earplugs allowed?

[BrisketAttack]

I am 100% reliant upon earplugs during exams. is this an option for USMLE? if not, i am screwed. also, how do plugs factor in with the new media clips? will you have to remove them real fast, then put them back in after the clip? stupid f-ing media clips. stupid heart murmurs. stupid lungs.

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[mudphudwannabe]

I took the exam a year ago, so I don't know anything about media clips. But I do know that the ear plug thing varies by test center. Best to check with your test center to see what their rules are. At my prometric center, no ear plugs were allowed. They had these big headphone-type things you could used to block out noise, but I didn't use them. The best thing is probably to get used to some background noise - for example, do your practice questions in a computer lab. There won't be super noisy stuff going on during the test, but there will be keys tapping, the person next to you tapping their pencil or cracking their knuckles, sniffling, etc.

 

[2cr8tive]

depends on the center. mine allows it but i know my friend taking it in other areas and they arent allowed to take their own earplug. but im lucky cuz just like u i must have them on, even when i sleep and there is nobody in the house.

 

[peter90036]

mine didnt allow outside anything (incl no earplugs)
and they provided some big ol' noise-blocking cans (but i didnt use them)

though, i noticed a couple people took out earplugs from their pocket and used them...

 

[BrisketAttack]

in a typical 24 hour period i have my earplugs in for >18 hrs. if i can't use them during the test, it will be pretty disastrous.

 

[BrisketAttack]

something else occured to me. how close are you seated next to other people during the exam? are there barriers? can you see one another? it sucks to be so neurotic. i wish my brain wasn't so screwy.

 

[peter90036]

at my center i'd say chairs are about 1-1.5m from each other,
the desks are about 1m wide, 1m depth, with high partitions on all 3 sides
but if you dont sit with your head inside the desk area you can see the person next to you
depends what kinda monitors you have, if they're CRT/TV type monitors i'd get nausea if sat too close

 

[Halcyon902]

My prometric center (Rochester, NY), no ear plugs were allowed. They had these big headphone-type things at every station. It was very quit until some idiot came in who was making noise for his whole exam. Thankfully his exam was only about 3 hours and we had to suffer him sighing, whisper-reading, and berthing rapidly through his noise every 20 seconds. People making noise is just something you have to be mentally prepared for I guess.

 

[Cards21aceking]

.....

and berthing rapidly through his noise every 20 seconds

Berthing....? By any chance was this the guy sitting next to you? http://www.imdb.com/media/rm616143872/tt0110216

 

[femme]

my test center had "noise reducing earphones" which i totally used. just switch to the regular headphones for audio questions... or you could just keep those on the whole time too..