Study guide during the MCAT "tutorial?"

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I saw another thread addressing this question from 2009 (I believe), but responses went both ways. Basically I am asking if it's allowed to write down a "study-guide" during the MCAT tutorial, or if that is against established rules. OR, are we allowed to write a "study-guide" during the breaks before the sections (I know that the break isn't really 10min, the test doesn't automatically start after the 10min is up)?

These are the basic Prometric rules I found:

You will be continuously monitored by video, physical walk-throughs and the observation
window during your test. All testing sessions are video and audio recorded.

You must present valid (unexpired) and acceptable ID(s) in order to take your test. Validity
and number of IDs required is predetermined by your test sponsor.

You are required to sign out on the test center roster each time you leave the test room. You must also sign back in and show your ID to the Test Center Administrator (TCA) in order to be re-admitted to the test room.

You are prohibited from communicating, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any part of
your test, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, for any purpose.

You must not talk to other candidates or refer to their screens, testing materials, or written
notes in the test room.

You must not use written notes, published materials, or other testing aids, except those
allowed by your test sponsor. (The TCA will refer to the applicable client practice for
allowances.)

You are allowed to bring soft ear plugs or center-supplied tissues in the test room.
Any clothing or jewelry items allowed to be worn in the test room must remain on your person at all times. Removed clothing or jewelry items must be stored in your locker.

You must not bring any personal/unauthorized items into the testing room. Such items
include but are not limited to: outerwear, hats, food, drinks, purses, briefcases, notebooks,
pagers, watches, cellular telephones, recording devices, and photographic equipment.
Weapons are not allowed at any Prometric Testing Center. You will be asked to empty and
turn your pockets inside out prior to every entry into the test room to confirm that you have no prohibited items.

You will be scanned with a metal detector wand prior to every entry into the test room. If you refuse, you cannot test.

You must return all materials issued to you by the TCA at the end of your test.

You must comply with the policy of your test sponsor regarding the use of phones during
scheduled breaks in your test.

Your test may have either scheduled or unscheduled breaks which are determined by your
test sponsor. The TCA can inform you what is specifically permitted during these breaks.
Repeated or lengthy departures from the test room for unscheduled breaks will be reported
by the TCA.

If you need access to an item stored in the test center during a break such as food or
medicine, you must inform the TCA before you retrieve the item. You are not allowed to
access any prohibited item (as defined by the client practice applicable for the test you are
taking).

You must conduct yourself in a civil manner at all times when on the premises of the testing center. Exhibiting abusive behavior towards the TCA, or any other staff member of the test center, may result in criminal prosecution.

To protect the privacy of all testers, the TCA can neither confirm nor deny if any particular
individual is present or scheduled at the test center.

Persons not scheduled to take a test are not permitted to wait in the test center.

Has anyone contacted their Prometric center to ask? In the other thread, it seems some have and it went both ways, which is even more confusing.

I have not sat for an exam, but I have been advised by other students to use the tutorial time to write down common formulas and timing check points if you use them.

Originally Posted by nirvikalpa

I saw another thread addressing this question from 2009 (I believe), but responses went both ways. Basically I am asking if it's allowed to write down a "study-guide" during the MCAT tutorial, or if that is against established rules. OR, are we allowed to write a "study-guide" during the breaks before the sections (I know that the break isn't really 10min, the test doesn't automatically start after the 10min is up)?

These are the basic Prometric rules I found:



Has anyone contacted their Prometric center to ask? In the other thread, it seems some have and it went both ways, which is even more confusing.

Once you've signed in and packed away your materials in the designated "lockers" you can write down whatever you want during whatever time period of the exam. You are just not allowed to access/read/look at/glance/touch any notes or books that pertain to testing material you may have brought with you.

I used the tutorial time to write out all the equations I could remember onto the scratch paper they provided and no one had a problem with it. The information is coming from your brain, not a cheat sheet that you snuck in, so I don't see how they could prohibit it and there's nothing in the rules about it either (unless I'm missing something?). If you tried to take the scratch paper home with you then it might look like you were copying down the exam or something, but other than that I doubt it would be an issue.

On a side note, I think I used maybe two of the couple dozen equations/factoids that I wrote down at the beginning of the test. It's kind of funny in hindsight.