![\"laptop-floating-windows\"](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/gmat-sentence-correction-1024x536.png\")
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[Note: I first wrote this right after I took the official Executive Assessment Online in May 2020. At that time, we had to use an online whiteboard for all of our work. In June 2020, they fixed that: Now, everyone can use both a physical whiteboard and an online whiteboard. I\u2019ve updated this article accordingly; otherwise, the post is exactly what I wrote right after I took the exam.]<\/span><\/p>\n I took the <\/span>GMAT Online<\/span><\/a> about a month ago and I was getting restless (nothing to do during the pandemic!), so I signed up to take the <\/span>Executive Assessment (EA) Online<\/span><\/a>. The EA Online was a much better experience\u2014I\u2019ll tell you why below. (And since everyone always asks: I scored a 166 overall: 15 on IR, 13 on Verbal, and 18 on Quant. Verbal is usually my best section, so I was surprised by that score. My score also dropped on the Verbal when I took the GMAT Online, but my Quant and IR scores were fine \/ what I usually get.)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The biggest reason: I knew exactly what to expect. I\u2019ve been practicing with the <\/span>online whiteboard<\/span><\/a> for a month now\u2014I no longer have to think about it how to use it or which icon I need to click for which tool. [And now that you can have a physical whiteboard, use the physical one for all of your math. I do still recommend using the online whiteboard to keep track of your time. For verbal-based notes, do you prefer to type or write? I\u2019d rather type, so I\u2019d still take notes on the online whiteboard.]<\/span><\/p>\n For the EA Online, I also knew exactly how the technology check and security protocols would work. I knew what to do to call the proctor and where I wanted to place my online whiteboard relative to the rest of the test on the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n The key is in <\/span>knowing what to expect<\/span><\/i>. That\u2019s true whether you take the exam at a testing center or online\u2014if you have a good idea of what\u2019s coming, you\u2019ll significantly reduce your anxiety in a stressful situation. For the online exam, make sure that you\u2019re going through the tech and proctor check at least 24 hours before your exam\u2014maybe even do the tech check twice the week before. I\u2019d go so far as to assume you\u2019re going to take the real test twice (and, if you get a score you like the first time, it\u2019s just a nice surprise that you don\u2019t need to take it again).<\/span><\/p>\n Second, it\u2019s just easier to take the EA. The entire exam is only 90 minutes long, half the length of the GMAT (or the GRE), so it\u2019s literally easier from a physical standpoint. I wasn\u2019t getting cramped in my chair; I didn\u2019t have the urge to go to the bathroom, nor did I get hungry or thirsty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, while the EA is also an adaptive exam, it doesn\u2019t adapt in the same way as the GMAT. The EA is \u201csection adaptive\u201d\u2014that is, the problems are given in a series of sections, or panels, of 6 or 7 questions each. Within any one panel of problems, you can move around however you like; you can skip a problem and come back to it later. That\u2019s a less stressful exam experience than having to answer every question in the order given (which is how the GMAT works)\u2014you feel as though you actually have some control over the test.<\/span><\/p>\n The GMAT is a more challenging exam, based on how the exam is constructed\u2014and that\u2019s not all bad. I actually feel a strong sense of accomplishment when I\u2019m done with it. This is no doubt why many people still consider the GMAT the gold standard for business school. But, in many cases, the GMAT is overkill. If a program accepts the EA*, then I get the best of both worlds\u2014I get the cachet of taking an exam that is very similar to the GMAT but it\u2019s easier to take. (The only drawback is that it does cost more upfront than the GMAT. But there are no fees for most rescheduling scenarios or for sending score reports, so I find that friendlier, too. Pay once, get everything.)<\/span><\/p>\n *Most EMBA programs accept the EA at this point. An increasing number of regular full-time and part-time MBA programs are starting to accept the EA. Here\u2019s a <\/span>full list of accepting programs<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n First, someone from Pearson, the organization that runs both the online exam and the in-person testing centers for the GMAT and EA, told me that the vast majority of test-takers who have tech issues during the exam unfortunately didn\u2019t do the tech \/ system check ahead of time. Put a note on your calendar to run the tech check a few days (at least!) before you take the test. The tech check literally takes you all the way through launching a one-problem \u201cexam\u201d (it\u2019s not a real test problem). If you discover an issue, you\u2019ll have plenty of time to work with their tech support team to resolve it. (You will run this same tech check again immediately before the exam starts on exam day\u2014but this time, the real exam will launch at the end of the tech check.)<\/span><\/p>\n My EA Online was identical to the EA I took in the testing center (except for the test problems, of course!). You start with a 12-minute instruction period, but if you\u2019ve prepared by taking the official practice EAs (strongly recommended), you won\u2019t need to read these instructions. Leave them on screen and let the 12-minute timer keep running, though. Pull up the online whiteboard (it\u2019s always available and it\u2019ll sit on top of the instructions screen). Start testing out the tools and jot down anything you want to use to help you keep track of your time as you take the exam.<\/span><\/p>\n Use this time to make sure that everything is working properly. I didn\u2019t, and it turned out that my whiteboard was glitching\u2014but I didn\u2019t discover this until after I\u2019d started the first section. Every 20-30 seconds, my whiteboard would suddenly erase everything I\u2019d typed! (It <\/span>seemed<\/span><\/i> to happen every time I typed the letter Z\u2014maybe related to control-Z, undo? I\u2019m not sure. I only realized this afterwards.) After the third time it happened, I clicked to summon the proctor. She restarted the software immediately, and the whiteboard worked perfectly for the rest of the test.<\/span><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t call the proctor until about 3 minutes into the section, and then I started trying to explain exactly what the glitch was. I was stressed and was thinking \u201cThis is tech support, so I have to give them every detail so they can troubleshoot\u201d mode. But really, I should\u2019ve kept it short and simple, \u201cIt\u2019s erasing itself every few seconds!\u201d As soon as she understood me, she rebooted\u2014but by then I was probably 4-5 minutes into the section.<\/span><\/p>\n From then on, everything was normal. I was able to answer every IR problem except for one, a pretty ugly Two-Part problem for which I would have needed the calculator\u2014but I ran out of time. I think another minute or two would have been sufficient to finish it, so the time I lost to the tech malfunction earlier did cost me here.<\/span><\/p>\n The Verbal and Quant sections were both good. I had to do all of my work on the online whiteboard (since the physical whiteboard wasn\u2019t allowed then) and I found one pretty significant benefit to doing the work online. I was working straight down on a single \u201cpage,\u201d essentially, so when I reached the end of a panel, it was easy to scroll back up to review my work while I double-checked my answers. In the test center, I usually need two pages for one panel of problems, so I was having to flip around to review my work. I also had to keep looking up and down when I was using a physical whiteboard; with the online whiteboard, my work and the problem were side by side.<\/span><\/p>\n At the very end of the Quant section, I had a panic moment when I thought my screen had frozen\u2014but it actually hadn\u2019t. A five-minute-warning window pops up, but I\u2019d placed my whiteboard over the middle of the screen. The warning window had popped up <\/span>behind<\/span><\/i> it, so I didn\u2019t see it. When I tried to choose my answer for the final problem, nothing happened. I finally remembered the 5-minute warning from the earlier sections, moved the whiteboard and saw it, clicked to dismiss it, and was able to select my answer. So just an FYI if you think the screen has frozen\u2014move your whiteboard to see whether this warning window or another window has popped up on the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n After my exam, GMAC was nice enough to answer my questions about how tech issues are handled in general. Most tech issues can be resolved pretty easily; the proctors can restart the software very quickly and the test timer will stay at the same time it was at when the system was rebooted. (I can confirm that my timer stayed the same when they rebooted the software for me.)<\/span><\/p>\n So if you do experience a tech issue, click the button to call the proctor immediately. For most issues, they can get you going again quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n GMAC also said that you don\u2019t have to worry if you have an internet outage or similar tech issue at home. If the outage is pretty short (a few seconds to a few minutes), you\u2019ll be able to pick up where you left off. If you were to have a more serious tech issue (e.g., your power goes out for hours), you\u2019d be given a case number and your case would be investigated. This can take up to a week; the resolution generally seems to be that the test-taker is allowed to reschedule and retake the exam (and this doesn\u2019t count against you in terms of the number of times you\u2019re allowed to take the exam). I\u2019ve had students lose power or Internet in testing centers, too\u2014the same thing happens. You have to reschedule for a later date. It\u2019s really annoying when it happens but it\u2019s not super common.<\/span><\/p>\n A month ago, I was leaning towards testing online, but I was still on the fence. Now that I\u2019ve had time to get used to everything [and now that they allow physical whiteboards], I\u2019m a big fan of taking the exam online\u2014assuming you have both the technology and the necessary quiet space to take the exam.<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, testing at home probably has more potential for technology glitches, but to me, that\u2019s worth not having to travel across town and sit in a room listening to other people sniffle or feeling cold because the room temperature isn\u2019t what I prefer. (And it\u2019s not like the testing centers don\u2019t have power outages or other glitches, too.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When I took the GMAT Online a month ago, I was also concerned about privacy issues; I wasn\u2019t thrilled about the idea of an exam recording me in my own home. Pearson has told me, though, that they follow all data privacy and security laws in each test-taker\u2019s country. In the United States, for example, any recordings are required to be deleted within 30 days of the date the recording is made. So I don\u2019t have security\/privacy concerns any longer.<\/span><\/p>\n This is a personal choice, of course, so you\u2019ll have to gauge your own preferences as well as how well you can meet the requirements (technology and quiet space). Speaking just for myself, now that GMAC has announced that the online versions of both the GMAT and EA are here to stay, I\u2019ll definitely be taking these exams from the comfort of my own home in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n Want to learn more about the EA? Get your very own free <\/span>EA Starter Kit<\/span><\/a> syllabus on Manhattan Prep\u2019s site for some free practice and lessons. Happy studying!<\/span><\/p>\n For information about our Executive Assessment Complete Course\u00a0<\/b>click here<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n Stacey Koprince<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Montreal, Canada and Los Angeles, California.<\/strong>\u00a0Stacey has been teaching the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT \u00a0for more than 15 years and is one of the most well-known instructors in the industry. Stacey loves to teach and is absolutely fascinated by standardized tests.\u00a0Check out Stacey\u2019s upcoming GMAT courses here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [Note: I first wrote this right after I took the official Executive Assessment Online in May 2020. At that time, we had to use an online whiteboard for all of our work. In June 2020, they fixed that: Now, everyone can use both a physical whiteboard and an online whiteboard. I\u2019ve updated this article accordingly; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53128,873,9,1],"tags":[53099,58525,52823,57166],"yst_prominent_words":[58523,58518,55988,58520,55417,55475,53635,57942,53774,57943,58522,58519,58516,58515,58517,58521,54324,57940,53786,57960],"class_list":["post-19297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-executive-assessment","category-for-current-studiers","category-taking-the-gmat","category-uncategorized","tag-ea","tag-ea-online","tag-executive-assessment","tag-study-for-the-ea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19297"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19300,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19297\/revisions\/19300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19297"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=19297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why did the Executive Assessment feel easier?<\/h3>\n
So how did the EA go?<\/h3>\n
So…about that tech issue…<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Online vs. testing center: Which is better?<\/h3>\n
\n![\"stacey-koprince\"](\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2015\/06\/stacey-koprince-150x150.png\")
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