break snacks

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Yes, the breaks are timed, and I mean strictly timed in that if you go past a minute, it will go onto the next section with the clock ticking down. Anyway for snacks, I'm bringing a monster energy drink, possible bananas, and maybe even pack some salmon ( I eat fast so 10 mins is more than enough).
 
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good snacks = processed sugars

I personally didnt eat anything though. But if i was going to eat, id avoid the complex carbs as much as possible. it will take a while before you get the energy out of those molecules.

you want something that will spike your blood glucose levels while still being relatively healthy: try a powerbar gel supplement. I use them for athletics and i can see them definitely working for you in the MCAT
 
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some cereal bars for carbs, and some gatorade because it wont make you urinate like water will, or atleast that is what someone told me.
 
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1st break I had a Cliff bar, 2nd break I had a banana (yay K) and 3rd break I had an apple. I also washed everything down with Gatorade.

As far as timing, I went over the 10mins every time. It would hold at the time has expired window for a few mins then would auto go the screen that precedes the section. It never started the section and countdown timer automatically tho.
 
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foolz0r said:
1st break I had a Cliff bar, 2nd break I had a banana (yay K) and 3rd break I had an apple. I also washed everything down with Gatorade.

As far as timing, I went over the 10mins every time. It would hold at the time has expired window for a few mins then would auto go the screen that precedes the section. It never started the section and countdown timer automatically tho.
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Can anyone else verify this? I'd be pretty miffed if I got held up checking back in and it ate my time up for the next section.
 
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Tutmos said:
Can anyone else verify this? I'd be pretty miffed if I got held up checking back in and it ate my time up for the next section.
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I went over the 10 minute break by 3-7 minutes every time and it never started without me. But don't hold me to it, I don't want to be responsible if your test starts! You can always sit there at your desk after returning from your first break (return on time) and see if it goes on without you. If it doesn't, then you can take more time for your remaining breaks.
 
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How did you guys get food into the testing center?? I thought you're not allowed any food or drinks, and that you're not even allowed to go to your locker during breaks?
 
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You store food and drinks and whatever in the locker. You can go to the locker during breaks.

I brought bananas, water, and Milano cookies.
 
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Nonsense I was allowed to go to my locker during breaks, I even went outside to cry lol I really did step outside for a second to just breath. But yeah I brought Gatorade (recommend) and then just snack like granola bars and energy bars.
 
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Wait, what's the deal with Gatorade over water (specifically about going to the bathroom afterwards?). Does it really not make you go as much/bad as if drinking water?

Yeah I've also been eating/taking Fish oil lately.
 
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that when consuming a bottle of gatorade versus a bottle of water, the differences in urinary frequency are going to be negligible, as are the effects of fish oil during a short period leading up to your test. Then again, I really shouldn't be discounting the placebo effect here so: the fish oil is going to increase your score by a significant amount and (jedi mind trick here) you will not have to pee during your exam if you drink gatorade (I'm not affiliated with them).
 
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Come on people, all of you should know whether or not Gatorade makes you go less.

This is classic MCAT stuff.

Water is hypotonic to your blood and dilutes the blood, causing the body's numerous homeostatic systems to encourage excretion. Gatorade has dissolved electrolytes and solutes, so it is more or less isotonic, and will not significantly change the concentrations of dissolved substances in the blood.

Of course, whether it's enough to significantly alter urine output, is a different question, like mhofmann above just said.
 
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I felt pretty focused and didn't have any energy crashes, so I'd say that I picked the right snacks. The tea has 3/8 the caffeine as coffee, which is just enough to keep me alert, yet not jittery. Those are typical snacks for me though, so I wasn't trying anything new on test day. The breaks seemed to fly by, but I had enough time to eat a few bites, drink a few sips, use the restroom, and stare at the wall for a few minutes to clear my head.
 
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4Health said:
I went over the 10 minute break by 3-7 minutes every time and it never started without me. But don't hold me to it, I don't want to be responsible if your test starts! You can always sit there at your desk after returning from your first break (return on time) and see if it goes on without you. If it doesn't, then you can take more time for your remaining breaks.
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Im taking the test today in about hmmm a litte over an hour. Ill test this out and let you guys know how the timer worked for me.
 
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So I let the timer go over the first time and it says my break time has ended but it doesnt go to the next section until you push start. Also you dont lose any time. My second break I think I went over again even longer and everything was fine.
 
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DJ303 said:
So I let the timer go over the first time and it says my break time has ended but it doesnt go to the next section until you push start. Also you dont lose any time. My second break I think I went over again even longer and everything was fine.
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Ditto, tested a couple times and same result, even though I VOIDED! 😱
 
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i noticed the guy next to me doing that (he still finished ahead of me i guess because he went through his sections fast). whenever i came back, i'd notice a prompt on his screen saying his break had ended, but there'd be no ticker counting down or anything. i just hope there's nothing logging testtakers going over their allotted time and possibly docking points off for that!
 
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Dates are a great source of natural, wholesome energy and taste great. I had 3 of them and a sip of water--best break ever.
 
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Dude its all about carbo loading before the test, I find fettuccine alfredo and 6 six pack of dr.pepper leads to a better score lol.
 
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Cool...I was thinking of starting a thread like this one...But voila...its here already! 😀

I love sdn!
 
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Hmm... be careful eating too many carbs in a break. Every time I do that on a practice I get hit with an overwhelming wall of sleepiness 45 min later 😀 😀
 
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so back to gatorade - i thought that it made you reabsorb more water and thus make you pee less because it has electrolytes, like our favorite electrolyte Na+, which..hey doesn't that do that thing with aldosterone? you know...make you reabsorb water...and make u peel less all at the same time?

that's what i thought about gatorade.

any takers?
 
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Gatorade, trail mix, and blueberries.

The blueberries were very random, but ended up being exactly what I wanted during break. It was pretty awesome..haha.
 
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I had the same boring 6" tuna sandwich for lunch just before the test as I had for the past week. I also got a large iced peets coffee (twice as strong!) because I have always relied on caffeine during all my studying and practice exams. Also, Trader Joe's has this "Heavenly" trail mix that's half peanut butter chips and chocolate chips, with dried cranberries and nuts. I can pretend to feel healthy while eating it since they call it trail mix! 🙂 A couple handfuls of that and half a banana kept my blood sugar nicely titrated.

Also, I went with a vitamin water rather than regular water, since I wanted to decrease urine volume and increase urine osmolarity 😉
 
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