I know there were problems during COVID, but with the pandemic winding down is it pretty common for testing centers to cancel exam dates at the last minute? I ask because I'm planning to take Step 1 on May 20th at a prometric center and then fly out for vacation the next day. I'm worried about it being cancelled at the last minute because I've read of that happening on here, but I'm not sure if that's usual. I'm trying to do this while the flights are cheaper. Would it be unwise to plan vacation for right after? Thank you.
Is it typical for testing centers to cancel exams last minute
- Thread starter DO_or_Die
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It is uncommon but certainly not unheard of for a test to be canceled.
Kind of unrelated, but it also sounds awful to do Step 1 and then immediately pack for a trip. Why not give yourself a buffer day or two?
Kind of unrelated, but it also sounds awful to do Step 1 and then immediately pack for a trip. Why not give yourself a buffer day or two?
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I flew out for my honeymoon on the same day that I took Step 2CK.
Cancelling the test is not common but possible. I would think that it's unlikely that you would be compelled to take it on the following day or even on a day in the week after, so even in the case of it being rescheduled I don't think it would have to cancel your trip. At the end of the day, you still have to make plans for your life and then make adjustments if things change, if the past two years have taught us anything.
Cancelling the test is not common but possible. I would think that it's unlikely that you would be compelled to take it on the following day or even on a day in the week after, so even in the case of it being rescheduled I don't think it would have to cancel your trip. At the end of the day, you still have to make plans for your life and then make adjustments if things change, if the past two years have taught us anything.
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My step 1 was canceled because the prometric center flooded. I was also flying out two days later. They are supposed to help you reschedule, but can take up to 5 business days before they call you. I ended up looking for any openings within a 300 mile radius and found one on same day as my original test, but in a different city. A bunch of my classmates also got cancelled due to snow!
So yes, it’s possible but at this time of year should be rare.
So yes, it’s possible but at this time of year should be rare.
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It's not terribly uncommon, but it's not likely. If I were to guess the percentage likelihood, it's probably 1-3%, similar to the chances of your vacation flight getting canceled.
I would just keep the plans (Step 1, subsequent vacation) you have in place currently. If you get screwed, you get screwed. Alternatively, if that small risk bothers you psychologically, you can pull your Step 1 up by a week to give yourself a buffer with plenty of time to reschedule if your test site has issues. Back in the scaled score days, one week was an eternity some would be willing to pay 100s of dollars to reschedule for, but with P/F it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
