PBT - will it reduce CAT performance?

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PBT - will it reduce CAT performance?

by arunmmw » Thu May 22, 2008 11:51 pm
I am using plenty of paper based training materials and i have taken few CAT using my laptop, and i dont have any desktop machine to practice the CAT. My question is, will my preparation using laptop and paper based materials reduce my performance in real exam (desktop computer test)?
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by mayonnai5e » Fri May 23, 2008 5:44 am
I do not believe so. A laptop should still give you much of the same look and feel as the desktop test will. Be sure to use a mouse with the laptop (as opposed to the normal laptop touchpad) for the cats since you will be using one on the actual GMAT. The difference between a laptop and desktop are not so great that it should have a significant impact on your score. However, before the real exam, you may want to take at least one cat on a desktop just to get used to it.

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by arunmmw » Fri May 23, 2008 6:18 am
Thanks mayonnai5e!

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Re: PBT - will it reduce CAT performance?

by lunarpower » Sat May 24, 2008 1:14 am
arunmmw wrote:I am using plenty of paper based training materials and i have taken few CAT using my laptop, and i dont have any desktop machine to practice the CAT. My question is, will my preparation using laptop and paper based materials reduce my performance in real exam (desktop computer test)?
wait, just to make sure i understand correctly: you have practiced cat exams, then, only on a laptop?

in that case, the difference between your experience and the real thing should be thoroughly negligible. the only meaningful difference will be that your head will be cocked up at a slightly higher angle than you're probably used to.

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on the other hand, if you're trying to say that you've only practiced using paper-based materials, because of the lack of an available desktop machine, then it is absolutely imperative that you practice real CAT's sometime soon. even if you obey the timing restrictions religiously, and don't peek ahead at the remaining questions, the paper tests are still a poor simulacrum of the real thing, because they are in no way adaptive.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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by Spence » Mon May 26, 2008 1:31 pm
I agree with Ron. You have to do CATs on the computer. Paper tests are not even remotely indicative of what to expect for timing, scoring, etc.