This was incredible news- I changed my wake up plans for 30minutes earlier on test day, because I knew that I needed more than 60 minutes for my brain to wake up that early. Ask what time you should show up, if you should show up early- I found out that they were going to start us 30 minutes before the scheduled time on my scheduling permit. She showed me the back room where I'd be scanned in and out of the computer lab, I was able to examine the lockers, I found a few bathrooms inside the building, drinking fountains, etc. The lady at my Prometric was incredible- she spent about 5 minutes with me answering all of my questions. When you get to the testing center, go in and talk to someone at the front desk. All of this being done on your day off, hopefully a sunny day with you blasting tunes in your car.

So I dodged a bullet there.īy driving the day early, you'll be able to figure out the parking situation, you'll figure out where exactly the building is, what room inside the building, etc. I got extremely lucky the day of my exam- I didn't buffer a traffic jam eventuality into my transit time the freeway headed in the opposite direction was gridlocked due to an accident- and this was at 6:35 in the morning. Be sure to take into account different times of day, and how traffic might be different. You'll pass landmarks which will calm you about reaching your destination. So, what better time then to check out the center than during your off day, so you don't have to skip any studying?ĭrive the same exact way that you will on test day. I found this worked best because as you are all well aware- accepted practice is to take the day off before the exam. I think much of the anxiety surrounding the test can be alleviated by simply reporting to the testing center before your scheduled exam. There are many unknowns when it comes to each individual testing center: parking, lockers, testing procedures, bathrooms, etc. The most important thing to do when preparing for the test is to visit the testing center before your exam. From this point forward, every mention of 'taking the test' is in regards to physically being at the testing center and sitting for the test- not about studying or preparing for the test.

I'm going to talk a bit about the physical process of taking the test, and leave the content aspect to some of our more, well, esteemed community members. I wanted to contribute a bit in a way that I don't see represented here often in our reviews.

Usmle step 1 prometric practice test