are used to seeing similar experiences with others by this time.

2. Proctors will not always respond exactly at the time you want them to. Proctors rotate and not all of them will be keeping track of your break times. You followed appropriate procedures for the break.

Any update on any forum regarding retakes? I so wish I knew someone who works for GMAC, so that I get to know the updates

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