hi guys welcome to our youtube channel the enhanced online exam is truly a
game changer because it takes away the externality factor of the in-center exam
but every innovation that solves a problem in turn creates brand new ones
while many test takers have loved the experience that the enhanced online gmat offers
some test takers especially those who have not adapted to the needs of the enhanced online exam
have faced issues this was visible through several posts on gmat club the kind of
issues faced by these students ranged from application incompatibility to internet issues
leading to a poor performance so in this video we will share the different kinds of disruptions
you might face while taking the at-home gmat exam and how you can avoid them make sure to watch till
the end of the video to get a really helpful tip to maximize your performance on the online exam
even if you are faced with these disruptions but before we begin subscribe to our youtube
channel to watch videos on gmat preparation gmat success story mba admissions scholarships and more
disruptions in context to at-home exams are problems that can interrupt or
hinder your test taking experience these disruptions can be mapped to three areas
hardware and software related router related and internet provider related
one of the threats to a smooth test taking experience is the laptop that you use while
a poor hardware condition may lead to a sluggish encounter software related issues might trigger
the test application security system resulting in loss of time or even test cancellation
here are some of the most common hardware or software disruptions you might face along
with tips to minimize them if you are a working professional you should avoid taking the test
using your work laptop why the test application requires you to close all the programs before
you can begin your test however work laptops have several background apps which cannot be
terminated and might trigger the application security system leading to loss of time
so we suggest that you use your personal laptop
if you are using a personal laptop you will find several background applications such as onedrive
dropbox and more running from the moment when you boot your laptop so make sure to kill them
before starting the test as these applications can consume valuable bandwidth required by the test
moreover if your laptop has a vpn you should deactivate
it so that it does not trigger any security system
if you work on a laptop for long hours make sure to restart it at least three to four
hours before the exam when you restart or turn off your computer all the stored
data will be wiped clean and programs will be rebooted this can potentially clear out some
processes and programs running behind the scenes a move that will help you avoid a sluggish app
experience the gmac does not allow any external peripherals such as webcams and headsets
this means that your laptop must have a working mic and a webcam or
else you will not be able to complete the check-in process so make sure to run the
system diagnostic test multiple times before taking the test the link is in the description
most of us usually have wi-fi connections and one common issue with wi-fi connections is that their
performance can be inconsistent especially when used continuously over long periods
since the test will be three plus hours long you might not want to risk your attempt because of an
inconsistent connection so for a seamless test experience you can get an ethernet cable and
connect it directly to your laptop while procuring the cable ensure that you take into account the
distance between your computer and the router now in the event that you don't have an ethernet port
on your laptop you can use the usb to ethernet adapter which you can easily buy on amazon
if an ethernet cable is not an option ensure that you're sitting close to your router to provide an
undisrupted connection lastly avoid scheduling your test during a busy time of the day when
internet consumption is high or the speed is slow and as a best practice request your family members
or friends to avoid using the internet at that time another best practice is to restart your
router a day before the test this will free up some processes that run behind the scenes
finally and most importantly make sure that your router is attached to a power backup
the gmac has specified what kind of internet connections are acceptable to take the at home
test so choosing the right type of internet service provider is critical to ensure
a seamless test taking experience how can you ensure this ideally you should use a
cable based connection that could be either a dsl or a fiber optic connection avoid using a
cellular network or a dongle to take the test why dongles and cellular networks are not designed
to provide high quality real-time connections and might even result in test lockout it would
be better to take the in-center test rather than risking your attempt because of an unreliable isp
now that you have all the information from a logistical standpoint let's see how you can
make sure to maximize your performance in the event that you face a disruption
the gmac in the new enhancements to the at-home exam has made sure that students
can still complete the test in case they are faced with disruptions moreover students will
also not lose any time and can continue from the point where their test got disrupted while this
update makes the test resilient to disruptions students should still be prepared to face them
we noticed several instances where some of the students who faced a disruption
reported that even though they could complete the exam the lack of awareness and most importantly
the lack of preparedness for these situations resulted in a dissatisfactory final result
so it's very critical that you prepare for these disruptions to maximize your performance and how
can you do so well while taking practice tests you can plan a random break for five minutes
during the verbal and the quant sections this would consciously break your flow
and if you can manage to stay consistent despite this break you can then replicate similar results
on the actual exam in the event that you're faced with disruption essentially you're doing
a rehearsal for a possible disruption to train your brain to acclimatize the enhanced online
exam has definitely faced criticism however the problems associated with it are linked more with
the awareness preparedness and acclimatization rather than the test format itself lastly a vast
majority of students have reported a satisfactory experience with the online exam you can watch this
session with the gmac representative where we have discussed several scenarios in detail just click
on the top right hand corner if you like this video then subscribe to our channel happy learning