Within 24 hours of test day I've had a couple stories…not all bad luck (one was good), but all disruptions.
First exam was BEC – grandfather who we lived with was in the hospital the week before the exams (major issues), but nothing happened within 24 hours of the exam.
Second exam was FAR – I left work an hour or two early the day before, if I remember right, to get some final studying in, and was off work the day off the exam since my testing center was nearly 2 hours away and the office was closed that day anyway. So, I got home around 3:30 or something like that, and my little brothers-in-law (youngest was around 4 or 5 at the time IIRC) were running all over the house. Apparently MIL's husband had been flown out to the hospital with unknown issues. So, we were on babysitting duty and waiting for news from the hospital. Made studying a little difficult! Have to admit at one point with noise and commotion all around me and FAR information overloading me I broke down crying in the bedroom where I was trying unsuccessfully to study. 😐
Third exam was AUD – again, left work a little early the day before the exam, got home 3:30 or something like that…and got a call-back from an application that I'd put in a couple weeks before and was quite excited about. The lady said she was scheduling interviews for the end of the week and Mon/Tues of the following week. I told her I was off work the next day (day I was taking my test) but had to be out of town in the afternoon, would the morning work? (I wouldn't have been able to get off work to go any of the other days.) Turned out it did, so instead of having a calm pre-test morning, I had an interview at 10 (IIRC) and had to leave by 11 or 11:15 to make it to my exam on time. Got to the interview and they required a hand-filled-out paper application with all the details of every job ever worked, which took at least 1/2 hour to fill out, which left me just like 1/2 hour from when I turned it in till when I had to be on the road. Then I had the interview, which went well, and at the end the lady mentioned I didn't really need to fill out the application, but the receptionist was used to people interviewing for production which requires it. Got out of the interview at like 11:20, got on the road, and just hoped I'd somehow make it to the exam in time…walked into Prometric like 2 minutes before my scheduled time, not at all the early arrival they request.
Last exam was REG. I'd gotten the job I interviewed for on AUD day and started it about 2 weeks prior to my REG exam. It was in private accounting, so had month-end closing, and my first-ever month-end closing cycle was the 4 days prior to my Saturday exam. So, Saturday, my exam was scheduled for 6pm cause that was the only available time. My other exams had all been midday, which with a 2-hour drive afterwards was preferable. So, Saturday morning, I called the Prometric center and said “Hey, if I came in early, would that be OK? Like around 2? Or are you booked?” They were like “Uhhh yeah sure come whenever”, so I set out in time to arrive 4 hours early. My car got about 2 minutes down the road and started making unearthly sounds, so I turned around, and got my partner's car instead (which meant he didn't have a car to take to work, so his grandpa took him to work while I took his car). However, he said to take his car, I needed to get his tires changed, cause his tires wouldn't last the 4-hour round trip on the interstate. So, I took his car to the place he usually got them changed, which was on my way and before I got to the interstate. They said they didn't have his tire size. 😐 But, they called their sister location (thankfully also on my way, but I'd have to take the back roads cause the quickest way to get there was on the interstate) and they did have his size tires in stock. So, on to the sister location. Checked in the car, and waited. And…waited. And…..waited…and…waited. They were super busy. I kept checking to see where my car was in the queue and used up my phone battery texting updates to my partner and/or trying to calm my nerves with browsing the internet, and calling Prometric to see how late I could be and still take my test. Finally got on the road, tried not to drive like a maniac, and got to the Prometric center at 6:25. Test was scheduled at 6. They said if it was after 6:30 when I went to enter my launch code, the system wouldn't allow the test to launch. So, they hurriedly did the security stuff, got me checked in, and I went to test. That was the only test I ever took a break on, since I was so frazzled from the ordeal getting to the center, and still hadn't let my partner know that his car finally had tires and I'd made it safely to the center. I've heard since that you're not supposed to use your phone on your breaks, but I didn't know that then, so let him know I'd arrived safely and was halfway through my test, then went back and finished it.
So…yes, I've had some test-day issues. I'd read lots of people on here saying they'd stash copies of their NTS in their purse, car, etc., many days before their exam, so I had the NTS piece covered, but it's still a wonder I didn't end up without my NTS the day of the car-switch shenanigans. 😐 However, I ended up passing all 4 of the exams despite the various incidents, so maybe bad luck is good luck sometimes!
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