GMAT Online - What We Know [Master Topic]

I understand, though I still feel/hope GMAC address these issues. In a test center, it is okay to run into such issues as one may not be held responsible but the invigilator of the test center for such but one may be held responsible if one encounters such at home.

This is one of the key reasons I am anxious in giving GMAT at home apart from other reasons as you stated such as the one that turns a sitting into a 6-hour long grueling

Thanks for the debrief though, it was insightful and would help others as well who plan to write test at home.

Yes I totally agreed you could give GMAT from your birth place town city or state or country.

Posted from my mobile device

Yes I totally agreed you could give GMAT from your birth place town city or state or country.

[size=80][b][i]Posted from my mobile device[/i][/b][/size]

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

So the tests I took I was not allowed to have a scratchpad, but I would assume any dry erase board would be allowed provided you show it to the proctor and keep it in view.

No. I have done it for 6 years on 3 versions of MACs. You may need to jump through some hoops to do the install - Apple does not make it super easy but there are all drivers that come and work pretty reliably. I don’t know why OS would impact the WIFI speed.... But if it does, I clearly have not noticed or been impacted by it

My Mac runs windows 99% of the time and it runs for weeks at a time without reboot. I use google/nest Wifi. I have also used Airport and Airport express in the past. Never had issues with those two products. I have observed overall WiFi reliability of my Mac WiFi to be along the lines of that if my iPhone.

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

No. I have done it for 6 years on 3 versions of MACs. You may need to jump through some hoops to do the install - Apple does not make it super easy but there are all drivers that come and work pretty reliably. I don’t know why OS would impact the WIFI speed.... But if it does, I clearly have not noticed or been impacted by it

My Mac runs windows 99% of the time and it runs for weeks at a time without reboot. I use google/nest Wifi. I have also used Airport and Airport express in the past. Never had issues with those two products. I have observed overall WiFi reliability of my Mac WiFi to be along the lines of that if my iPhone.

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Gotcha, im not too familiar with bootcamp so I'll take your word for it.

Do you have an opinion on whether connecting to the internet via iPhone hotspot (US AT&T) is generally more reliable than connecting to the internet via WiFi?

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.

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Wow! Yet another cunning way to cheat on GRE Home Edition, aka GRE Bad Decision.

Friends! Do you think the SIZE of the laptop or Desktop makes difference?
I often found that the computer sets at Test Centres have large monitors and the screen size/spread/font size is bigger than that of an ordinary laptop on which we practice, making the reading process uncomfortable.

Don't you think a small laptop with compact screen such as a 13 inch Dell xps will be an advantage? (Especially when reading RC passages with reasonable font size)
Or do you think one using 13 inch laptops will have to use scroll bars to read the whole question/passage? (This is really disastrous)
People who have taken GRE may pl comment the experience of taking exam on a smaller screen compared to large monitors in test centres.

Hi Mayor,

I guess it could go either way. As for whether you'd have to use a scrollbar, that actually depends more on the resolution of your display than the screen size. Most GRE passages are not very long, so you probably won't be as affected by this issue as you might think.

Hi zhanbo,

Agreed. Anyone who wants to cheat will find a way. We can only hope that most people don't. Or that schools weed cheaters out at a later stage, which is what really matters.

I still feel that we need this alternative. In India there is talk of extending the lockdown. And we don't even know whether these lockdowns will become more frequent (that is, open/close, open/close...).

If this said is based on a real experience, then it is possible to assume.

If it is your assumption, I do not think it is possible. Moreover, I do not know how to figure out to turn off the computer and then back after one hour and the Proctor welcomed me saying me all is fine.

The proctor could stop you to take the exam at any moment and for whatever reason, it might be.

Recommended Minimum Speeds
Download 1.5 MBPS

Upload 1 MBPS

it implies the internet connection of ten years ago. Turns out, the more the bandwidth is required, the more the internet connection is stable. At least in theory

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.

Hi Mcelroytutoring,

I am giving my GRE at home shortly and was hoping you could answer a few qs regarding your experience.
Can you please tell me if one can scribble for solutions in a GMAT type booklet which is laminated and written with a dry erase marker? I have bought a small white board but I dont want to use it as Ill waste a lot of time erasing it during the test as the space is limited.


Also, did you notice any interruptions caused by the proctors? As in if you cover your face while writing or lean on the desk? I also have a tendency to read portions of the RC passages out loud (not too loud but like mumble to myself), will that be a problem?

Finally, did you see an experimental section on the exam or a research section? Were you intimated which is which or did this seem like the normal exam with 5 sections? + experimental section?

How did you do in this exam? Do you find this experience easier than the test center or more chaotic?

Thank you for your time and I greatly appreciate your input.
Ari Banerjee

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. My order was QVQVQ, and I think either the 2nd or 3rd quant section was the experimental section.

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 and reliability of the testing center? Yes, definitely--but that's simply not an option right now. However, taking the GRE 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.