Do you guys always sit through the whole practice MCAT in one sitting?

[Tennis Guy]

Hey everyone,
Do you always sit through the whole practice MCAT in one sitting? The reason I ask is because the test is more than seven hours with breaks now it seems, which makes it really hard to take in one sitting, when you have work and other responsibilities throughout the day. I could make the time, but is it that bad to leave the last section (or more) to do a day later? I will take it full length a few times of course, to get used to the grind of actual test day! Thank you all for your advice and insight!!!!!

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[electrophile1984]

I do them all at once to get used to the format...but yes i agree it can be hard to carve out time to fit a full length in.

 

[unnumzaan]

Practice how you want to compete.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

I would say you don't have to do all of them in one sitting, but you should, and you must do at least 1 with the correct time-controls etc. Just go to the library on a weekend and start exactly on the scheduled time of your real test.

 

[onceawolverine]

I think that, as much as you can, you should practice taking the full length version of the MCAT. Stamina is trainable, and you should try to set yourself up for the greatest success possible. I know that the 7 hour time length is nauseatingly long, but if you can set aside a few Saturday mornings (for example) from 8am-3pm in order to practice the full ordeal, you'll thank yourself later.

Remember, for every Full Length you take, you should spend as much time or more reviewing all the answer choices and any content or logic that is unclear. That does not have to happen all at once, but you should aim to get it covered in the 2-3 days following a FL.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

I think that, as much as you can, you should practice taking the full length version of the MCAT. Stamina is trainable, and you should try to set yourself up for the greatest success possible. I know that the 7 hour time length is nauseatingly long, but if you can set aside a few Saturday mornings (for example) from 8am-3pm in order to practice the full ordeal, you'll thank yourself later.

Remember, for every Full Length you take, you should spend as much time or more reviewing all the answer choices and any content or logic that is unclear. That does not have to happen all at once, but you should aim to get it covered in the 2-3 days following a FL.

This is good advice! I almost always took a FL during the same time as my friend, and then the next day we would go through the whole test together.

 

[Benighted]

I'm not sure about the new MCAT, but I didn't really follow any strict timelines while taking my practice tests for the old version. For example, after finishing the Verbal section, I would get up and walk around for 10-20 minutes and chill before starting the bio section. In fact, sometimes I would just stop in the middle of the Verbal section and take a break because I couldn't focus any more.

I knew this was fine because I tend to perform at a completely different level when I'm under an adrenaline rush. I averaged about 33 on my practice tests, but ended up scoring 4 points higher on the real thing.

My point is: Get to know your own habits, strengths, weaknesses and practice based on your own pace. People like to spout their own study strategies as being "the best," but it's really up to you. So what does this mean for you?

If you perform on real exams like you do during practice tests, then yes, I suggest taking the full-length test in one sitting. If you perform differently on real exams compared to practice exams, then it's not that big of a deal. (Reference your SAT, practice finals vs actual final, etc)

 

[Lannister]

I had a hard time making it through the practice tests, I would get so antsy. But during the real thing I had so much adrenaline that I didn't get antsy at all. As long as you can take at least one or two practice exams in which you replicate the real testing environment, you'll be fine.

 

[Goro]

Considering the test is taken under a specific set of conditions, don't you think it's optimal for you to try and replicate those conditions????

Hey everyone,
Do you always sit through the whole practice MCAT in one sitting? The reason I ask is because the test is more than seven hours with breaks now it seems, which makes it really hard to take in one sitting, when you have work and other responsibilities throughout the day. I could make the time, but is it that bad to leave the last section (or more) to do a day later? I will take it full length a few times of course, to get used to the grind of actual test day! Thank you all for your advice and insight!!!!!

 

[el_duderino]

I didn't, and I greatly regretted it come test time. I was not prepared for how grueling it would be. I did well, but I could have done better.

Practice full-length. Not all the time, but at least a couple of times.

 

[Cawolf]

I took every practice test in conditions that closely replicated my exam day.

Timed, library, ear plugs, no food/drink at my computer, no phone, no internet, timed breaks, etc.

I believe that this worked greatly to my advantage, and I would recommend the same.

 

[NickNaylor]

I took every practice test in conditions that closely replicated my exam day.

Timed, library, ear plugs, no food/drink at my computer, no phone, no internet, timed breaks, etc.

I believe that this worked greatly to my advantage, and I would recommend the same.

Completely agree.

 

[IlyaR]

Replicate the conditions as closely as possible. I woke up as I would on test day, eat the breakfast I would eat, put in ear plugs, etc

 

[lifesajoke]

I just took it relaxingly but I have very good stamina so that was not a problem for me.

 

[Microglia]

I did all my practice tests without breaks back in the day- save a bathroom break if needed. Saved time and made it feel easier on test day.

 

[vellez]

For me, personally, the difficult thing about the MCAT was the time/specific testing conditions. If I took the test without the timer, I'd do really well, but once I had that clock, I had to learn how to rush. And taking the practice tests, I did get really ancy, but I forced myself to finish the test. Anyway, to me, the MCAT also tested your ability to handle yourself under pressure, and practicing with the timer helped develop that skillset.