Took the MCAT here on Friday, needless to say it was a stressful day. The test was scheduled to start at 8am, but upon reading the previous reviews saying that the building doesn't let anyone in before 7:30, I circled the block a few times when I got there around 7:20. I later found this not to be true, since I walked in at 7:30 and saw about 10 people who had already checked in. The building has entrances on 44th and 45th Streets, and a security guard in the lobby has to verify your ID and call the elevator. The guard I spoke to was incredibly nice and wished me luck. Upon arriving at the Pearson center, I had to undergo the rigorous check-in process. The woman working the front desk was SO RUDE and gave contradictory information. A girl asked if she should wait in line to be checked in or if she should have a seat, and the front desk woman told her to sit and she'd call her name shortly. About 10 minutes later, the girl asked if she'd be called soon, and the woman rudely informed her that she should get in line. The girl justifiably got angry, and when she nervously laughed, the woman at the front desk snapped at her, saying "what about this day is funny?". I personally think someone in this position should be aware of the high-stress, anxious mindset people are in when they come into Pearson and help them to calm down, and this woman failed miserably in doing so. The check-in procedures involve a palm vein scan, ID check, digital signature verification, and photo. All personal items need to be stored in lockers in the main room, and cell phones have to be sealed in separate bags. Beyond that point, only an ID and the locker key can be taken.
I then proceeded down a hallway and thankfully got away from the horrible front desk woman to encounter the actual test proctor, who was a kind, jaded man. At this point, I was informed of additional rules, did another ID check, vein scan, and then had to be subjected to the equivalent of a full TSA inspection before entering the room (pat down, roll sleeves up, shake hoodie out, pull out all pockets, submit glasses for examination). Finally, I was allowed to enter. The actual testing room I found to be spacious and quiet, with about 16 workstations. Earbuds and noise-canceling headphones are provided, but I actually found that I needed neither. The computer monitors had wide screens with good resolution, though they were a bit too bright for my liking. Clocks were positioned throughout the room to keep track of break times. For the MCAT, I was also provided with a dry-erase sheet packet for notes and calculations. The proctor here was very attentive and came to escort me in and out of the room for each break. Each time I left and re-entered the testing room, I had to do an ID check and vein scan, and had to do the physical inspection every time I re-entered the room, which became as onerous as it was time-consuming.
During my lunch break, which I took back in the main check-in room, the rude front desk woman suddenly became interested in having a full-length conversation with me. While I appreciated the effort to seem personable and maybe modify my already-formed first impression, the absolute last thing I wanted to do during my 30-minute lunch break was to have a random conversation. I escaped to the bathroom, which was outside the testing center suite down the hall, in order to re-focus.
All in all, a well-run operation committed to high integrity exam administration with solid equipment and staff. I'd likely give a high rating, but unfortunately the rude and unhelpful front desk woman tainted my experience. 3/5 stars. read more