- Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:07 pm
#62443
Hi bcmunn09,
This is ultimately going to end up a personal decision, based on individual factors. But I'll run through some things you should consider when making your choice.
1) Your schedule. Do you have a lot of time now that you won't have right before the June test? Or is your February packed, and spring much more flexible? Time your test date so that you can have time to do the studying you need to do.
2) Your momentum. We are still fairly far out from the March test, so I'm not sure how far into your studies you are. But if you are feeling momentum and getting close to the score you want, delaying might be a mistake. It could make it hard to keep up those gains over the course of almost half a year.
3) Your study habits. Can you keep up on your studies until the June test, or will you start to fade/burn out? Do you have time before the March test to get where you need to be, or are you going to need the extra few months?
4) Disclosed v non-disclosed. This is the factor you were originally asking about. Ultimately, disclosed or not only matters if you are considering retaking. So if you think you might not like your score, or there would be a chance at re-taking, it's helpful to do a disclosed test so you can see how you did, in detail. A non-disclosed test just shows you your score, percentile, and writing sample. You can't even see your answer sheet bubbles. So if there's any chance you will retake, you should try to take a disclosed test. The most valuable test information comes from an actual test in a realistic testing environment, and it's a shame to waste that valuable experience and information. But the non-disclosed tests are no harder than disclosed tests. And even the disclosed tests, you are almost certainly seeing questions that have been used before, in an experimental section or non-disclosed test. So I wouldn't let that sway your decision at all.
5) Time of Day. Ok, this one might seem silly. But there are people out there who are NOT morning people. An 8:30 AM start time (like the March test) sounds like a reasonable time, but you have to plan on getting there about 30-60 minutes early. The admission ticket will tell you what time you HAVE to get there, but you want to plan on getting there early so that you don't feel rushed or stressed by traffic on the way. Depending on where you live/test, parking may be a factor as well. So if you know you aren't at your best in the morning, the 12:30 start time of the June test starts to look pretty good. Full disclosure, I took the June test, and it was glorious getting to have a slow easy morning before I went into the test center. I got to campus early, went on a lovely walk around the grounds, and still showed up to the building with tons of time, and completely at ease.
Whatever choice you make, you are in a good position. You have plenty of time before application season. Pick the date that makes the most sense given your particular situation.
Best of luck!
Rachael
