We then had to take the elevator 30+ stories up to the Prometric site, one person at a time. – When checking into the lobby of the building, we had to stand 6 feet apart. It seemed like the majority of test-takers arrived early, including me, however we were told to wait outside the building (despite the building being open) and could not enter until 8 am. – You could not enter the testing site earlier than the time the Prometric site had instructed you to arrive. It did not need to be a specific type of mask–a cloth mask was fine. I did not see Prometric handing out masks to anyone–I’m not sure if this is because they didn’t have any or if it’s because everyone had their own, but you definitely needed to have one. – You could (and needed to) bring your own mask–you couldn’t enter the mask without one.
– You had to wear a mask the whole time–from the moment you entered the building through the time you finished–and yes, even while you were in your private testing cubicle In light of the confusion and stress surrounding taking a USMLE exam at a Prometric center during COVID-19, I wanted to write out my experience for anyone wondering what it’s like: Step 3: Managing Anxiety if Day 1 Didn’t Go as Planned In some way, I feel incredibly fortunate that of all the exams in medical school, Step 3 was the one I ended up having to take during COVID-19. To clarify, I took USMLE Step 3 at a Prometric testing center. The good news is that USMLE is now expanding Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3 testing by opening regional testing centers at medical schools across the United States, however, being caught in the middle has felt almost surreal. I know that in recent weeks past USMLE has expressed disappointment (see announcement from May 8th, 2020) over how Prometric has handled exam cancellations. Yet somehow, I was able to proceed with my test. In fact, my friend was scheduled to take her exam at the same testing site as me 3 days after my date yet when she logged on to her account the week of her exam, she found out she was no longer scheduled for her exam, without receiving any sort of notification of this cancellation. We all had been cancelled several times after our testing sites had already officially opened up in May so our hopes were low. I had a few friends taking their exam around the same time as me and it seemed like a lottery as we waited to see which one of us was actually going to be able to take our exam. It seems that having a confirmed testing appointment through Prometric doesn’t necessarily mean you are “good to go”. Not only do you have to worry about studying for your USMLE exam, but you also have to manage the stress and anxiety of when you will be able to actually take your exam. To those of you studying for and trying to take a USMLE exam during the COVID-19 pandemic– I understand and feel your struggle. This quite frankly seemed like a miracle I had already rescheduled my exam date 3 times due to COVID-19 cancellations, and I was quite sure it was going to happen again. Finally, I took my USMLE exam on the 1st day that Prometric opened up my testing site.
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