Urgent: Questions on CBT Test-Taking Conditions

[Ankaboot]

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If you have taken a 2007 CBT MCAT, please help us know the testing conditions. {Many thanks!!!}

Fill in:

City, State took exam in: ______ Exam started: Am or PM (afternoon)?

• Was the on-screen timer counting down (ex: from 60 mins on the verbal section to 0 mins) or counting up (starts at 0 stops at 60 mins?
• Were you given blank or lined scrap paper, small pencils with erasers or pens for the scratch paper? Or a Dry erase Board?
• Was scratch paper provided on all sections of the exam?
• Were you allowed to drink/eat in between breaks?
• Were you allowed to drink during a section?
• If you came back late, the exam already started without you?
• Was the room too cold (AC?)? Too hot?
• Was the testing desk/computer too cramped?
• Computers were old models or looked new? Mac or PC? Easy to maneuver?
• The proctors were efficient?
• Typing too loud or the ear muffs were good enough? Were the ear covers bothersome?

Any other comments?

 

[MDJason]

i posted this elsewhere but ...


its a different format...

Nope timers at the bottom...yes it counted down and at 45 min and 5 min a lil thing pops up telling you you have 45 or 5 min left....

THERE IS NO SEARCH FUNCTION....it was really annoying cuz i had gotten used to that....i dont know why they put that in....

answer marking is a little bit different and i couldnt figure out how to use the striking thing till almost the end ....cuz i was used to it being a left click and on the mcat it was a right click....

your given two pencils and a scratch booklet...but you can get as much scrap paper as you need... itook a second one before my verbal...

and the vr was about 1.5 times as long as all the practice test i took ( kaplan 1-8 and AAMC 3-10 )

proctors were efficiant

j

 

[ycheung8]

New York City, NY: Started 1:34 pm

• Was the on-screen timer counting down (ex: from 60 mins on the verbal section to 0 mins) or counting up (starts at 0 stops at 60 mins?

Counting down

• Were you given blank or lined scrap paper, small pencils with erasers or pens for the scratch paper? Or a Dry erase Board?

Two pencils and more than enough scratch paper

• Was scratch paper provided on all sections of the exam?

A booklet of scratch paper was provided. I only used up one page at most.

• Were you allowed to drink/eat in between breaks?

Yes, but 10 minutes is a very short time, so be mindful. I kind of noticed, you can cheat and make your break longer than 10 min, you'll see what I mean.

• Were you allowed to drink during a section?

No.

• Was the room too cold (AC?)? Too hot?

Regular? 60-70 C?

• Was the testing desk/computer too cramped?

No, not cramped. The chairs rolled around too and had arm support.

• Computers were old models or looked new? Mac or PC? Easy to maneuver?

Old, PC, easy to use.

• The proctors were efficient?

They videotape and audiotape you so you're not actually in the room with them. But I think they will escort you into the room if you leave during a section for bathroom or something.

• Typing too loud or the ear muffs were good enough? Were the ear covers bothersome?

The earmuffs were good, I barely heard anything during the entire exam. Although, at the end of the BS section, my ears got sore and I had to take them off.

Any other comments?
The timer has a 45 minutes and 5 minute notification pop up during each section. Ever time I saw it, I felt my heart jump out of my chest. X_x

The writing section was different. You're not allowed to right click, so there's buttons near the top for "cut", "paste", "copy" and "save." My gosh, the verbal section was insanely long, and the bs section felt like the verbal section.

 

[elvirahancock]

If you have taken a 2007 CBT MCAT, please help us know the testing conditions. {Many thanks!!!}

Fill in:

City, State took exam in: ______ Exam started: Am or PM (afternoon)?

• Was the on-screen timer counting down (ex: from 60 mins on the verbal section to 0 mins) or counting up (starts at 0 stops at 60 mins?
• Were you given blank or lined scrap paper, small pencils with erasers or pens for the scratch paper? Or a Dry erase Board?
• Was scratch paper provided on all sections of the exam?
• Were you allowed to drink/eat in between breaks?
• Were you allowed to drink during a section?
• If you came back late, the exam already started without you?
• Was the room too cold (AC?)? Too hot?
• Was the testing desk/computer too cramped?
• Computers were old models or looked new? Mac or PC? Easy to maneuver?
• The proctors were efficient?
• Typing too loud or the ear muffs were good enough? Were the ear covers bothersome?

Any other comments?

anaheim, ca -AM
-timer: it counts down from 70 minutes. the time includes the minute + seconds. after 45 minutes, a screen will pop up notifying you that you have 45 minutes left. and again at 5mins. (maybe more notifications but those two were the only ones I can remember...it was such a blur)
-we were given pink, unlined paper that was like about 4 sheets (in a booklet format). you can always ask for more paper during the exam by holding up your booklet or you can turn in your old booklet during break for a new one
-we were given two regular pencils. You can give it to them during break and get them replaced with new pencils (sharper tips!)
-you have to put everything away in a locker when you arrive. no test material is allowed in the lobby. the lockers are tiny so I would recommend breaking a water bottle and a small snack. they have water there but that may vary between locations
-no drinking in between session. you're only allowed to have your license with you and nothing else
-the room temp. was just right
-the space wasn't really cramped - you could still move around with relative ease. each station is like a cubicle and you have people to the left and right of you. However, it's really quiet in there and you'll hardly even notice anyone else in the room
-the computers were new and very fast. there's no lagging in between switching from one passage to the other. I'd check out the protometric website for a demo. the layout is similar to the CBT practice exams but i didn't like it as much. two things are different: no search option, and to strikeout a choice, use your left clicker
-proctors were efficient. they really don't do anything but check you in and out. You get your index fingers electronically scanned at the start of the exam and then everytime you leave for a break or return from a break, you get scanned. that gives you about 8 mins for breaktime (if there's no waiting to get rescanned/checked back in)

hope this helps!

 

[KeyzerSoze]

Do they have LCD panels or CRTs?

 

[RoadRunner17]

The computers are actually abacuses. You input your answer by moving the beads into the spots that are marked accordingly.

 

[shadowclaws]

I had this really slow computer and the timer would stop when I flipped to the next page because it takes like 3seconds to load. The timer went down 3 seconds to scroll through all the pages, but actually took like 30 seconds. Might of been able to abuse it if I could think and click back and forward at the same time.

 

[Ankaboot]

Thanks guys, means a lot. 👍

 

[VQuick]

Take the Thomson Prometric practice test, it's just like the real thing in terms of format. The AAMC tests are slightly different, but they're the same idea. Don't worry about anything, there's nothing confusing about the test software.