Anyone else have pen problems during the real test?

[kbonnie]

I sat for my GMAT yesterday, after studying my butt off for months. So finally at the test center, the first dry erase pen "marker" (whatever they call it), didn't work well. So after 5 minutes of trying to deal with it, I got the proctor to exchange pens. And lo and behold...the second pen didn't work well either. At this point, I was incredibly frustrated trying to do Quant with a lousy marker...but didn't want to waste more valuable time exchanging 3rd pen (which may or may not be better anyways). Some pages of the dry erase notepad were also still a tad moist, which made it even harder to write on

So no surprise...after all my frustration with my markers...I ended getting crappy score on my GMAT :( This after months of hard work. I consistently got 680 on GMAT Prep, both versions 1.1 and 1.2, but dropped by more than 100 points on the real thing, probably because I was so frustrated during the whole ordeal.

Did anyone else have this problem? (please don't blast me :) I know I should have exchanged the whole notepad and pen again, but when you're so crunched on time...I didn't know if spending more time exchanging things again would have helped.

Honestly, I don't understand why an exam that costs 250 dollars and plays a role in determining what schools you may get into cannot spend a few dollars (lets say 5 dollars) to get everyone a new pad and pen. Just my 2 cents.

Did anyone else have this problem?

I ended up calling GMAC and my status is pending review

[StaceyKoprince]

I have heard of people having pen problems, yes - I've heard others say that the pen dried up while they were still in the middle of the section.

When that does happen, definitely raise your hand and get someone in there to fix the problem. It's already distracting if there's a problem with the pen, so it's not going to be more distracting to have them come in and try to fix the problem. Plus, it's their responsibility to ensure a smooth test experience.

Also, it was good that you called to complain (and, if anyone has this happen in future, you can file a complaint at the test center, before you even leave). I don't know what the resolution will be, but if something is bad enough, you can also leave the testing room and ask them to reschedule you (for free, because the inadequate pens caused the problem) or, if possible, ask them to first make sure you've got an adequate pen and then restart the exam. Three bad pens in a row should be enough of a problem to convince them that they need to do something to alleviate the situation.

Having said that, I don't work for them, so I don't know the official protocols for dealing with these kinds of situations. I'm just giving you my own opinion about how things should be handled. :)

I also think it's important to try to figure out everything that might have led to a score drop - so that we can make sure that this doesn't happen again.

Did your score drop on both the quant and verbal? Or was it mostly only in one section? If the latter, which? What was the score difference (from practice tests to the real thing)?

When you took the practice tests, did you also take the essays? Did you spend as much time and mental energy on the practice essays as you did on the real essays?

How was your timing in each section? Did you generally move steadily through the test, giving appropriate time and attention to each question? (2m for quant; 1 to 1.25m for SC, 2m for CR, 2-4m to read a passage, 1m for general RC questions, 1.5 to 2m for specific RC questions) Or did you have to rush at times and possibly make random guesses? If you did have to rush and/or make random guesses, on how many questions would you say you did that? Did you do it on a lot of questions in a row or were the guesses scattered? Alternatively, did you move too quickly and finish with a lot of time (>3min) left over?

How was your stamina? How did you feel toward the middle and end of the verbal section? Did you have something to eat and drink on the breaks? Did you get up, walk around, and stretch?

What other differences can you think of between your practice test experiences and your real test experiences? Anything, no matter how small, and no matter whether you think it wouldn't have made a difference to your score. Any differences at all?

[kbonnie]

Thanks Stacey!

I'm glad that I'm not alone in having issues during the test. I don't wish it on anyone ever. It sucked, but I do take responsibility that it un-nerved me so much during Quant.

The spiral pad was moist enough as to stick to my arm during the exam (gross huh?)

I definitely learned that it is way better to make sure that everything is running smoothly beforehand. If I had known about pen issues, I would have learned to take a careful look at both the spiral notebook and pen in front of the proctor before walking into the test room.

[catherine.burns]

I had the same problem during the quant in the last half hour: I struggled with the pens and could barely see: in the last five minutes, I couldn't write.

I changed them during the pause but unfortunately the "new" ones didn't work either: I was very frustrated and I'm sure I have lost in concentration because of this.

I find it incredible.

[StaceyKoprince]

Okay, so two things:

1) I like kbonnie's idea to look at the pen and pad before going in the room (and, if it's wet, definitely ask them to dry it off). Take it a step further: uncap the pen and try it on the pad before going in. Tell the proctor you had problems last time and just want to make sure the pen works.

2) If you do start to have a problem in the testing room, raise your hand IMMEDIATELY. That way, if the pen is just starting to go out, you can still write while you wait for the proctor to bring you a new one.

[kirk.stephens]

Is it possible to ask for multiple pens at the begining?

i.e. have 4 pens at the desk?

[StaceyKoprince]

you can ask - it doesn't hurt to ask - but the official rules state that you can have only 1 pen at a time. Certainly, though, if I were on my third dried-out pen, I'd ask them to make an exception given the exceptional circumstances.

[saravanaraj.jobs]

Hi Stacey,
Please let me know where I can buy the marker that comes with Manhattan GMAT? I bought something some on walmart and it did not write well in the notebook.

Please let me know

Regards
Raj

[StaceyKoprince]

You can buy a new marker only (not including the test booklet) for $2 on our website. I don't know where you could buy them in a store - we have them specially made.

[AbhilashM94]

I had a horrific experience with the pens.

They gave me 2 pens to start AWA & IR. I noticed they were quite bad (I couldn't draw full lines) so got both switched before I started quant.

10 mins into quant the 2 new ones stopped working. I raised my hand and got 2 new ones.

Towards the end of quant, the third round of pens stopped working. I was super tight on time in quant because of all the confusion and stress and guessed on the last 3 problems without having time to solve. Additionally I was scratching around to get the pens to work so much that I didnt have any spare room to solve now :)

I felt it was the moist scratch pad and I got a new one(I didnt have room in my old one anyway) before I started verbal. Also got my fourth round of pens. 15 mins into verbal - one pen gave in. I got it replaced and powered through the end of the exam only to see my score drop 40-60 pts below by avg. prep score.

When I came out to do the formalities, I realized everyone in the test center had the same problem. I thought they did it to see how you fare under stress.

One suggestion is if out of 2 pens one starts giving in, dont switch to your spare, get it replaced immediately. Else you will keep switching between the 2 and the next thing you know, both would stop.

Wish me luck on ME vs GMAT PENS Part II in 2 weeks.

[StaceyKoprince]

They definitely aren't doing it on purpose - this is a problem that needs to be remedied by the testing center.

I urge you to file a formal complaint with the testing center. (Anyone else reading this, file a formal complaint immediately if something like this happens to you.)

Note: one pen going out...okay. The pens do have to dry out sometime. But 4 sets of 2 pens each in the space of one test? That's way too many. If something that extreme happened to me, I would ask them for a free re-take. (I don't know that they would agree...but I would certainly ask!)

If you don't mind sharing, I would love to know the specific testing center where this occurred so that I can also report it to my contact at GMAC.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm reviving this thread to ask that people tell me which specific test centers are having issues with the pens - GMAC has asked me to send them a list so that they can try to figure out where / why the problem is occurring.

AbhilashM94, I would especially like to hear from you.

Anyone else, please tell me the test center location (city and, if not evident, state / province or country) and provide some detail about the issue.

NOTE: if you had a single pen dry out, please don't post in this thread. One pen is not unreasonable. More than one is.

Thanks, everyone!

[HelenB419]

I know this is an old thread, but I had some issues at the testing center today and I thought I'd share my experience. I took my first "official" GMAT today. I was able to get through AWA section without any pen issues. (I was issued one pen.) The tip of the pen looked warped, but it worked just fine so I didn't raise my hand to ask for a new one. I was on the second or third question of the IR section and the pen wouldn't write at all. (I was on a question with multiple tabs and needed to write down info on my pad to answer the question.) I raised my hand immediately. It took minutes for the proctor to bring me a new pen. (I'm talking 2+ minutes. After a minute or so, I turned around and noticed no one was even sitting at the window.) After the proctor brought me a replacement pen, which looked new and worked well, she decided to bring me a back up pen just in case. While it was a nice gesture, the damage had already been done. I couldn't stop thinking about how long it took to get a replacement pen and how frustrating it was to not be able to answer the question on my screen without being able to write notes down. This pen issue undoubtedly affected my IR score. By the time I got to the end of the section, I knew my IR score was shot.

After the IR section, I took a break and asked for a new yellow pad for the Quant section. (I took a 3.5 minute break.) The proctor carried the new pad into the test center, sat it down beside the keyboard, and logged in. By the time I sat down, I had about 44 seconds to write my timing markers at the bottom of each page of the yellow pad. After the Quant section started, I realized that someone else's work (math) wasn't cleaned off the third or fourth page of the pad. I couldn't afford to raise my hand and wait for a new pad while the clock counted down, so I cleaned the pad off with my hand; this didn't remove all of the copy. Before I started the Verbal section, I asked the proctor to double-check the pad she was about to give me and mentioned that the pad I received before the quant section had someone else's writing in it.

In short, I was pretty shocked by the amount of time it took to get a replacement pen and surprised that I got a pad that contained someone else's work. Are either of these issues typical?

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry you had a stressful test experience. I haven't heard of someone getting a pad that wasn't clean before. I'm sure it must have happened, given how many tests are taken each year, but I'd definitely call that unusual.

It's not unusual to have to wait a minute or two - the proctors do have various responsibilities, so they can't help each person the second that a hand is raised. They could be checking someone else in, responding to someone else who raised a hand, etc.

If you are planning to take the test again, explain what happened last time and ask for two pens and ask them to make sure the pad is cleaned.

Also, if you are planning to take the test again, you may want to file a complaint and ask them to grant you a free re-take. I don't know whether they would approve a free re-take for what happened, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask. As always, be super-polite and be detailed in explaining what happened and how it affected your testing experience. I would even include the detail that you appreciated the back-up pen but that your timing was already off and you were already distracted (as you said, the damage was done).

Just a note on this:

By the time I sat down, I had about 44 seconds to write my timing markers at the bottom of each page of the yellow pad.

Are you talking about the 60-second "instructions" period you have before the section starts? Or before that? Technically, you're not allowed to write before the section actually starts. I've never heard of a proctor preventing people from writing while the instruction screen is up (I guess that's considered part of the section), but if the proctor allowed you to write before that, then that was actually an advantage you shouldn't have had. If you're talking about that 60-second instructions page, then yes - you won't have literally the full 60 seconds because some ticks away while the proctor moves out of the way and you sit down.

[Black5879]

As Stacey pointed out, the 60 second instruction page is actually a very important window where we should test BOTH of our pens and request for a change immediately if there are any problems. For the pad itself, I actually flip through it whilst following the proctor to my desk, and would alert the proctor of any problems even before he/she leaves me