With the end of the school semester quickly approaching, I figured that many of you will be taking the MCAT following the end of the school year. In order to help you kick butt on MCAT day, I want to share a couple of the things that I did in order to make it through.
Day Before Prep
The most important thing that you can do the day before your MCAT is to just relax. By this point, I'm pretty sure you've learned as much as you'll be able to remember on test day, so spending the day before cramming yourself with information won't be that helpful and will most likely just drain you out. If you were about to run a marathon, you wouldn't want to run one the day before. So why do that for the MCAT? The day before my MCAT, I spent time with my family, went out to dinner, and did something fun. If you absolutely must review, I'd say keep it to under an hour. I think all I looked over the day before were some of the formulas, but that was it. Plan out what you are going to wear the next day and what you will need to bring with you. Make sure that you wear something comfortable as this will be a long day. I am pretty sure I wore some yoga pants, a t-shirt, a zip-up hoodie, and a comfy pair of shoes. I think it's smart to wear layers because you don't know what the temperature will be like in the testing center, and you want to be able to adjust yourself to keep at a comfortable temperature. Don't forget your ID! You'll be needing it to check in. Also, make sure you get to bed at a reasonable time, as being well-rested will greatly benefit you. The whole goal is to keep your stress levels low, so you can walk in on test day refreshed and ready to bring your A-game.
MCAT Day
Before The Test
Wake up at a reasonable hour, so that you have enough time to get yourself ready. I know that some people don't like to eat breakfast, but on MCAT day, it's a must. Make sure you eat something that is filling. I am pretty sure I had some steel cut oatmeal because I had read that it would slowly release glucose, and glucose is what will help you power up your brain. Try to avoid anything too sugary because too much sugar will cause a crash later in the day and you obviously don't want that. I remember I also made a Starbucks run on my way to my test so that I could be well caffeinated. For coffee intake, follow your own judgment. I always start my day with some coffee, so I knew it was something that I needed/wanted. Make sure to bring some healthy snacks and some gatorade. I brought almonds because they are a great source of healthy fats and are good to help boost your brain power in between test sections. The gatorade is to stay hydrated. I would normally say drink lots of water, but on mcat day you want to avoid having the need to pee during the test. I don't know about you, but having to pee really breaks my focus. I read that gatorade was a better option to avoid having to pee because it doesn't filter through your system as fast as water does. I followed this and it worked pretty well for me. Make sure to leave for the testing center with plenty of time. You want to have enough time to figure out where you need to go and get yourself settled in. Also, try to keep calm as you are getting yourself there. I know MCAT day jitters are common, but just keep the mentality that you are ready for this.
What to Expect
After you check in, they will call everyone in one-by-one. When you get called back, they take your picture, take your finger prints, have you sign some forms, have you shake out your pockets, and will run one of those detector wands over you. Then you get escorted to your seat and you begin. There is a whole protocol when you enter and leave the test room, so just be aware of that. You'll also have cameras on you while you test, and a proctor will be going around the room every so often to make sure that no one is doing anything sketch.
During The Test
While you are testing, try to treat each section like it is it's own separate test. What I mean by this is that don't let a previous section bog you down. Try to do the best you can while you're on a section, but once you move on to another section, don't worry about the previous one. There may be cases where you feel like you are struggling through. I hope this isn't the case, but if it happens, work through the section and move on. Remember that your score is important as a whole, so it is important to keep going no matter what. Also, don't stress about individual questions. I know that you will want to get everything right, but it's most important to make sure that you finish everything as best you can, so spend some time on a question, and if you just can't get it, move on and if you can, come back to it later. TAKE YOUR BREAKS! I know that you might be tempted to just power through, but it is so important to step away from the computer when you can. I know that this was important for me, and will be super important now because the current MCAT is super long. I believe you get ten minutes ( At least that's what I had when I took my test. I'm not sure about the current MCAT.), so take the time to quickly go to the bathroom, have a little bit of your snack, and a couple sips of gatorade (don't drink too much though!).
After The Test
At this point, I am pretty sure your brain will feel like mush. I remember feeling like I couldn't think anymore, so my best advice is just go home and rest. For the next 30 days ( I hope that's still the post test waiting period), don't even think about the test. You've done everything that you could and now it is out of your control, so don't stress. Go back to enjoying life, catch up with your friends and family (Who I'm sure were put to the side while you were on your MCAT grind), and just relax. You'll have plenty of time to worry about your test score later, so don't do it before you actually need to. When scores are finally posted, don't freak out too much. It is just a test. This does not define you, but just how you performed on a single test. So, no matter what you get, don't worry.
I hope these tips help you as you are headed to your big test day and I wish you all the luck in the world. Many have made it past the beast that is the MCAT and so can you! I hope you are having a great week and I'll talk to you soon!
~Genesis<3
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