diff --git a/trlx/trainer/accelerate_ppo_trainer.py b/trlx/trainer/accelerate_ppo_trainer.py
index 4f6277c6a..5dfa5b808 100644
--- a/trlx/trainer/accelerate_ppo_trainer.py
+++ b/trlx/trainer/accelerate_ppo_trainer.py
@@ -289,22 +289,22 @@ def make_experience(self, num_rollouts: int = 1024, iter_count: int = 0):  # noq
             device = samples.device
 
             prompt_sizes = torch.tensor([prompt_tensors.shape[1]] * len(prompt_tensors), device=device)
-            padded_samples = self.accelerator.pad_across_processes(
-                samples, dim=1, pad_index=self.tokenizer.eos_token_id, pad_first=False
-            )
-            padded_prompts = self.accelerator.pad_across_processes(
-                prompt_tensors, dim=1, pad_index=self.tokenizer.eos_token_id, pad_first=False
-            )
-
             metadata = {k: v for k, v in batch.items() if k != "input_ids" and k != "attention_mask"}
+
             if self.config.train.reward_only_in_main_process:
+                padded_samples = self.accelerator.pad_across_processes(
+                    samples, dim=1, pad_index=self.tokenizer.eos_token_id, pad_first=False
+                )
+                padded_prompts = self.accelerator.pad_across_processes(
+                    prompt_tensors, dim=1, pad_index=self.tokenizer.eos_token_id, pad_first=False
+                )
                 gathered_samples = self.accelerator.gather(padded_samples)
                 gathered_prompts = self.accelerator.gather(padded_prompts)
                 gathered_prompt_sizes = self.accelerator.gather(prompt_sizes)
                 metadata = gather_dict(metadata)
             else:
-                gathered_samples = padded_samples
-                gathered_prompts = padded_prompts
+                gathered_samples = samples
+                gathered_prompts = prompt_tensors
                 gathered_prompt_sizes = prompt_sizes
 
             if not self.config.train.reward_only_in_main_process or self.accelerator.is_main_process: