Noise Cancelling Headphones and Glasses

[blackmamba24]

Has anyone with glasses worn those orange headphones? does it hurt pretty bad? I have trouble concentrating with typing going on around me....

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[BlueElmo]

I think the bigger concern would be for those of us wearing glasses, because the glass skeleton goes behind our ears, there will be little space left where our ears won't be covered. I've used headphones before and I can still hear outside noise because glasses prevent me from covering all of my ears.

Do you guys think I should buy contact lenses for that one day? I really don't want to splurge any more money on MCAT-related stuff, but I also can't concentrate with loud annoying typing noises.

(God, why can't they make Writing section the last? They just had to put it after the Verbal, which requires the most concentration and attention.) 😡

 

[Ninjaface]

Would it even be permitted to wear something like that (the headphones, not the glasses) during the actual exam? I would have assumed no.

BlueE - if you are not accustomed to contacts , they may bother you even more than the noise. I'm used to contacts, and would still wear my glasses for a 5 hour exam, even if that meant I couldn't wear noise reducing headphones...

 

[SN2ed]

I didn't have a problem wearing the headphones with my glasses on. I still took the headphones off because:
1. They don't work. They actually amplified all the noise and gave me a seashell kind of effect.
2. My ears got really hot after awhile.

I would just work on taking the test with distractions by going to a library or computer center and taking a practice test.

 

[blackmamba24]

grr i guess ill have to get there early and just have to deal with typing thru bio....

 

[fauscharvard]

I actually believe they are offered by Prometric for the use of test-takers.

 

[EMHMark I]

I definately experienced some serious pain early in the exam while wearing the headphones. So, I just sort of lifted my eyeglass hinges until they were above the headphone covers. My lenses were slightly tilted, but it didn't affect my sight and reading very much. Also, for me, they did make a difference in muffling out the typing. The only con is that the headphones weren't able to efficiently block out the NYC sirens I kept hearing during verbal.

 

[BlueElmo]

grr i guess ill have to get there early and just have to deal with typing thru bio....

Wait a sec. You can actually get there early and they will let you start early? Is that what you are saying? My ticket says test starts at 8AM.

 

[Michael845]

Wait a sec. You can actually get there early and they will let you start early? Is that what you are saying? My ticket says test starts at 8AM.

at my prometric center it was like a rolling start time. you get to the center and sign in, and then they go by that list calling people into the room. get there early. at my center they had problems with half the monitors, so the last half of the kids who came to take the test started like 3 hours late.

OP, in regards to the headphones, i found them painful, annoying, and distracting. i took them off halfway through the PS and felt much better. can you try taking practice tests in a computer lab or a library to get used to typing sounds?

 

[koogles]

would getting there at 7 be too early?when did most people arrive?

 

[pitt1166]

I took a practice test yesterday under "test conditions" and I found myself annoyed by people talking and such, so I shoved some cotton in my ears that I had. Would they allow this on test day?

 

[flip26]

Can you bring in a personal headphones set? Sharing headphones with others grosses me out...

What exactly are you allowed to bring into the testing center? Snacks? Calculator? Pencils?

 

[Michael845]

would getting there at 7 be too early?when did most people arrive?

the MCAT pdf thats like 26 pages or something says that it's mandatory to get there 30 minutes before starting time, so 7:30 for an 8:00 test, but my center wasn't strict about that. I got to the testing center around 7:15 and was like the 8th person there. Most people came in between 7:20-7:40.

pitt1166 and flip 26: it varies by testing center, but I know mine would not allow bringing in cotton or personal headphones. We had to empty our pockets and everything. Into the actual testing room you can only bring your ID. There's a waiting room for breaks and everything, and you can leave snacks there. No calculators are allowed for the test, and the center supplies pencils or dry erase markers so you won't need those items.

 

[StephO]

My testing center had foam ear plugs as an option to the orange headphones. They worked really well. I was blessed to be wedged between the door and a 300+ pounder whose flesh was creeping into my personal space. The ear plugs drowned out his breathing quite nicely.

 

[BlueElmo]

the MCAT pdf thats like 26 pages or something says that it's mandatory to get there 30 minutes before starting time, so 7:30 for an 8:00 test, but my center wasn't strict about that. I got to the testing center around 7:15 and was like the 8th person there. Most people came in between 7:20-7:40.

But you can't start until everyone is there, right?

 

[pitt1166]

My testing center had foam ear plugs as an option to the orange headphones. They worked really well. I was blessed to be wedged between the door and a 300+ pounder whose flesh was creeping into my personal space. The ear plugs drowned out his breathing quite nicely.

Haha that's pretty funny.

So your place had ear plugs, which is sweet. Other folks, chime in, did you have the option of using ear plugs?

I really hope I get to use some. This might sound weird but I like to use earplugs, put my hoodie up, and just really focus on the test, oblivious to the outside. Hopefully they don't think I'm cheating or anything with my hood up.

 

[TheWildcat08]

i have glasses and those headphones sucked. my ears started to hurt, the noise got louder, it was just easier to take the test without them.
the first time i took the test, i started at 7:35am. i think it really just depends on the center. the second time i took the exam, i didn't want to use the headphones, but damn, people were so loud. the procters kept coming in every other minute and giving directions to each individual really loudly. and since there were 20 kids, this went on for awhile.

 

[Michael845]

But you can't start until everyone is there, right?

At my center that was not the case, people were taken into the room to start the test on a sort of rolling basis. It was actually kind of distracting. However, since there was only one bathroom, it worked out that everyone's bathroom breaks were staggered...

you may want to check with your center if you can.


Also, I drove down to my center the day before I actually took the exam to make sure I could find it. I'm really glad I did, because all my email information just said it was in Suite 100 or something. I guessed that would just be a suite on the first floor, but then it turned out to be in a huge building with North/South/East/West sets of elevators and the suites were on upper level floors that didn't connect all the way around...

...the fewer things you have to worry about on the morning of your test, the better