What did you do during the 10 minute breaks?

[monkeyMD]

During the exam, what kinds of things are you allowed to do during the 10 minute breaks? Also, can you use that time to make a study sheet? Or is that not allowed...

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[FrkyBgStok]

not allowed. no studying during breaks. i just went pee and drank some coffee. maybe munched on something if i was hungry. by the time you sign out and sign back in your break goes pretty fast.

 

[ridethecliche]

I went to the closest bar, did a shot, and then came back and took the next section.

 

[monkeyMD]

Does this mean that during the break, you have to leave the testing room?

 

[MDminded]

I went to the closest bar, did a shot, and then came back and took the next section.

Have I told you lately how much I *love* you? I like this cynical, sarcastic, hilarious side of you.

not allowed. no studying during breaks. i just went pee and drank some coffee. maybe munched on something if i was hungry. by the time you sign out and sign back in your break goes pretty fast.

+1. The breaks go DARN quick once you've found the restroom and made your way back. I used my break to just STOP thinking and to concentrate solely on the two important Rs of test-taking: Refueling and Relieving.

Does this mean that during the break, you have to leave the testing room?

No, you can be heroic and sit there for the entire 10 minutes. At least that was the case at my testing sites.

 

[iceman132]

not allowed. no studying during breaks. i just went pee and drank some coffee. maybe munched on something if i was hungry. by the time you sign out and sign back in your break goes pretty fast.

Huh, I know someone who sat there and made a study sheet who made a 33.... Guess the people up front just weren't paying attention

 

[Ismet]

During the exam, what kinds of things are you allowed to do during the 10 minute breaks? Also, can you use that time to make a study sheet? Or is that not allowed...

If you're talking about writing down equations from memory or things to remember on your scratch paper, yes you can do that during breaks, as well as during the 10-minute tutorial at the beginning. You cannot access study materials during break though.

 

[BME11]

i took only 1 break after the writing to poo on my first MCAt and killed the BS section (13)... no study sheets though

 

[CerebroDad]

I took every break, even if I didn't feel I really needed it. I did that during the practice tests, too. When you take your practice tests, pretend you're taking the real test, and see what works best for you during your breaks. Some tips:

-Give some thought to what you're going to eat during break. I heard about a guy who took a sandwich to his test, which went bad after sitting in his locker for a while (not sure what he had in it). He ate it during his break and felt sick during the test.

-Figure out where the bathrooms are, where the water fountain is, etc, in advance. That's better than using any of your 10 minutes trying to find them during your break.

-Make sure you're back with plenty of time to spare. You don't need the extra anxiety of rushing back to your test at the last minute (or worse, after the next section has started).

-Ask for a fresh piece of scratch paper (and maybe a sharpened pencil) before your break ends. If you feel it helps you to write down a few things from memory before your break ends, then do so.

 

[The Gwalrus]

The breaks go REAL quick. Keep in mind that the 10 minute breaks start immediately! So by the time you stand up, leave the test room, watch the proctors flip through their book, find your name, let you sign out and write the time, then leave that room, you'll probably have 8:20 left. So then account for the fact that another 1:40seconds will have to be spent doing that same thing on your way in, you really only have a 6:40 minute break.

 

[ridethecliche]

Fwiw, don't be late after a break, but don't freak if you are.

I was about 12 mins between writing and bio, and I came back to find the home screen of the BS sitting there. I was almost curious enough to see how long it would take for it to start the timer, but it didn't start it.

I was glad to see that because I needed that minute.

I also didn't take the 10 mins between vr and writing. Didn't need it. Writing is a break in itself. It's the least mentally challenging part of the test. I didn't want to use a break for it.

Have I told you lately how much I *love* you? I like this cynical, sarcastic, hilarious side of you.

If you're cute, smart, and can do neat tricks (such as wiggling your ears), and are planning to move to boston, then hit me up. I'm single.

 

[monkeyMD]

I took every break, even if I didn't feel I really needed it. I did that during the practice tests, too. When you take your practice tests, pretend you're taking the real test, and see what works best for you during your breaks. Some tips:

-Give some thought to what you're going to eat during break. I heard about a guy who took a sandwich to his test, which went bad after sitting in his locker for a while (not sure what he had in it). He ate it during his break and felt sick during the test.

-Figure out where the bathrooms are, where the water fountain is, etc, in advance. That's better than using any of your 10 minutes trying to find them during your break.

-Make sure you're back with plenty of time to spare. You don't need the extra anxiety of rushing back to your test at the last minute (or worse, after the next section has started).

-Ask for a fresh piece of scratch paper (and maybe a sharpened pencil) before your break ends. If you feel it helps you to write down a few things from memory before your break ends, then do so.

Man. These are nice tips! Much appreciated!
So I guess we ARE allowed to write down formulas during the breaks. I should plan on doing that during the breaks then.

 

[Buttermellow]

Only took one real break, between VR and Writing. I went to the bathroom, that was it. On the breaks I didn't take, I took maybe a minute to clear my head and stretch. I just wanted to get done.

 

[thomasfx10]

Man. These are nice tips! Much appreciated!
So I guess we ARE allowed to write down formulas during the breaks. I should plan on doing that during the breaks then.

The only formulas that should be written are before the exam for PS. Why would you need formula for BS? Am I missing something?

Thanks!

 

[Ismet]

The only formulas that should be written are before the exam for PS. Why would you need formula for BS? Am I missing something?

Thanks!

The only formula I can think of is Hardy-Weinberg...unless you want to do a general brain purge and write down things you think you might forget...like which bases are purines and pyrimidines or something.

I only wrote equations during the tutorial for PS. It's a good way to get into the mindset of the section. I only had to refer to it once, but it was good to know it was there!

 

[Monocles]

I used every break that they gave me. I went to the bathroom once during one of the middle breaks, sipped on juice that I brought during the first few breaks and ate a granola bar at the last break to get me through bio.

 

[PingPongPro]

Most important uses for breaks

1) Completely rest your mind, and use this time to mentally block out everything from the previous section. You dont want your performance , good or bad, to influence your next section. If you think about the past section even once during your next section, you aren't utilizing this break period as a transition point enough.

2) Walk around stretch your muscles. Staying seated for the entire 5+ hours is tough physically.

 

[thomasfx10]

Will you have access to your backpack (That is were my food will be stored) ...

Curious Question on cell phones ... If you left your cell phone in your backpack and looked at it, would you get in trouble?

 

[ridethecliche]

Will you have access to your backpack (That is were my food will be stored) ...

Curious Question on cell phones ... If you left your cell phone in your backpack and looked at it, would you get in trouble?

They had cameras in my center.

Take the things you need access to OUT of your backpack and put them in your locker. Put your cell/wallet/ etc in there as well and leave your backpack elsewhere.

Don't touch the phone until you're done. Mine was shoved all the way in the back.

Do people even bother reading the crap they agree to when they sign the internet agreement with aamc. Seriously, you guys are going to get screwed for signing crap you don't understand.

 

[MDminded]

If you're cute, smart, and can do neat tricks (such as wiggling your ears), and are planning to move to boston, then hit me up. I'm single.

I like to think I'm cute and smart. In terms of neat tricks, does being a violinist suffice? However, Boston is quite a drive from Atlanta. We may have an issue here. :cry:

 

[Whatyousay]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone else noticed that if you don't click "OK" immediately after the your 10 minutes are up, the timer for the next section doesn't automatically start?

I wasn't willing to formally test it during my MCAT administration for obvious reasons, but it always seemed like there was a short "grace period" beyond the 10 minutes allotted for break. There's a good chance I was imagining the whole thing, so who knows. I'm not going to retake it to find out

 

[apumic]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone else noticed that if you don't click "OK" immediately after the your 10 minutes are up, the timer for the next section doesn't automatically start?

I wasn't willing to formally test it during my MCAT administration for obvious reasons, but it always seemed like there was a short "grace period" beyond the 10 minutes allotted for break. There's a good chance I was imagining the whole thing, so who knows. I'm not going to retake it to find out

Yes, you can have as long of a break as your proctors will allow. That being said, if it gets abused, the AAMC may change the way it works. As of now, however, it's just like the ones on the AAMC tests. Actually, your 10 min doesn't even start until you click "okay" at the end of each section. I always like my proctor "okay" my break to start by leaving it on the "You are out of time" screen until I had signed out. My proctor would then start my break (because I apparently "forgot" to). That way, I got my full 10 min instead of 8-9.

As for my breaks, I chilled, used the restroom, made jokes with my proctors (which meant they then liked me), and snacked a bit. My center was pretty chill when I took it.

 

[EricMont]

took a really loud dump.

 

[SissyAlice]

So if I understand correctly, we can do 'brain dumps' on scratch paper during the tutorial... So does that mean we get to keep our scratch paper through all sections? Just wondering, because I'm notorious for brain dumping and if I can keep the sheet for both PS and BS it'd be awesome.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

yeah. you can do that. when sitting in front of your comp, no problem.