Someone that has taken the gmat- question regarding scratch

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Osirus@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1578; Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 8:02 amFollowed by: 34 members; Thanked: 128 times; GMAT Score:760

by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:37 pm

paper, marker and tablet.

In your estimation would it be good enough to practice with a dry erase board or is there no way around buying the Manhattan GMAT tablet and marker duplicate set? I guess what I'm asking is would it be beneficial at all to study using a dry erase board, or even if I practice with this, would it still take me time to adjust to the materials given on test day? Thanks in advance.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:37 pm

VP_Jim: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1223; Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 pmFollowed by: 15 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 185 times

by VP_Jim » Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:01 pm

I always recommend that my students practice with the markerboard before the test, if not during normal study, at least on their practice exams. Remember: practice exams are supposed to be a "dry run" for the real thing, so you want to simulate actual testing center conditions as closely as possible. The markerboard is quite annoying so it's good to have a chance to work with it beforehand to get used to it.

Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep

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Bara: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 383; Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:20 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Location: Online Conferencing - in person in select cities.; Thanked: 55 times

by Bara » Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:49 am

I'm a little bit behind the eight ball on this, but wanted to let you know we're launching a new 'full potential' scratch pad which replicates the scratch pad, as well as 'trains' test takers for being positive and focused while taking the test. I'll post more information soon!

In any event: YES it's important to use it, but not imperative. It's all about getting accustomed to the materials you'll be working with. Good Luck!

Bara Sapir, MA, CHt, CNLP
Founder/CEO City Test Prep
Maximize your Score, Minimize your Stress!
GMAT Badass and Test Anxiety Relief Expert
SPEEDREADING: https://citytestprep.com/mindflow-workshops/
ANXIETY RELIEF: https://citytestprep.com/mindfulness-therapy/
BOOK: https://tinyurl.com/TPNYSC
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abcdefg: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 122; Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:11 pm; Thanked: 1 times

by abcdefg » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:11 pm

I've never taken the real gmat before and thus have no experience with the scratch system. Just wondering if you guys think this will be a big detriment or anything like that.

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Osirus@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1578; Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 8:02 amFollowed by: 34 members; Thanked: 128 times; GMAT Score:760

by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:21 pm

abcdefg wrote:I've never taken the real gmat before and thus have no experience with the scratch system. Just wondering if you guys think this will be a big detriment or anything like that.

I don't knock anyone's entrepreneurial hustle or anything like that, but to buy their simulated tablet and marker it would be like 14+, I bought an erasable board and marker from target for 4. I would recommend doing the same unless you just have to have as close to the real thing as possible. It is awkward to get used to, and you have to pay special attention to how you write things to be certain you can understand what you wrote.

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myohmy: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 252; Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 6:34 amFollowed by: 55 members; Thanked: 305 times; GMAT Score:760

by myohmy » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:21 pm

I took the test without ever having practiced with it. Honestly, I don't know that it mattered much for me, but it certainly can't HURT to practice with the whiteboard/graph paper. Let's say you learn while practicing that you easily fill up the 5 sheets during the Q section after 20 minutes. Then when you take your test, you can ask for two to start and not have to wait until you've run out and lose time on the test while they bring you a new one.

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tkherrmann: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 34; Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 6:29 am; Location: Chicago, IL; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:770

by tkherrmann » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:32 pm

Personally, I don't think it's that important. Paper and pen simulate it better than a white board -- what I had was laminated graph paper with a thin-tip marker. I didn't practice with a board at all before the test and don't think it would have made any difference.

Hope this helps!

Tim

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