MCAT disaster, worst day of my life

[dreamer1994]

Hey guys, I took the MCAT yesterday in alhambra. I was about half way through when the fire alarm started going off. It must have gone off for about 30 seconds. I froze in the CARS section ( a section that is very hard for me to focus in anyway). When the alarm stopped I didn't see any of the other test takers getting up to evacuate, so I continued my test. When i continued the fire alarm must have gone off 2 more times during the exam. You guys know how strenuous this exam is already and I hate that I encountered even more stress during. At the end I decided to score, but now having second thoughts. When I called the test center to make a complaint, they asked me if I was wearing my headphones.??? WTF??Anyways, I want to know my options. When AAMC opens again Monday and I call do you think they may allow for retesting? I will take any advice, and this is already my second time taking the MCAT, want to make sure I do well

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[rdyotz]

That sounds like good grounds for a retest to me.

 

[dreamer1994]

That sounds like good grounds for a retest to me.

Thank you for your reply, I just needed reassurace, I feel pretty awful. you know, this test is like the olympics. we put so much time, months, into this exam for 1 day and want to perform at our best and for something like this to happen….sucks

 

[toedrag]

I could see how this could shake your focus (especially in CARS) where a 2 minute lapse in concentration can cause you to lose momentum for the rest of the section. You should def bring up the situation to AAMC.

 

[dreamer1994]

I could see how this could shake your focus (especially in CARS) where a 2 minute lapse in concentration can cause you to lose momentum for the rest of the section. You should def bring up the situation to AAMC.

Exactly.

 

[Jacquejam1234]

Hey guys, I took the MCAT yesterday in alhambra. I was about half way through when the fire alarm started going off. It must have gone off for about 30 seconds. I froze in the CARS section ( a section that is very hard for me to focus in anyway). When the alarm stopped I didn't see any of the other test takers getting up to evacuate, so I continued my test. When i continued the fire alarm must have gone off 2 more times during the exam. You guys know how strenuous this exam is already and I hate that I encountered even more stress during. At the end I decided to score, but now having second thoughts. When I called the test center to make a complaint, they asked me if I was wearing my headphones.??? WTF??Anyways, I want to know my options. When AAMC opens again Monday and I call do you think they may allow for retesting? I will take any advice, and this is already my second time taking the MCAT, want to make sure I do well

Worst day of your life? A little dramatic much...

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Worst day of your life? A little dramatic much...

Try not to judge. If you have lived a pretty nice life where your whole academic career and future as a physician is dependent on one test you’ve been prepping for for years, having something out of your control destroy your concentration and score probably feels like the worst day of your life. Maybe try a little empathy.

 

[Jacquejam1234]

Try not to judge. If you have lived a pretty nice life where your whole academic career and future as a physician is dependent on one test you’ve been prepping for for years, having something out of your control destroy your concentration and score probably feels like the worst day of your life. Maybe try a little empathy.

Lol welcome to life. I guarantee that won’t be the last time something doesn’t go right as planned.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Lol welcome to life. I guarantee that won’t be the last time something doesn’t go right as planned.

I’m not sure where you are on your journey, but that attitude will not serve you in gaining patient trust and compliance. You will have patients coming to you to fix things that they brought on themselves, and acting superior and dismissive will not endear you to them. Just FYI.

Edited for grammar.

 

[dreamer1994]

Worst day of your life? A little dramatic much...

Nope. not dramatic at all. Being that i've wanted this career since the age of 10, that I've spent countless hours in the library, countless dollars on test prep companies, being that I've studied for this test all summer and all last summer just for 1 day to have my performance not be a priority to the staff. I understand things don't always go as planned, but something like this, if they don't I need to be reimbursed for it and accommodated.

 

[Jacquejam1234]

I’m not sure where you are on your journey, but that attitude will not serve you in gaining patient trust and compliance. You will have patients coming to you to fix things that they brought on themselves, and acting superior and dismissive will not endear you to them. Just FYI.

Edited for grammar.

Thank you for the life advice. However, being over dramatic in the face of adversity will not serve well in the medical field.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thank you for the life advice. However, being over dramatic in the face of adversity will not serve well in the medical field.

Woosh.

 

[Jacquejam1234]

Nope. not dramatic at all. Being that i've wanted this career since the age of 10, that I've spent countless hours in the library, countless dollars on test prep companies, being that I've studied for this test all summer and all last summer just for 1 day to have my performance not be a priority to the staff. I understand things don't always go as planned, but something like this, if they don't I need to be reimbursed for it and accommodated.

I honestly wish you the best in your endeavors. My advice would be to tone down the victim mentality moving forward. If the worst thing to ever happen to you in your life is a fire alarm going off during a test you have lived a pretty charmed life. Especially since there were probably hundreds of other kids dealing with the same situation. Call the AAMC and tell them what happened. However, leave the dramatics out of it.

 

[Jacquejam1234]

Woosh.

Really mature. So pretty much everyone who disagrees with you is wrong huh? I’m sure your future patients will find your lack of maturity appealing. Btw I have worked in healthcare for nearly a decade. You can believe me or not. However, a lot of medicine involves telling people things they do not want to hear.

 

[dreamer1994]

Thank you for the life advice. However, being over dramatic in the face of adversity will not serve well in the medical field.

I honestly wish you the best in your endeavors. My advice would be to tone down the victim mentality moving forward. If the worst thing to ever happen to you in your life is a fire alarm going off during a test you have lived a pretty charmed life. Especially since there were probably hundreds of other kids dealing with the same situation. Call the AAMC and tell them what happened. However, leave the dramatics out of it.

I don't think its being dramatic when your unsure whether or not your life is in immediate danger, while trying to focus on the most important test of your life.

 

[evasive fish]

Hey guys, I took the MCAT yesterday in alhambra. I was about half way through when the fire alarm started going off. It must have gone off for about 30 seconds. I froze in the CARS section ( a section that is very hard for me to focus in anyway). When the alarm stopped I didn't see any of the other test takers getting up to evacuate, so I continued my test. When i continued the fire alarm must have gone off 2 more times during the exam. You guys know how strenuous this exam is already and I hate that I encountered even more stress during. At the end I decided to score, but now having second thoughts. When I called the test center to make a complaint, they asked me if I was wearing my headphones.??? WTF??Anyways, I want to know my options. When AAMC opens again Monday and I call do you think they may allow for retesting? I will take any advice, and this is already my second time taking the MCAT, want to make sure I do well

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. Definitively send a complain to AAMC. If the fire alarm went off multiple times and there was no visible real threat, then there was probably something wrong with the alarm itself. This shouldn't be happening at testing centers, especially if we're talking about such a determinant test. This is not something test centers should be taking lightly; this was an utterly disruptive occurrence that they should be able to prevent.
It's OK for you to vent and feel frustrated by this. The good thing, though, is that you finished your test, so wait for your score and let's hope this incident didn't affect it significantly.
In worst case scenario, you can obviously re-take. If this happens, don't let that obstruct your efforts toward reaching your goals!

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

Really mature. So pretty much everyone who disagrees with you is wrong huh? I’m sure your future patients will find your lack of maturity appealing. Btw I have worked in healthcare for nearly a decade. You can believe me or not. However, a lot of medicine involves telling people things they do not want to hear.

We bow before you almighty one. Please, teach us your ways. Geez... OP was stating the worst day of his/her life. Not yours, not mine, or anyone else’s.

Yes, things will get more stressful, but hopefully OP will handle those situations when they arise. Until then, get off your high horse.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Really mature. So pretty much everyone who disagrees with you is wrong huh? I’m sure your future patients will find your lack of maturity appealing. Btw I have worked in healthcare for nearly a decade. You can believe me or not. However, a lot of medicine involves telling people things they do not want to hear.

Lol. Nice. This response was pretty much exactly what I expected.

Oh, and by the way, I’ve worked in healthcare for over a decade, including providing primary care directly to patients. If your behavior with patients is anything like it is here (and it probably is even if you don’t realize it), I’m sure they just loved you.

 

[dreamer1994]

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. Definitively send a complain to AAMC. If the fire alarm went off multiple times and there was no visible real threat, then there was probably something wrong with the alarm itself. This shouldn't be happening at testing centers, especially if we're talking about such a determinant test. This is not something test centers should be taking lightly; this was an utterly disruptive occurrence that they should be able to prevent.
It's OK for you to vent and feel frustrated by this. The good thing, though, is that you finished your test, so wait for your score and let's hope this incident didn't affect it significantly.
In worst case scenario, you can obviously re-take. If this happens, don't let that obstruct your efforts toward reaching your goals!

Thanks for your reply, hoping it didn't significantly impact my score

 

[esob]

Thank you for the life advice. However, being over dramatic in the face of adversity will not serve well in the medical field.

Thanks for your advice bro, I'm sure all of us former military health care providers could have used such advice earlier in our careers If only I could have had access to such wisdom when our UH1 suffered a main rotor detachment...

 

[gp2]

Just wanted to say I had originally scheduled to take it yesterday in Alhambra as well and would have felt the same way had I been taking the test and that happened. Hope it works out for you!

 

[dreamer1994]

Just wanted to say I had originally scheduled to take it yesterday in Alhambra as well and would have felt the same way had I been taking the test and that happened. Hope it works out for you!

I’m glad you didn’t.