Should I take the exam earlier to avoid morning exam?

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waytogo1

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Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some advice on a decision that I'm struggling with.
I'm scheduled to take the morning exam, and having been "studying" in the morning to adjust my body to keep focus in the morning.
But I'm having a hard time pulling up my concentration in the morning. (I'm not a morning person...)
Would it be a better idea to take the exam two weeks earlier for afternoon exam instead? I may not be able to do as many FL practice exams if that's the case, but I would be done with content review and all the practice questions from prep books I have.
Has anyone had a hard time focusing during the morning exam?

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Yes, switch.

I'm a morning person so I got a morning slot. Optimize what you can control.

That said, adrenalin is an amazing thing.
 
That's what I'm doing. I am definitely not a morning person, so I signed up to take the test in the afternoon. The instructor of my prep course encouraged us to take our practice exams at the same time as the real thing and to try to simulate real conditions as much as possible. I don't think two weeks is a lot of time to make a huge difference, but you should also take it when you're ready.
 
It depends on your own circadian rhythm. I scheduled a 1PM slot because I'm not a morning person. I took all my practice exams at 1PM and my actual MCAT score was very close to my practice exam average.
 
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Doug, I have been thinking a lot of circadian rhythm as well as I have a 1pm test.. Idk if im being TOO neurotic...

but according to circadian rhythm, we have a productivity dip at around 1pm, and the most optimal work time is the 4 hr block right after waking.. have you been getting up super late then?

Ive been assuming if I wake up REALLY early, i can take advantage of the 2nd block of work and shift my dip in circadian rhythm to 11AM-noon so I wouldnt want to nap at 1pm.

Thoughts ?
 
Yes. I enjoy working and studying at night so I am taking a 1300 test for that reason.
 
In general, I don't buy the whole "I'm not a morning person" excuse. No offense given, but 1. it takes time to change your ways, while you may find it hard to wake up early right now, my advice is to see if it improves once you get into a routine and 2. for something as important as the MCAT, you should be rise above that "I'm not a morning person" mentality.

I don't want to sound dramatic, but what's going to happen when you can't make it to rotations as an MS3 because you can't wake up. Train your body like you're training your mind as you study for the test.
Besides, 2 weeks out of context may not seem like much, but 2 weeks of taking practice tests can teach you some important lessons.
 
Unless you are very unprepared, I'd go with the sooner afternoon exam in your case. Being wide awake is worth a couple points on the MCAT. And in 2 weeks most people don't improve much at all, if at all.
 
I am definitely not a morning person, but I strongly believe you can do equally well on the morning or afternoon exam.

The real MCAT is a very stressful and energizing experience, I think you will find that you are wide awake no matter what the clock says.

Also, get in the routine of waking up at a certain time.

If you feel prepared, and if a seat is available close to home, then you can reschedule for an afternoon seat two weeks earlier. However, I think you can do just as well with a morning seat. You may do better, thanks to two more weeks of preparation and possibly having a shorter drive to the test center.
 
thanks everyone for ur advice! I checked the schedule again, and it's actually a week earlier, not two weeks...
This is actually my retake, so I really wanna make sure I am "wide awake" during the exam.
I've been waking up early to prep for the morning exam--I tried waking up at 5am, 6am 7am, but it seems like I dont have my full concentration until 11am. I think I'm gonna try different strategies (drinking coffee in the morning etc) and try to sleep earlier and then make my decision based on how much studying I cover this week...
 
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some advice on a decision that I'm struggling with.
I'm scheduled to take the morning exam, and having been "studying" in the morning to adjust my body to keep focus in the morning.
But I'm having a hard time pulling up my concentration in the morning. (I'm not a morning person...)
Would it be a better idea to take the exam two weeks earlier for afternoon exam instead? I may not be able to do as many FL practice exams if that's the case, but I would be done with content review and all the practice questions from prep books I have.
Has anyone had a hard time focusing during the morning exam?

Idk, even with taking the afternoon test, I woke up around 9AM and left my house around 11AM to get there early. Essentially, you're really only saving 1-2 hours of sleep.
 
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