Hi all,
I'm taking the GMAT tomorrow and had a few last-minute questions I wanted to run by you guys (I did a quick forum search and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for). I'd really appreciate any help / advice anyone has to offer!
1. When do people typically prepare their scratch paper for quant and verbal? I heard you have to leave the room during break. Are the instructions for each section separately timed, or do they come out of the 75 minute chunk? I'd like to start the section with prepared scratch paper if possible.
2. When guessing on the quant section (e.g., if I'm behind on pacing), is it true that it's better to guess in the middle of the section rather than at the end because questions at the end are weighed more heavily? It's also best to spread out freebies in order to prevent getting a bunch wrong in a row, right?
4. On a related note, does it matter whether I guess on DS vs. PS problems? I've found that DS typically takes me a lot longer, so it they count for the same, I'd rather use my freebies on DS.
5. Should I fill out my mba.com GMAT profile before test day? If it's not complete (meaning I didn't fill out the optional information re: my career plans, etc.), does that take time out of my actual exam when they ask me to put in new information?
6. Any tips for IR scratch paper organization and IR pacing? I'm trying to use the 6 box per page system that MGMAT recommends on Quant, but I think it might make sense to break the pacing into smaller "time" chunks.
7. Is it easier to answer questions with the keyboard or mouse? On the GMATPrep software, it takes a little bit for mouse clicks to register. Is the actual system more responsive?
8. Can I bring a pair of glasses into the exam in case something goes wrong with my contacts?
9. Can I bring a pair of earplugs, or is this not allowed?
10. If you have to leave the room for break, how do you know when to come back? (Do I get to keep my watch on?) Do you have to spend the full 8 minutes outside of the room? (See first question on scratch paper prep)
Sorry for the long, rambling, and miscellaneous questions, and thanks for your help!
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- scosayu
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- StaceyKoprince
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- Location: Montreal
Re: Last-Minute Logistic Questions before Tomorrow
You've already taken the test - I hope it went well.
Please note for future (you and anyone else reading this): do NOT post last-minute questions on the forums. (Well, you can, but don't expect a last-minute answer!) We don't monitor the forum folders every day. If you ever have a last minute question, contact our office directly (800.576.GMAT from the US and Canada or gmat@manhattanprep.com).
I'll answer your question for others (or for you, in case you take the test again in future).
1. You are not technically permitted to write anything except when the test is running. There are 1-minute "instruction" tutorials right before the section starts, so let that run and you'll have 1 minute to write some stuff down.
2. The weighting of the questions is essentially equal throughout the entire test. (That's not quite true - but the weighting is not based upon the location of the problems. It's based on things like the difficulty relative to the difficulty of other things you've answered, which you can't actually know, so we should just think of it as: they're all the same.)
It is true that you ideally don't want to cluster too many wrong answers together... but you don't really have much choice about that either. You know how to do a problem or you don't. If you get two in a row that you don't know how to do, you can't tell yourself, "Oh, well normally I wouldn't have any idea how to do this second one, but since I just guessed on the previous one, now I'll turn my brain on and get this one right." If you don't know, you don't know!
Address each question in a vacuum. Can you do THIS problem in a reasonable amount of time? If not, can you make an educated guess in a reasonable amount of time? If not, guess quickly / randomly and move on.
(Note: I didn't skip a number; your list had no #3. :)
4. DS and PS. No difference in weightings based on that factor, no.
5. You can do before or at the test center; it will not take time away from your test. I suggest doing so in advance so that you don't have to take the time on test day - that's not what you want to be thinking about!
6. For IR, I recommend pacing in 4-question chunks. There are a total of 12 questions, so that gives you 3 chunks. I'd recommend a 4-box-per-page system for both IR and Quant. For IR, I'd also recommend planning to guess quickly on 2 or 3 questions (your weakest areas). That gives you about 3m per question on the remaining ones.
7. The tests in the test center are "local" (not over the Internet), so there shouldn't be a delay when clicking with the mouse.
8. Great question. I would think that would be okay but have never tried. If you're worried about that, would you want to just wear your glasses in the first place?
9. They will give you earplugs or noise cancelling headphones on request.
10. You have to leave the room for break; when you return, the test will start again immediately. You will not be allowed to wear your watch. The testing room and the waiting room should have wall clocks that have been synchronized. CHECK THIS. About once a year, I hear from someone who was at a facility where the clocks weren't sychronized and it messed up their breaks. You are responsible for using the wall clocks to time your own breaks.
Hopefully you won't need any of this info any longer! Let us know how it went.
Please note for future (you and anyone else reading this): do NOT post last-minute questions on the forums. (Well, you can, but don't expect a last-minute answer!) We don't monitor the forum folders every day. If you ever have a last minute question, contact our office directly (800.576.GMAT from the US and Canada or gmat@manhattanprep.com).
I'll answer your question for others (or for you, in case you take the test again in future).
1. You are not technically permitted to write anything except when the test is running. There are 1-minute "instruction" tutorials right before the section starts, so let that run and you'll have 1 minute to write some stuff down.
2. The weighting of the questions is essentially equal throughout the entire test. (That's not quite true - but the weighting is not based upon the location of the problems. It's based on things like the difficulty relative to the difficulty of other things you've answered, which you can't actually know, so we should just think of it as: they're all the same.)
It is true that you ideally don't want to cluster too many wrong answers together... but you don't really have much choice about that either. You know how to do a problem or you don't. If you get two in a row that you don't know how to do, you can't tell yourself, "Oh, well normally I wouldn't have any idea how to do this second one, but since I just guessed on the previous one, now I'll turn my brain on and get this one right." If you don't know, you don't know!
Address each question in a vacuum. Can you do THIS problem in a reasonable amount of time? If not, can you make an educated guess in a reasonable amount of time? If not, guess quickly / randomly and move on.
(Note: I didn't skip a number; your list had no #3. :)
4. DS and PS. No difference in weightings based on that factor, no.
5. You can do before or at the test center; it will not take time away from your test. I suggest doing so in advance so that you don't have to take the time on test day - that's not what you want to be thinking about!
6. For IR, I recommend pacing in 4-question chunks. There are a total of 12 questions, so that gives you 3 chunks. I'd recommend a 4-box-per-page system for both IR and Quant. For IR, I'd also recommend planning to guess quickly on 2 or 3 questions (your weakest areas). That gives you about 3m per question on the remaining ones.
7. The tests in the test center are "local" (not over the Internet), so there shouldn't be a delay when clicking with the mouse.
8. Great question. I would think that would be okay but have never tried. If you're worried about that, would you want to just wear your glasses in the first place?
9. They will give you earplugs or noise cancelling headphones on request.
10. You have to leave the room for break; when you return, the test will start again immediately. You will not be allowed to wear your watch. The testing room and the waiting room should have wall clocks that have been synchronized. CHECK THIS. About once a year, I hear from someone who was at a facility where the clocks weren't sychronized and it messed up their breaks. You are responsible for using the wall clocks to time your own breaks.
Hopefully you won't need any of this info any longer! Let us know how it went.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep
2 posts Page 1 of 1