i graduated may 10th and received my att on may 18th. i've heard that it is important to not take too much time after graduation to test, so i scheduled for june 1st at 1pm. (i don't do well in the morning.) i did the hurst online review over the last few weeks and then decided that i wasn't going to change the date. i felt comfortable with my knowledge and thought process, so i stuck with it.
the most repeated advice i have heard was to be as relaxed as possible. so i drove down to the testing center yesterday and spent the night at a hotel 4 miles from the testing center. i did a trial run and drove over to the testing center so that i would be familiar with the route. i also had an 80 minute massage yesterday and picked up some outback to eat in the hotel bed.
i woke up today relaxed and fairly confident. left the hotel 1 hour and 15 minutes before my appointment, grabbed some quiznos and a salad, and drove to the parking lot of the testing center with 45 minutes to spare. i ate my meal and went in 30 minutes before the appointment time. after the two people in front of me in line were helped, i went up and turned in my att and id. that was when all hell broke loose.
the front desk attendant said the seven deadly words. "you are at the wrong testing center."
at that point, i almost had a heart/panic/anxiety attack. my blood pressure had to have been 200/100. i walked outside and told myself - "i have 10 seconds to freak out, and then i've got to get it together." i hopped in my car and called my friend who gave me directions. i swear i had to be flying on the interstate. i arrived at the correct center at 1:05pm and the front desk attendant told me, "we were wondering where you were." i told her my story and she was wonderfully supportive. she told me to go outside for five minutes or so and relax; my face must have revealed my high level of stress. i took her advice, came back in, and the test shut off at 75 questions. the only thing i kept track of on the dry erase board was the number of satas i had. (i had 14, including question #75.)
when i raised my hand, she asked if i needed a break. when i told her i was done, she smiled and said "good job!" i thanked her profusely, and felt like a weight had literally fallen off my shoulders. when i got home an hour later, i did the pearson vue trick and got the good popup. here's hoping it's not lying to me! i should find out the official results tomorrow, as florida has its own website to check results within 24 hours.
what a freaking day, from calm and composed, to sheer terror, to a somewhat feeling of relaxation. (although i won't be entirely at ease until the state results show pass and i have a license number.)
