Fight the Noteboards

I liked the noteboards. Big fat oversized pages, double sided, a little messy.

I'm wierd.

Friends,
Erasable boards are really "not that bad" you won't be stuck because of this thing. I wrote in Bangalore & found erasable boards quite good. Not sure about boards at other testing centers...

I have taken the test twice and I HATE these pens, why you ask:

1) when you write and overwrite that line will disapears, i.e. a if you draw a circle it will dissapear.
2) The grid on the notepad is distracting.
3) The note pad is big and awkward.

I hope more will mail Pearson!

Hi-
Can anyone please post the item numbers or links from officedepot (or ebay or whatever) with the writing pad and pen?

do a google search for these two items and you'll be set...


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The sheets are laminated legal size yellow graph paper.

Office Depot sells a GoWrite erasable pad that will get the job the done...not the same size and they're solid white, but it'll do...

The pens are STAEDTLER Lumocolor Wet Erase Overhead Transparency Markers, Fine Pt.

i did google them, and searched Office Depot as well... I was not able to find the noteboard and the laminated paper. I did find the Steadlear pens though.

Can onyone give me an example link of the other two please?

you won't find the actual noteboards (it's just one item - not two)

the GoWrite erasable sheets work great. if you really want to go for it, buy some yellow graph paper and have kinkos laminate it for you...

Thanks consultinghookie.

https://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?lev ... ue&An=text

Also this one looks similar:
https://www.buy.com/prod/EASEL_PAD_WHITE ... 00713.html

I think I will get this and the steadtler pen. Laminating at Kinkos is going to be more expensive. I am not sure how gmac saves money doing this rather than giving the papers and pencil. I am sure most people would not mind getting plain paper from home if they are concerned about cost.

Seems like more of a security issue than cost. Perhaps some people were bringing in their own paper and copying down problems in the past.

Hi guys!
I have to say, it was good to be forwarned about the eraseable noteboards, and I went into the exam expecting the worst......but it really wasn't too bad at all.

I wrote the exam in Ontario, Canada.
I was given a spiral bound "pad" of about 5 pages.
You can write on both sides.
I was given 2 markers, which the lovely woman tested before handing them over.
When I wanted an additional "pad", I just raised my hand and she took the used one and gave me a fresh one.

I suspect this is less of a cost cutting measure and more of a security device. People are weird. I'm sure there are some who'd pay the exam fee, copy down the questions and try to sell them....even though it is a CAT, and there are TONS of different questions you could possibly get.
( Honestly, just use the GMATPrep - I got some VERY similar questions, and I swear that one was exactly the same!)

One proviso - I can see how there may be some issues for the lefties out there........
Good luck!

Hey, I found this site: https://www.testdayscratch.com . They sell a noteboard just like what is used in the test center with the same pen for $25.

Forumers, please have a look at this website.

Is the notepad used in the exam really similar to the picture on that website?
Thanks!

looks yellow... but the ruling of paper seems different... and can't make out the pen very well...

IMO doesn't worth $25 at all... buy some paper for $2 and laminate 5 pages for $1 per page and get eraseable marker for $3... TOTAL is more than 1/2 less than $25... and no shipping costs

save the money and noteboards are NOT a big deal!!!

I appreciate the heads up on this and now I am even more scared of taking it!!!

So what's the deal? We can bring our own dryerase board and pen/marker but cannot bring our own, or be given, regular blank cheaps of paper?!

I'm taking the GMAT for the first and hopefully last time next week and am nervous about the marker and laminated sheets. Are the markers pointed or will it get blobby. Do they smudge easily and is it a distraction? Basically, I need to know if I need to practice on a mockup so as to keep my confidence up. Any advice is appreciated.

Can we ask for additional notepads before we start the test? Will they accommodate. I've heard that some people have been successful but I don't know if its against policy or not.

I've read the posts on the subject and wanted to throw in my 2c:

While I agree that the noteboards can be a cause of heartburn for some people, I think the most important point for each test taker is to be mentally prepared for the setup (overall, not just the notebaords) before going to the test center. I've taken the test twice - first time with ETS, using paper and pencil, and then with Vue, using the noteboards. I honestly dont think the noteboards make that much of a difference. Like someone said earlier, any external factor can have a psychological impact on the test taker - it could be the awful cologne worn by the person in the adjacent desk, noise from the AC units, etc. During my second test, I had to endure a somewhat sick student who was coughing most of the time - the earplugs could only do so much.

The best strategy is to tune out all the extraneous factors and focus on the test. Specifically for the noteboards, I'd suggest using a similar setup on your very last practice test at home just to get a feel for it. About the only concern I really had with the noteboards was that all my fingers were soaked in ink by the time I was done - and the ink doesnt wash off easily.

New to this forum...

Is the pen different at different test locations ? I have a dry erase pen which is probably for a white board.

what make / model is this pen ?