Small vs. large test centers...

[connie95]

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In your opinion, is it better to take the MCAT at a small pro metric test center (only 9 seats) or a big test center (25 seats)? Or does it even matter?

 

[mehc012]

In your opinion, is it better to take the MCAT at a small pro metric test center (only 9 seats) or a big test center (25 seats)? Or does it even matter?

It sooooo does not matter.

 

[Afford]

It doesn't b/c no one is going to be talking and everyone will be looking at their own test. You could argue that at the smaller center, there's a smaller chance that someone might cough or something.

 

[Ismet]

Having taken the MCAT at a small center (4 seats) and Step 1 at a large center (40 seats), I would definitely go for the small center hands down. For the MCAT, I never had to wait in line to sign in or out, and there was never a line for the bathroom. For Step 1, where we get 60 minutes of break time to space out over 7 hours, including lunch, I lost about 10 minutes of that time waiting in line. What a waste.

 

[mehc012]

Having taken the MCAT at a small center (4 seats) and Step 1 at a large center (40 seats), I would definitely go for the small center hands down. For the MCAT, I never had to wait in line to sign in or out, and there was never a line for the bathroom. For Step 1, where we get 60 minutes of break time to space out over 7 hours, including lunch, I lost about 10 minutes of that time waiting in line. What a waste.

Fair point. I was in a larger center (don't know how many seats exactly, but there were two rooms, each with at least 15-20 seats) and never ran into that problem, but I could see it being frustrating if it wasn't done well.

 

[demystifie]

Do whatever works for you. Some people prefer to be surrounded by lots of people for a sense of solidarity, while others prefer to imagine just themselves testing, which would make a smaller test center more ideal. Like others pointed out, it doesn't really make a difference since you should be concentrating on the exam and not your surroundings! In my opinion I would select the test center closest to your home -- makes life easier and less stressful on test day. Good luck to you!

 

[Snoopy2006]

I'd lean towards smaller for Ismet's reasons, with the caveat that some smaller test centers also just ... suck. I heard of computer problems / power issues during classmates' Step 1s. Most Prometric centers are up to snuff though. Shouldn't matter too much in the end, but the waiting-in-line thing can be an issue in crowded centers.

 

[mehc012]

I'd lean towards smaller for Ismet's reasons, with the caveat that some smaller test centers also just ... suck. I heard of computer problems / power issues during classmates' Step 1s. Most Prometric centers are up to snuff though. Shouldn't matter too much in the end, but the waiting-in-line thing can be an issue in crowded centers.

Right...in the end, sounds like it's more luck of the draw with what you get on test day.