Are some prometric centers better than others for Step 1?

[KLycos]

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Not that I have a huge array of options really. But is it worth spending a little bit of effort to figure out if one prometric site is substantially better than another?

 

[link2swim06]

I'd avoid one next to something obviously noisy (i.e. a fire station, a club, etc.). They did construction in the office above me during a few blocks of my step 2 exam. That was annoying as I could hear it even with the ear plugs/headphone things.

Otherwise you are going to be inside your cubicle and oblivious to what is going on around you.

 

[organdonor]

The one closest to you is better than all the rest.

You don't want to be traveling too far out of your geographic area the morning of one of the most important tests of your life.

These centers have such strict policies that one is exactly like another.

Like the poster above said you'd rather not have construction actively going on in the building, but really how would you know about it before hand? You have to schedule these tests months in advance, and are you really going to call the testing centers the week before, or drive aroud to several in the area to see who has construction and who doesn't? Not practical. Schedule at the closest one you can get and stop overthinking it.

 

[Venko]

Having used a number of testing centers in the US across my training; they are not all alike. They are not vastly different either. If you have a few that are reasonably closed to you (don't wake up two hours early etc), then pick one that is quieter, easier to park, smaller, has close by food etc, may have local wifi from a neighboring shop so that you can have your laptop etc setup in your car (if thats still kosher, things may have changed) so that on breaks you can review things if you wish. Pick ones that have comfortable seats, carpet etc. You can tour the centers you are considering to assess these things. Make sure there are a few bathrooms instead of just one etc.

These are all minor things but if you have the option of a few local centers than you should definitely choose what suits you the best. It has been worth it to me…you make the call

 

[throw away]

Definitely check it out beforehand. I know someone who got stuck at a computer with an oddly-tinted screen (everything had a green hue). It wasn't a deal breaker but it was not ideal either. Going in advance will also make you more relaxed on the morning of test day because you'll know how to get there and what the procedures are.

Remember that you can bring soft earplugs with you! The ear muffs that they provide are not nearly as good as ear plugs.

 

[hrandani]

I discovered that a location not too far from me let me take the step starting at 1PM, this probably gave me a 20-30 point boost.

Probably not as useful for your typical type A medical student, but I'm not an early riser.