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souvik101990
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Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Last visit: 11 Nov 2025
Posts: 4,314
Given Kudos: 2,326
Location: United States (WA)
Concentration: Leadership, General Management
Schools: Ross '20 (M)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online)
GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
GPA: 3.8
WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)
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Expert reply
11 Jun 2020, 02:26
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I just finished my 6th GMAT attempt in the last couple of years. I thought my last GMAT Online was going to be my last rendevous with the test, but Vineet (kudos to you if you know this reference) decided to give us a new way of taking the GMAT with a physical whiteboard and $200 just flew off my shelf.
Before we go any further, here's a quick history of my GMAT attempts
Now not much has changed on the GMAT, but for some reason, this was a different experience. It is very late now, so I am borrowing a viral list structure to gather my thoughts. Hope you bear my many typos
After taking the GMAT Online and the GMAT EA (which was also online), I thought I had gotten used to the virtual whiteboard. I even did a couple of videos on YouTube on how I use the whiteboard (have you seen them? I am too lazy to search for them now, but GMAT Club YouTube channel should have it). But having something physical to write on was a complete game changer. There was a question where I had to multiply 19.95 with 11 and 12 (sure I could use 20 X 11 or 20 X 12 and subract etc.) and there was NO way I would have been able to do it efficiently on the virtual whiteboard. There were two geometry questions where the physical whiteboard helped too. It was a complete game changer. Overall, quant seemed challenging to me this time. Could this mean I was scoring at a higher level? Maybe, maybe not. bb has taught me well enough not to worry about my testing level during the test.
I thought I would breeze through verbal. I always have. But this time, I was strapped for minutes. I had no RC questions for the first 11-12 questions on the test, and that is generally a warning sign in my head. I had 4 RC passages and the last one came when there were 7 minutes left on the clock. It was also a very challenging passage and I had to skim (GMATNinja can you believe it!). It was a very factual passage with not much emotion or conviction (an opinionated author is so much more readable). I could not spend a lot of time reading and had to do my best in guessing a couple questions. This left a really bitter taste in mouth, because I thought I could finally break my 740 barrier on the online tests (both my GRE and GMAT correspond to a 740 GMAT ugh!) but now after this verbal section, I doubt I would score a V40+
This was the hardest IR section I have ever done! PERIOD! There was a new type of IR question that I had not seen before. It was weird. Not difficult. But weird and needed a fair amount of reading between the lines. Also the MSR was VERY difficult too. For the first time, I had to read and understand every single tab to even try to figure out how to answer the questions that were thrown at me. Even the next IR questions were not easy. It was getting very late and I was losing steam pretty rapidly, so I just guessed the rest of the IR questions and moved on.
I am really curious to see my quant score. I am cautiously optimistic about a V40, but we will see what happens. I would go on to say that the IR section on the GMAT is the most non-standardized block of the test. I have taken full 12 question sets where they were very easy and today I did my hardest IR set ever. I am glad business schools still do not care about this section as much. The variance must be a lot higher for IR than quant and verbal.
If you have not taken the test, this is a LOT better than the original virtual whiteboard only version of the test. This is more forgiving. Sure, you have to erase your whiteboard a bunch of times, but it makes life a LOT easier not having to fiddle with the little tool that the GMAT once thought was a scratchpad replacement.
If you have taken the GMAT Online test and scored at least 50 points below your last GMAT Prep, this test may help you overcome that impediment, so definitely take it.
If you have taken the GMAT Online test and scored in line with what you used to get in GMAT Prep (just read that someone got a 760 in the other thread), then take it if you want to get a vanity score (760 on the online whiteboard is GREAT. Having a physical whiteboard might help a bit more - but at that stage you could also be on the favorable side of the standard deviation and whiteboard or no whiteboard could have very little impact on your score). But you should not waste $200. I did because I have spent a LARGE chunk of my life on the GMAT and I just like to be a part of the process.
Anyway, I will come back with a score update and maybe a YouTube video.
Looking forward to MBA Spotlight. I will be livestreaming with top 20 MBA programs and current student panels. Join me there?
Before we go any further, here's a quick history of my GMAT attempts
- GMAT 1 : 720
- GMAT 2 : 760
- GMAT 3 - 750
- GMAT 4 - 740 (online)
- GRE - 331 (online)
- GMAT EA - 163 (online).
- GMAT 5 - TBD (online with physical whiteboard)
Now not much has changed on the GMAT, but for some reason, this was a different experience. It is very late now, so I am borrowing a viral list structure to gather my thoughts. Hope you bear my many typos
GMAT Quant is a BLESSING with the whiteboard
After taking the GMAT Online and the GMAT EA (which was also online), I thought I had gotten used to the virtual whiteboard. I even did a couple of videos on YouTube on how I use the whiteboard (have you seen them? I am too lazy to search for them now, but GMAT Club YouTube channel should have it). But having something physical to write on was a complete game changer. There was a question where I had to multiply 19.95 with 11 and 12 (sure I could use 20 X 11 or 20 X 12 and subract etc.) and there was NO way I would have been able to do it efficiently on the virtual whiteboard. There were two geometry questions where the physical whiteboard helped too. It was a complete game changer. Overall, quant seemed challenging to me this time. Could this mean I was scoring at a higher level? Maybe, maybe not. bb has taught me well enough not to worry about my testing level during the test.
Verbal was weirdly paced and it kind of made my life sucky
I thought I would breeze through verbal. I always have. But this time, I was strapped for minutes. I had no RC questions for the first 11-12 questions on the test, and that is generally a warning sign in my head. I had 4 RC passages and the last one came when there were 7 minutes left on the clock. It was also a very challenging passage and I had to skim (GMATNinja can you believe it!). It was a very factual passage with not much emotion or conviction (an opinionated author is so much more readable). I could not spend a lot of time reading and had to do my best in guessing a couple questions. This left a really bitter taste in mouth, because I thought I could finally break my 740 barrier on the online tests (both my GRE and GMAT correspond to a 740 GMAT ugh!) but now after this verbal section, I doubt I would score a V40+
IR WAS BRUTAL
This was the hardest IR section I have ever done! PERIOD! There was a new type of IR question that I had not seen before. It was weird. Not difficult. But weird and needed a fair amount of reading between the lines. Also the MSR was VERY difficult too. For the first time, I had to read and understand every single tab to even try to figure out how to answer the questions that were thrown at me. Even the next IR questions were not easy. It was getting very late and I was losing steam pretty rapidly, so I just guessed the rest of the IR questions and moved on.
Overall thoughts
I am really curious to see my quant score. I am cautiously optimistic about a V40, but we will see what happens. I would go on to say that the IR section on the GMAT is the most non-standardized block of the test. I have taken full 12 question sets where they were very easy and today I did my hardest IR set ever. I am glad business schools still do not care about this section as much. The variance must be a lot higher for IR than quant and verbal.
What does this mean for you?
If you have not taken the test, this is a LOT better than the original virtual whiteboard only version of the test. This is more forgiving. Sure, you have to erase your whiteboard a bunch of times, but it makes life a LOT easier not having to fiddle with the little tool that the GMAT once thought was a scratchpad replacement.
If you have taken the GMAT Online test and scored at least 50 points below your last GMAT Prep, this test may help you overcome that impediment, so definitely take it.
If you have taken the GMAT Online test and scored in line with what you used to get in GMAT Prep (just read that someone got a 760 in the other thread), then take it if you want to get a vanity score (760 on the online whiteboard is GREAT. Having a physical whiteboard might help a bit more - but at that stage you could also be on the favorable side of the standard deviation and whiteboard or no whiteboard could have very little impact on your score). But you should not waste $200. I did because I have spent a LARGE chunk of my life on the GMAT and I just like to be a part of the process.
Anyway, I will come back with a score update and maybe a YouTube video.
Looking forward to MBA Spotlight. I will be livestreaming with top 20 MBA programs and current student panels. Join me there?
11 Jun 2020, 04:10
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Bookmarks
Hey Souvik,
I had one query.
I actually have brought the physical whiteboard, but because of the non availability of a strict 30× 30 i had to go with a 30× 45.(GMAT said - 30×43)
Will this be a serious problem?
Does the proctor ask you to show the whiteboard specs and all?
Can i stay calm about this?
Posted from my mobile device
I had one query.
I actually have brought the physical whiteboard, but because of the non availability of a strict 30× 30 i had to go with a 30× 45.(GMAT said - 30×43)
Will this be a serious problem?
Does the proctor ask you to show the whiteboard specs and all?
Can i stay calm about this?
Posted from my mobile device
mcelroytutoring
Expert
Tutor
Joined: 10 Jul 2015
Last visit: 19 Mar 2026
Posts: 1,206
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 282
Status:Expert GMAT, GRE, and LSAT Tutor / Coach
Affiliations: Harvard University, A.B. with honors in Government, 2002
Location: United States (CO)
Age: 45 (10 years and counting on GMAT Club!)
GMAT 1: 770 Q47 V48
GMAT 2: 730 Q44 V47
GMAT 3: 750 Q50 V42
GMAT 4: 730 Q48 V42 (Online)
GRE 1: Q168 V169
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Expert reply
11 Jun 2020, 08:16
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Bookmarks
Thanks for the physical whiteboard debrief, souvik101990. Sorry to hear that it didn't go so well on Verbal and IR this time around, but you never know--sometimes struggle can be the sign of a high score, at least on Verbal (IR is not adaptive). No one cares about IR anyway. ; )
At least you don't have to worry about seeing your composite scores if they aren't better than last time.
One question: were the proctors strict about the physical whiteboard? Did they ask you to point the camera at the whiteboard while you were taking notes with your dry-erase marker, or did they still want to see your face during that time, which seems weird?
At least you don't have to worry about seeing your composite scores if they aren't better than last time.
One question: were the proctors strict about the physical whiteboard? Did they ask you to point the camera at the whiteboard while you were taking notes with your dry-erase marker, or did they still want to see your face during that time, which seems weird?
