GMAT Strategy

Hello,

I haven't seen much info on the web about "whiteboards" and scratch paper, at least not any information that is current. On mba.com, GMAC says that you are given whiteboards but are not allowed to erase your work. I thought it was a pain that they didn't allow scratch paper to begin with, but now that I know you can't even erase.... I've been practicing with the five sheet dry erase booklet I got from Veritas Prep, along with a dry erase marker and eraser. Now I guess I have to get used to not being able to erase as well. If anyone knows more about this, please let me know. I am wondering if "not being able to erase" is standard across all testing centers. Here is the quote from mba.com:

Notes about noteboards:
1.The administrator will provide you with a booklet of five noteboards to use during the exam
2.You may not erase your notes.
3.You may request additional noteboards by raising your hand. We recommend you use your space wisely so that you do not have to disrupt your concentration to request new noteboards frequently. Try to request new noteboards in between sections.
4.You may not remove these noteboards from the testing room at any time.
5.Every noteboard must be returned at the end of the test session.
6.You may not take your own noteboard into the testing room.

Thank you for your feedback on this, taking the test soon and trying to prepare for the real deal.

How are you ERASING that board you got from Veritas??? That is not a dry erase board. That is a WET ERASE board and it is basically identical to the one you will get on test day. Same marker, same type of board (no Veritas logo on test day - after all this is not professional sports GMAC has not sold the naming rights yet!)

OH I SEE you are using an eraser. YOU SHOULD BE using the Staedtler pen you received from Veritas and NOT with an eraser. This is the same pen you will have on test day.

You will NOT have an eraser on test day. You are allowed a couple of tissues but that is in case you sneeze not in order to clean the board. If you are willing to wear a long sleeve shirt that you do not like you could try to use your sleeve for very small erases, but do not try to erase the entire board.

I am not saying that the ink cannot be erased - left handed people sometimes involuntarily erase things as they write them down - I am just saying it will be messy and it is not really allowed.

The good news is that you can have as many sets of boards as you like, just raise your hand.

Also, the reason for no scratch paper is that GMAC lives in fear of their questions being stolen. It is a reasonable fear, and no paper in the room is a reasonable precaution.

somehow it posted my reply twice.

This might be a stupid question, but are the boards allowed for the verbal section too? I have only heard of it in context of quant/math problems.

This might be a stupid question, but are the boards allowed for the verbal section too? I have only heard of it in context of quant/math problems.

Not a bad question at all...Yes! Boards are allowed during the verbal section. You hear about them during Quant because of course you need more space so people are worried about running out of room.

On the verbal section you will take fewer notes. For example, on sentence correction the only notes you generally need at A B C D E for you to mark off choices as you eliminate them.