Terrifying fear...

[700003]

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[Doudline]

 

[mik30102]

Relax... it happens very infrequently. If it were to happen you void your exam and tben retake it, no big deal.

 

[kk123]

Okay, so I'm scared out of my wits that the computer will freeze/malfunction/shut down at the Prometric testing center when I take my MCAT this year…can anyone please tell me if this happens often?!

I don't know how often it happens, but I know it has happened before. There was a person on the MCAT forum that said their computer froze up and they had to void. You can't do anything about it though, so don't waste time and energy worrying about it.

 

[pbrocks15]

I don't know how often it happens, but I know it has happened before. There was a person on the MCAT forum that said their computer froze up and they had to void. You can't do anything about it though, so don't waste time and energy worrying about it.

The bolded. Don't smack the computer and you should be fine, if it happens then you can retake. Perhaps they might give you the retake free of charge? Don't count me on this. I actually doubt they would now that I think about it.

 

[db4277]

This DID happen to me in Livonia, MI during the writing portion in 2011. Nothing was lost, but some test takers cried anyway.

 

[SN12357]

Okay, so I'm scared out of my wits that the computer will freeze/malfunction/shut down at the Prometric testing center when I take my MCAT this year…can anyone please tell me if this happens often?!

There were computer problems when I took the MCAT. Ultimately my score was fine but it was a terrible experience at the time. Now it's just a funny story I have to tell.

Worry about the things you can control, not the ones you can't. Knowing that these things do happen occasionally is reason to be well prepared and take the MCAT early so a retake doesn't screw up your application timeline. But aside from that put it out of your head and just do your best.

 

[forfun135]

It can be the server in the test center goes down during the test. They gave us a case number, so we could call to register free of charge. Everyone was so mad and angry that day.

 

[wuhsabee]

I'm scared that this might happen on the last day the old MCAT is administered, if I have to take it that day. :/

 

[mehc012]

I'm scared that this might happen on the last day the old MCAT is administered, if I have to take it that day. :/

Exactly. "Oh, no problem, you can sit again for free...only you should probably spend another month studying and also maybe take a few new courses! Have fun!"

 

[demosthenes102]

Okay, so I'm scared out of my wits that the computer will freeze/malfunction/shut down at the Prometric testing center when I take my MCAT this year…can anyone please tell me if this happens often?!

If your computer freezes or malfunctions, you're not going to fail. This is really unlikely to happen. Relax.

 

[AlphaKY1]

I also worry that I'll spontaneously go into v-fib. Chill.

 

[Holmwood]

Okay, so I'm scared out of my wits that the computer will freeze/malfunction/shut down at the Prometric testing center when I take my MCAT this year…can anyone please tell me if this happens often?!

It happened to me twice, and the prometric staff didn't even respond to my calls.

Suffice to say, I missed a good two sections worth of questions. . . but chose not to void the test because of temporal/financial reasons (I didn't retake the test either).

Check the ratings for each testing center. Mine had a very low rating, but I chose to ignore it. Learn from my mistake. : )

 

[700003]

It happened to me twice, and the prometric staff didn't even respond to my calls.

Suffice to say, I missed a good two sections worth of questions. . . but chose not to void the test because of temporal/financial reasons (I didn't retake the test either).

Check the ratings for each testing center. Mine had a very low rating, but I chose to ignore it. Learn from my mistake. : )

Wow it happened to you twice during the same exam?! That's exactly what I'm afraid of…do you know where I can look for the ratings? Not all of them show up on google when I type the address in. I'm trying to decide if I should sign up for the York and Harrisburg centers in Pennsylvania…

What test center did you go to?

 

[Holmwood]

Wow it happened to you twice during the same exam?! That's exactly what I'm afraid of…do you know where I can look for the ratings? Not all of them show up on google when I type the address in. I'm trying to decide if I should sign up for the York and Harrisburg centers in Pennsylvania…

What test center did you go to?

I'm in the west so I can't make much predictions about what your experience will be like. : P

 

[doc4lax]

I had mine at the Livonia office in July and it was fine. I don't think anyone in my group had their screens freeze up. They seem to go great lengths to make the exam secure, so I would hope that it would me checking the servers as well.

 

[demosthenes102]

I also worry that I'll spontaneously go into v-fib. Chill.

Sometimes I worry about spontaneous combustion.

Look, this is highly unlikely to happen, and I wouldn't worry about it. You'll be fine. Breathe.

 

[Avicenna]

I would worry more about getting a decent MCAT score since it's more likely that a bad score will prevent you from admission to your first choice than a tech problem

 

[Doctor Strange]

The actual percentage of test-takers that experience any technical difficulties is small. The reason it seems so common is because the test-takers that do experience these problems are very vocal about it. You're not going to hear all the people who had a normal test day say so. Rest assured that technical hiccups are the least of your worries on test day.

tl;dr: Calm down.

 

[FutureOncologist]

This is the part of SDN where unnecessary cortisol levels shoot up in premeds.