Size Matters?

ethaaaan

I confirmed today what I had feared for the past couple of months - the test center I am registered for in June typically administers the exam in an auditorium with flip up desks. I visited the room today and the desks that flip up are TINY; to add insult to injury I was show the room that's occasionally used for overflow, and or accommodations, and it was perfect, with built-in desks and everything else you could ever want. The deadline for test center changes is within the next week, so I'm trying to decide what is the best thing to do, and I would appreciate any feedback others have on this issue.

The benefits for staying at my current test center are:
1. It's at the law school where I go to undergrad and is within walking distance from my house;
2. I usually study and do PTs in said law school's library, so I'm comfortable with the building in general;
3. Despite the TINY desks I can PT for the next month in that classroom and try to get used to keeping the answer sheet in my lap or something.

There are a few other test centers within an hour's drive, but they are all at similarly large state schools and based on what I've seen, they all have hit or miss desk situations. However, there is a small liberal-arts college a couple hours away with openings for this June's test date; I've only seen one review for the school, but it was positive. I'm also thinking that at a school of <2700 students that they probably don't even have a lecture hall that's designed for maximum occupancy. If I were to change the test location to that test center I would drive over on Sunday and stay the night in-town before Monday's test. I might also try to visit in late-May and take a PT in the actual room if it can be worked out logistically.

I'm going to take PT72 in the next few days, before the Group BR, and if the room is open I'm going to take it in the auditorium of my current test center. I've typically just printed my PTs on one-sided sheets, but given the desk-size constraint I would like to try to replicate the booklet layout. Obviously I want to print the PT double-sided, but what's the best way to bind it like the booklet?

Cant Get Right

@ethan.ames said:
If I were to change the test location to that test center I would drive over on Sunday and stay the night in town before Monday's test. I might also try to visit in late-May and take a PT in the actual room if it can be worked out logistically.

This. As much as being comfortable with the campus and everything is, nothing can make up for those awful little desks.

Nicole Hopkins

DEFINITELY change centers. Find another place with good reviews (check the Test Center Reviews page in the forums or Google) and get a hotel next to the test center. A bad desk is one of the biggest complaints people have and I wouldn't wish it on anyone!

ethaaaan

@"Cant Get Right" @"Nicole Hopkins"
Thank you both for the feedback! I'm going to call the other college tomorrow morning to see if I can get any more information about this year's testing arrangements. Also, for the Group BR, should I BR on my own before the Group BR, or not? This will be my first time joining in, so if there's any other advice you have it would be appreciated.

There's only one review currently (that I can find at least) for this other test center, but if anyone happens to read this and has heard anything - the college I'm considering taking it at is Oberlin College in NE Ohio.

Nicole Hopkins

@ethan.ames said:
Also, for the Group BR, should I BR on my own before the Group BR, or not?

Sure! But don't hesitate to join if you haven't gotten to do all of it.

Cant Get Right

Yeah, I like to solo BR first, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

runiggyrun

Try to visit the small center before the deadline and if the desks are good, switch.
As for binding, if you don't have access to a commercial printer that staples, you can use three staples (top, middle and bottom) to bind your double sided pages together - try to stay close to the edge, and you'll get a booklet that folds like a normal one . I use a regular stapler with normal staples and they go through fine even for the thicker new tests.
If you do get stuck with the tiny desks, you can try and put the answer sheet under the folded booklet, with the current section column peeking out. Bubble before turning the page. Do all your diagrams on the second page of the games so you only need the booklet open for the first question. Good luck finding a better center - that would be the best solution.

BruiserWoods

@runiggyrun said:
use three staples (top, middle and bottom) to bind your double sided pages together -

l o l. I am so excessive. I staple like a binding on them things. Like staples lined up right next to the next staple. #moreismore

Nicole Hopkins

Literally never stapled a single PT—not even once. Y'all superpreppers

runiggyrun

@"Nicole Hopkins" said:
Literally never stapled a single PT—not even once. Y'all superpreppers

Mine always end up scattered on the floor in the absence of staples. I actually dislike the new games layout, because now I have to staple my game sections for FoolProofing as well :-(

BruiserWoods

@"Nicole Hopkins" said:
Y'all superpreppers

hahaha ok let's not get carried away, i just have impulse control issues XD

Ron Swanson

Inspired by this thread I decided to check out my test center today. Roxbury community college in Boston (first take was at Northeastern, they packed like 65+ of us in a room..I found it distracting and it made administration longer than I expected)

While Roxbury CC had classrooms of about 15-20 desks, they were a mix of the tiny desks and standard high school desks that would fit the booklet and answer sheets. I'd say like a 60/40 split of small vs good desks per room.

Kinda anxious by this given that I'm an extreme type A haha. Should I change centers? I don't know where else around me may even be available/even as good. Or am I just psyching myself out?

allison.gill.sanford

The desks matter SO MUCH. My test center was luckily in a seminar style class with huge shared desks, and they spread us out two people to a desk so there was plenty of room. I think it would impact your speed significantly to be battling a tiny desk...
I would recommend changing test centers if you have even a 20% chance of a small desk that would be a problem.

MrSamIam

Another vote for changing test centers! I can't imagine having to fumble with my pencils, eraser, sharpener, booklet, and answer sheet. The less you have to worry about, the more you can focus on the test.

Ron Swanson

Just checked the lsac site, all test centers in my area are full and you can't change to be on a waiting list somewhere. Does anyone know of anything I can do? Or am I officially rolling the dice at this point?

I guess I'll just have to make sure to get there really early and claim a good desk

BruiserWoods

@"Ron Swanson" said:
Should I change centers? I don't know where else around me may even be available/even as good. Or am I just psyching myself out?

I'm taking mine at Suffolk Law School. Are there spots available there still? I've only read good reviews on the center.

BruiserWoods

@"Ron Swanson" also, how did i not know you were a Boston local!? I'm in Brighton.

BruiserWoods

woops. I'm seeing now that you said they're all full. well hell.

KWoulf13

I'm also taking it at Suffolk from Brighton @BruiserWoods Good to hear the desk situation should be comfortable.

BruiserWoods

Ahhhh!!! We should be study buddies @kwoulfamell ! I take PTs at Bee's Knees p much every Saturday and Sunday

KWoulf13

@BruiserWoods Ha, we should have found each other earlier! I only have time for one PT per week and I've been doing them on Sundays.

Cant Get Right

@"Ron Swanson" said:
am I officially rolling the dice at this point?

At my center, we are assigned our seats by the proctor. I’d be willing to bet they will try to avoid the smaller desks at first and try to prioritize the larger ones. Getting there early would up your odds of grabbing a larger desk. And if they are about to place you at a small one, you could always ask nicely to be placed at a larger one, assuming there are some left. I’d expect most proctors would be sympathetic to that kind of request.

Cant Get Right

Also, I’m going to be in Boston last week of June and through July 4. Any suggestions of what to do?

BruiserWoods

@KWoulf13 at the very least we should be test day buddies!

ethaaaan

Thanks to everyone who weighed in here, I can't believe this thread got so much action! This morning I began with a call to LSAC to see if I could get more information about the other test center. I didn't get a classroom number, but I was told the address, which narrowed it down to two buildings. After that I called the pre-law coordinator at the school who told me that it is traditionally held in one of two large lecture halls in a specific building, but she couldn't remember what kind of seats/desks those rooms had. I said f*** it, and decided to just drive the hour & fourty-five to the college and took a self-guided tour of the building and its lecture halls. Pristine. Built-in tables/desks that ran the length of each row. Got on my laptop then and there and changed test centers. Even if they decided to switch it to one of the other seminar classrooms it still couldn't be worse than my original center.

The whole ordeal reminded me of a MasterCard commercial:

Gas - $27.04
Tolls - $13.75
Test Center Change Fee - $90
Big Desks - Priceless.

Nicole Hopkins

@ethan.ames said:
Big Desks - Priceless.

Plus hotel. Seriously, don't be making an almost 2 hour drive morning of. You need that time to warm up and shadowbox, etc. Best $120 I ever spent.

Hell yeah. You got this.

Ron Swanson

@BruiserWoods @KWoulf13 good to see that Boston is well represented around here!

Ron Swanson

@"Cant Get Right" That's a good suggestion. I'm still going to keep an eye out for any test center change availability through the lsac site though.

Regardless, I sent a really really nice email to lsacinfo/whatever their test center complaint email address is outlining the situation and pointing out that desk size variance in the same room may put some test takers at a recognizable disadvantage. In the end just requesting they use only the big desks since there are enough there, it's just a matter of taking 10 minutes to move some desks between rooms.

I highly doubt they'll care or even respond to my email, but as Wayne Gretzky and Michael Scott both eloquently said: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

ethaaaan

@"Nicole Hopkins"
Don't worry, I'm definitely planning on getting a hotel, just haven't booked yet, so I left it out of the list. Thanks again for the input!

Cant Get Right

Agreed, getting a hotel is the bomb.com. I’m going back home to take my test and lots of friends I could stay with, but getting a hotel so I don’t have to interrupt my routine. Can’t really go to sleep at 9pm when you’re sleeping on a friend’s couch, lol.

BruiserWoods

@"Cant Get Right" pm me i'll give you some #BostonLyfe suggestions