Today’s GMAT tip comes from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan GMAT instructor Bret Ruber offers advice on how to best use what is provided to you during the GMAT for scratch work:
One of the big surprises for many who are preparing for the GMAT is the scratch work rules. For those not already familiar, on the GMAT you do not use scratch paper. Instead, you are given four legal-sized laminated sheets that are bound together on which to do your work. Along with these sheets you will be given a wet erase pen. As you will not have water on test day – keep in mind that it is not even allowed in the testing room – you will be unable to erase on test day. If you use up all of the space on your scratch sheets and need more space, you can raise your hand and when the proctor sees you, s/he will take your scratch booklet away and provide you with a fresh one. But, note that you get your new booklet when the proctor sees you, not as soon as you raise your hand, so this process can take a minute or so.
In order to minimize the number of times you trade-in your scratch sheets, always switch them out during the breaks. You may want to, for example, use one set for the essays, trade once during the quantitative and use one set for the verbal.
In order to stick to these guidelines, you can follow a few strategies to use as little space as possible. First, practice limiting your scratch space when taking practice tests. This will force you to write as small as you can, which will be an asset on test day.
Additionally, do not hesitate to set up a grid listing the five answer choices, with space to mark checks and x’s as you choose and/or eliminate answers. This can be especially helpful for data sufficiency and verbal.
Finally, you should clearly label the scratch-work with its problem number. After you finish the problem, box it off. This way, you can use all of the space provided, you won’t accidentally confuse yourself when working on another question, and you’ll get as much work onto the pages as possible.
By following these strategies, you should have no problems with your scratch work on test day and will be on your way to a top score.
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Read the full article: GMAT Tip: Success with your GMAT scratch work