Hi everyone! Wanted to share my debrief of the online exam I did on Saturday 5th, hopefully it will be of help:
- I used a Mac with Catalina 10.15. As reported earlier in this thread, a week before the test I was unable to launch the secure browser, since I got an error message saying something similar to 'the developer isn't known', which scared me at the time. After asking here, it was clarified that it was the expected behaviour
- On the day of the exam, the 'Launch Exam' link appears in the mba . com website. I could see it approximately 30 minutes before my scheduled time, but I clicked on it when my exam was due in 15 minutes (which supposedly was when the link would become available)
- In the Examity page, you'll be asked to answer one of your pre-defined questions, as well typing your names (these two steps are the ones you fill in the Examity registration process)
- I don't remember the exact details, but in the Examity page a link will appear where you will be connected to the proctor. In my case, it prompted me to download GoToMeeting (no idea if it was a regular version, or a specific one). The program will ask for some permissions, and then you'll be able to speak to and hear the proctor. Some of the permissions made me restart GoToMeeting, but it was quick and automatic
- The proctor will be able to see and control your screen. My proctor was very helpful and knowledgeable regarding the Mac menus (I'm not), and whenever I was required to do/show something, he would (for example) tell me "click on the XX menu at your top left, then look at the icon at the 2nd row and 3rd column". So he actually guided me when he asked for a specific instruction (like showing active tasks). My computer was in Spanish and he would specify the menus/where to click in English, but ultimately I made the clicks
- The proctor will need to enter a password before launching the exam. In my case it was a bit problematic, because he put a wrong password twice (as he typed, I wouldn't see what he was writing, as it only showed 'dots' instead of characters), which made the situation a bit stressing. I don't recall if he or I suggested it, but he asked me to change my language settings to add 'English (Indian)' as my main computer language (he guided me each step), and then his password worked fine
- I don't remember if it was before or after entering his password, but the proctor will read the exam's instructions, and you can ask him about any doubts. After he told me I couldn't have electronic devices in the room, I asked if I could keep my phone out of reach, as an internet connection backup. He asked me if I could take it out of the room, and in case there were any issues, he/I would just speak aloud and try to troubleshoot it
- When I agreed to the rules and terms, the proctor was ready to launch the exam. However, when he first tried, I had the same error with the Secure Browser as I did before (unknown developer). When I translated the error to the proctor, he guided me to the Settings, where I had to give permissions to the Browser. After doing this, I was able to launch the exam
- Overall, despite a couple of issues, I had the impression that the proctor would be able to troubleshoot most of the problems one would face
- During the test, I didn't experience any lag. During my breaks, if I wanted to leave the room, I let the the proctor know (he answered me immediatly), and I had to show my whiteboard before leaving. When I returned, I had to show my whiteboard again and also show a 360 view of my room (I have a laptop) and a view of below my desk. It's a quick process, but it can take a couple of minutes of your breaks
- In my case, the Quant section was similar in difficulty to the official mocks (perhaps slightly more difficult). However, I also took the former online version during May, and in that occasion I found Quant much, much harder than the official mocks (scores breakdown at the end of this post). In the Examity version, Verbal was similar to the mocks, except for the RC passages, which I found considerably tougher
My scores in the official mocks / tests were:
Mock 1: 680 (Q45/V38)
Mock 2: 710 (Q46/V41)
Mock 3: 710 (Q49/V38) -> Using whiteboard and without a break between Q and V, simulating the Online Pearson Exam
Official Online 1 (Pearson): 660 (Q43/V38) -> Found Quant much, much harder than previous mocks. Perhaps there was a little of nervousness too, but I consider that the exam was harder
Mock 4: 710 (Q46/V42) -> A few days after my Official Exam, without further study
Official Online 2 (Examity): 700 (Q47/V38)
So overall my second online exam was a bit lower than my mocks scores, but within their range. Was expecting to score a bit higher in Verbal to be honest, but I don't think I did too well in RC. I would've preferred to take the test in a Test Center, but there's only one in my country, and it's closed due to lockdowns. I would recommend people in similar situations to take the Online version.
Nov 20
Nov 22
Nov 25
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03 Jun 2021, 06:54
