GMAT Practice Tablet with Formula Sheet & Markers Spiral-bound – January 1, 2013

It's silly not to buy this great tool!If you are like me, you are spending a bunch of money on training for and taking the GMAT, and if you are doing that, this is one of those things that is a very small amount of money for a tool that will translate to some extra points on the test through more effective studying and increased comfort on test day, so why wouldn’t you buy it?This is an extremely effective tool. It is the closest you can buy to the actual scratchpad and marker that you get on the exam day and the formula sheet is innovative and helpful in the extreme.Writing on a laminated tablet is very different from writing on paper, and getting adjusted definitely takes time, which you do not want to waste on actual test day, so the more comfortable you can get with this format in advance, the better.Additionally, the formula sheet has every important formula and concept you will need on the test. It is extraordinarily convenient to have all of these in one place rather that spread through multiple books. Having the formulae in one place provides three main advantages;1 It makes studying more efficient, because you don’t need to comb through a bunch of books to find what you need when you need to refresh your memory on a formula or concept2 It helps you easily commit the formulae to memory, especially for visual learners.3 It boils the needed information down to one page, with no fluff. You may need examples and detailed guides for some sections, but for others, just the formula may be enough, so as you practice you can mark sections you want to explore further vs. sections you are comfortable withNo one is claiming that this will change your score exponentially, at the end of the day, this resource may make a difference of a few points and a few hours studying for the test, but given all of the other money it costs to prepare for and take this test, isn’t it silly to scrimp on less than $20 bucks to get those few extra points?:-)

This practice tablet is awesome for simulating test day conditions (I'm using it for the MCAT, but it should be pretty standard for other tests like the GMAT that are held at Pearson Vue testing centers). I chose this tablet over other cheaper options because the pages on this one are white and seem pretty similar to the ones I've used at the test center. The tablet is fairly easy to use, and wipes clean with a spritz of water and a cloth you don't mind getting stained. I took off a star because the product photo shows the 2 included markers as being Staedtler Lumocolor non-permanent fine point markers, which are the ones used at the testing centers. Instead it came with 2 generic expo markers, which work really well on the tablet but are a much thicker point and less scratchy to use. I wanted to more closely simulate test day conditions, so I purchased the Staedtler ones and noticed they tend to stain the tablet and leave ghosts of whatever you wrote. I'm guessing the expo markers were subbed in because they're much cheaper, but it would have been nice to know in advance, and if the ghosting bothers you then use the included markers. Overall, I would definitely recommend getting this tablet and buying a box of Staedtler pens to go with it. I am much more likely to do practice problems when I have this tablet with me because it's so convenient to use, and I anticipate it will help me score higher on the MCAT than I would have without it.

Firstly, I’m using this for MCAT prep, but I’m fairly positive this isn’t representative of the booklet for the GMAT either.1. The grid spacing is AWFUL. It’s not the same as what you’ll have on test day. The grid lines are darker and spaced closer together. They make small rectangles, not squares. Writing within one square is nearly impossible - they’re too shallow to fit writing, but using two squares of height is huge. The dark lines also make it hard to read what you’ve written and space things well. Even with the thinner Staedtler pens you can’t write on just one line. The grids are much different on the real deal.2. I already said this but it deserves its own point. The grid lines are really dark. It’s hard to read your writing and hard to keep track of where you are on the page.3. The edges aren’t sealed, so this board is hard to clean. I use rubbing alcohol and a paper towel, then a cotton ball. Works like a charm. However, because this booklet has open edges (aka the lamination doesn’t seal the paper in), the paper between the lamination gets wet when you clean it, even if you’re very careful. It also has a slightly more textured surface and is harder to clean. There are a few spots where the lamination seems to be too thin, and they don’t wipe all the way clean.4. This comes with the expo vis-a-vis and not the Staedtler markers you’ll use. Shell out for the legit markers, they’re worth it.The ONLY pro: The real booklet IS white like this one. However, I got this and the yellow GMAT booklet and I only use the yellow one. The grid lines are lighter and have real spacing. The surface/lamination is thicker and smoother. The edges are sealed so it’s easier to clean. Ultimately the color doesn’t matter as much as how the writing feels, getting used to how you’ll set things up with the real spacing, and being able to see what you’ve written.

Used this to practice for standardized test prep. I wrote on it with a wet erase marker, and while erasing my work, the water easily seeped through the corners (if you wipe them), as well as through the middle of the pages (if you erase with excess force). Once I learned how to erase thoughtfully, I was able to make the booklet last for about 10 write-erase cycles before it fell apart

I bought 2 sets of this and in each of the sets containing 2 markers (total 4) each came totally dried, since they were uncapped at the time of receipt. Now I am struggling to buy new markers.