- For the first time, the exam was offered on the computer at Prometric testing locations throughout the country, which seemed like a great and convenient idea in theory.
- However, the exam hasn't been updated to reflect the fact that it's electronic, so many instructions tell the test-taker to "mark the correct answer on the answer sheet." Of course, there is no answer sheet.
- It appears to me that Protemetric folks spent a lot of time looking for the worst possible location in which to have a testing center in Vegas, and they succeeded to secure a small office in the back of an industrial area where you take the exam accompanied by the sounds of 18-wheelers backing up right outside the exam room.The headset provided to block out the noise was cheap, hard, and hurt my ears immediately, so I had to tune the noise out by sheer will (a challenging endeavor).
- Contrary to what it says on the Prometric website and contrary to the e-mail confirmations received from the testing folks, lockers were indeed available to store one's belongings, even though the company had insisted they were not. That's the reason I only showed up with my driver's license, car key and water bottle and had to leave my purse in the car in a rather sketchy area. Test takers are not allowed to park directly in front of the almost-empty parking lot, but rather across the parking lot. I am not quite sure why paying customers should not be able to park in front of the business they are visiting. Who else is supposed to park there? Employees? Random 18-wheelers? Multiple signs remind you that you will be towed if you park in front of the building. I found this highly puzzling and not very welcoming.
- The exam lasts 3 hours and 15 minutes. You are not allowed to bring in your water bottle. Trust me: this is quite brutal in the Vegas summer. For some reason, watches are not allowed either.
- The exam starts with an oath that you will not divulge anything that's on it. Fair enough. It's followed by a short tutorial on how to use the mouse, which I didn't really need. However, the instructions on how to mark a question for review, then come back to it and unmark it could have been more clear. I am a highly proficient software user, but this really could have been explained better.
- The exam starts with the English section, which consists of 100 questions. You can take however long you want on each question, and you roughly have a minute a question. Reading comprehension is first, which is a challenge on the computer. I am used to underlining important phrases and to write on the paper. You cannot do that on a screen, so that's a significant disadvantage.
- In order to see sample questions, you can order a practice booklet for $30, which comes in very handy. The exam includes sections on synonyms, identifying translation mistakes, etc. All questions are multiple choice.
- I finished the English section in 45 minutes. In general, I thought the English-language portion was less challenging than I had anticipated, even though I tend to score higher on the Spanish sections.
- The Spanish section also consisted of 100 questions in the same order (reading comprehension first). In general, I thought the Spanish sections were higher register than the English ones.
- I finished the Spanish questions in 50 minutes, so I had a lot of time to kill. I decided to review some questions, and then called it a day at 2 hours and 10 minutes or so, so I had more than an hour left. I think the time is sufficient, but I am also a very quick reader. By the end of the exam, my eyes were quite fatigued, and I was tired of the truck ruckus outside the exam room.
- I am not sure if I passed or not -- it's quite hard to tell. As opposed to other exams in this format that I have taken (GMAT, etc.) one does not get the score immediately, which is a bit odd. Rather, the results will be mailed in 8-9 weeks (whew). I will keep you posted!
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