What you need to know about the GMAT Online whiteboard vs In-person yellow pad
I responded to a question on GMAT reddit about GMAT whiteboards/pads and whether you should practice on them.
Simple answer: yes. You should practice in a realistic test-like environment. This is especially important when doing a practice test. That’s what we do here in our tutoring program to keep everything as high quality as possible. While we’re on the subject of quality: Do your HW timed, preferably reading off a computer screen, at a time when you have energy/focus. OK, back to whiteboards!
A few things to think about:
- There is a difference between in person and online scratch pads. For online GMAT you need to provide your own dry erase white board and two markers. Here are the rules for the whiteboard straight from GMAC. For in person you will receive a yellow plastic 10 page pad with two wet erase markers.
- You can’t buy official yellow pads but a few companies make decent clones. Just make sure you get the right markers used at GMAT test centers!
- Some people like to save their scratch work from HW/practice tests. This is difficult to do with a re-usable scratch pad or whiteboard. I’d recommend copying over the questions/solutions that are most important. Really think about what you want to retain and highlight. This will make your notes less cluttered and the transcribing process will help you remember/learn whatever it is you are copying. You can also take a photo but that is a rather passive process and most likely you will just end up with a folder of photos that you never really look at.
In case you are considering whether to test online or in person, here is a truckload of information about GMAT online vs in person. Hope this is helpful. Comment with ANY questions. Happy studies from NYC!