Prometric Centers - Typing Distracts Me

[jejun]

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I remember when taking the MCAT, I felt a whole section got thrown off because of a combination of nerves + some ridiculously loud typing next me. I tried using the ear muffs in the beginning but I didn't like the sea shore sound, but in retrospect I should probably have just kept them on and sucked it up...

I wanted to know, do they provide those same industrial type headphones for this exam http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009LI4K/ref=nosim/wholehogbookstor because I know you also need the headphones to hear the audio, so I wasn't sure if they were fancier silencer types. Also, I googled this and some people seem to say they let you bring in soft ear plugs. Has anyone used these?

Any thoughts or feedback are appreciated. I am probably over thinking this but it's a long/imp test so I figure why not.

 

[Scared2011]

I remember when taking the MCAT, I felt a whole section got thrown off because of a combination of nerves + some ridiculously loud typing next me. I tried using the ear muffs in the beginning but I didn't like the sea shore sound, but in retrospect I should probably have just kept them on and sucked it up...

I wanted to know, do they provide those same industrial type headphones for this exam http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009LI4K/ref=nosim/wholehogbookstor because I know you also need the headphones to hear the audio, so I wasn't sure if they were fancier silencer types. Also, I googled this and some people seem to say they let you bring in soft ear plugs. Has anyone used these?

Any thoughts or feedback are appreciated. I am probably over thinking this but it's a long/imp test so I figure why not.

I am actually worried about this typing thingy as well. But my plan is to recommend being seated away from anyone typing. Because it will annoy me A LOT! But yeah I hear the headphones they provide you are heavy duty and pretty good.

As for the ear plugs...I don't get how people wear ear plugs..dont we have audios??

 

[ar2388]

yeah i dont think you can ask to be "seated away from anyone typing" haha at least not in any big city testing center. they just point you to a computer station and you sit there.
i do know that my friend with ADD is planning on wearing in her clear soft ear plugs bc she gets horribly distracted by the typing... but i think thats about all you can do... unless you want to arrange for special accomodations.

 

[RySerr21]

uhhh....no one is going to be typing.....unless theres a section of this test i completely missed....

 

[ar2388]

uhhh....no one is going to be typing.....unless theres a section of this test i completely missed....

its not only the usmle going on at a testing center.. i am taking mine where i took my MCAT. any computer exam that prometric does can be done at the testing center.. MCAT, USMLE< i think pharmacy and nursing exams, etc. when i took my MCAT, i spoke with someone who is there to have an elevator maintenance exam

 

[glycobio]

Hi guys-

Just took step 1 4/11. Soft ear plugs are approved to bring into the testing room.

I had some pretty loud typers in my room and the soft ear plugs w/ the audio headphones over them was enough to keep me concentrated.

There are <5 audio questions on the test (I think I had 3?)...
I saved audio questions for the end of the block then pulled out my soft earplugs->did the question->ended block and took a break.

Good luck!

 

[jejun]

Nice. This is what i was thinking of doing myself. Don't want to take any chances after my experience last time.

Hi guys-

Just took step 1 4/11. Soft ear plugs are approved to bring into the testing room.

I had some pretty loud typers in my room and the soft ear plugs w/ the audio headphones over them was enough to keep me concentrated.

There are <5 audio questions on the test (I think I had 3?)...
I saved audio questions for the end of the block then pulled out my soft earplugs->did the question->ended block and took a break.

Good luck!

 

[RySerr21]

its not only the usmle going on at a testing center.. i am taking mine where i took my MCAT. any computer exam that prometric does can be done at the testing center.. MCAT, USMLE< i think pharmacy and nursing exams, etc. when i took my MCAT, i spoke with someone who is there to have an elevator maintenance exam

ooo,interesting. thats not how it was for my mcat so i assumed it would be the same for this, but i guess that makes sense they have other tests going on too

 

[step1saga]

Are these considered soft ear plugs ?

 

[MossPoh]

Are these considered soft ear plugs ?

Not really. The point is that you can squish them in between you fingers. If you look at the dB reduction, those ones aren't any better anyway. Most earplugs cut out around 30 dB. It'd be enough that you'd still hear typing, but it won't have quite the sharpness to the sound.

 

[IMnotgivingup!!]

I remember when taking the MCAT, I felt a whole section got thrown off because of a combination of nerves + some ridiculously loud typing next me. I tried using the ear muffs in the beginning but I didn't like the sea shore sound, but in retrospect I should probably have just kept them on and sucked it up...

I wanted to know, do they provide those same industrial type headphones for this exam http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009LI4K/ref=nosim/wholehogbookstor because I know you also need the headphones to hear the audio, so I wasn't sure if they were fancier silencer types. Also, I googled this and some people seem to say they let you bring in soft ear plugs. Has anyone used these?

Any thoughts or feedback are appreciated. I am probably over thinking this but it's a long/imp test so I figure why not.

Yea these look like the ones i had at my center. i had them on for couple of blocks. they're not complete noise cancelling headphones. i could hear some typing though it does reduce the noise. they also had other headphones, which were just for noise cancelling i believe (though i didn't use those).
They DO let you bring in your soft ear plugs and I did use them and found them more useful than the headphones. So if you want, you can take those with you.

 

[IMnotgivingup!!]

ooo,interesting. thats not how it was for my mcat so i assumed it would be the same for this, but i guess that makes sense they have other tests going on too

ya, at my center there were other people taking different tests. in fact, there couple of people who were taking step3, which does require typing. and you don't get to choose the seat. the exam is loaded onto the computer before you enter the testing room.

 

[jejun]

Yea these look like the ones i had at my center. i had them on for couple of blocks. they're not complete noise cancelling headphones. i could hear some typing though it does reduce the noise. they also had other headphones, which were just for noise cancelling i believe (though i didn't use those).
They DO let you bring in your soft ear plugs and I did use them and found them more useful than the headphones. So if you want, you can take those with you.

Did you just put the ear plugs in at the start of each section and take then out for the audio?

 

[IMnotgivingup!!]

Did you just put the ear plugs in at the start of each section and take then out for the audio?

In the beginning I didn't feel the need to put the ear plugs on. But for a few blocks I was getting distracted with typing, so I put them on then and if I had an audio question i just took them out and put on the headphones. But I only had about 3 audio questions. There weren't that many.