Fighting fatigue during the MCAT?

[alli-f]

Hey guys, So I've just started taking practice full-lengths (Kaplan), and so far my biggest problem is staying concentrated and focused during this brutally long exam. I find for each section I always start out strong, then slowly fatigue out near the mid/end point of each section and have a hard time reading the passages or thinking critically at this point. I know the length of the MCAT is a beast for everyone, but just wondering if anyone wanted to share tips on how they fight through this fatigue thanks in advance and happy studying!

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[littlebear92]

No way to really fight through it other than to take 2-3 practice tests to get used to the length and eating healthy. Also a good night's sleep the night before is very beneficial. You should try melatonin the night before the exam, and eat protein bars/fruits during exam breaks. That's what I did, and I was able to stay focused throughout the exam!

 

[littlebear92]

Also, on test day, I don't think you will feel like fatiguing out due to the adrenaline rush

 

[Alkaidius]

I closed my eyes and shut off for a count of 5 Mississippi's after every passage. ALSO! Do squats in the bathroom to get the blood flowing...some elderly gentleman walked in on me doing that and I just sorta stared at him halfway through my squat. He just said "that's genius" and left lol.

 

[the prophet]

i kept my coffee outside near the lockers; every break i'd take a swig of coffee and two swigs of water - that way i'd stay hydrated while not wasting all my caffeine in the morning and crashing midday. of course, (1) you need to be ok with drinking cold coffee after a while and (2) you also need to pee at least twice using this strategy, but that also helps to kind of wake you up.

 

[655703]

bump... anyone else have any additional advice? I resonate with OP's concerns. It feels like my brain fogs up, especially during the CARS section which requires the most focus of all the sections imo.

 

[jordan222]

I concur that closing your eyes for five seconds and taking a deep breath often helps. For CARS, I force myself to do that every time I click to the next passage. Helps me refresh and attack the new passage.

One other thing I started doing which worked for me is forcing myself to smile when tired. Sometimes, often mid-way through CARS, I would feel beat and would just force myself to smile. By smiling, you somewhat lose the urge to close your eyes and I like to think it makes me happy and thus more focused (kind of like the pencil in your mouth study if any of you have read that one).

 

[Dreamstoo]

I concur that closing your eyes for five seconds and taking a deep breath often helps. For CARS, I force myself to do that every time I click to the next passage. Helps me refresh and attack the new passage.

One other thing I started doing which worked for me is forcing myself to smile when tired. Sometimes, often mid-way through CARS, I would feel beat and would just force myself to smile. By smiling, you somewhat lose the urge to close your eyes and I like to think it makes me happy and thus more focused (kind of like the pencil in your mouth study if any of you have read that one).

Oddly enough, I started doing this and stopped writing down as much as I used to during CARs (because I'm not a fast reader), and I started to get about 8+ more right on practice CARs tests. IT helps a lot.

 

[alli-f]

Hey! Thanks everyone for the input! Since posting this I've been experimenting with what works best for me while taking practice FL's. What I've found helped best (at least for me):
-actively reading the passage, whether that be mouthing the words, or taking minimal notes if necessary, when you are losing focus
-closing your eyes/taking long deep breaths/ looking away for a few seconds in between EVERY SINGLE passage
-doing jumping jacks/ something to get your blood moving in the bathroom during each break
-and most importantly, food. lol. I know everybody is different, but I'm the kind of person who has to eat a lot during the MCAT, otherwise I find that will take away from my focus if i'm even the slightest bit hungry. Bananas, energy bars, and dark chocolate covered coffee beans are my MCAT test day essentials

Anyways, hopes this helps! if anyone else has any other tips of their own to share feel free to add! I test next week, good luck to everyone else!