caffeine

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JMD

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I drink coffee pretty regularly, but was planning on weening myself off of caffeine prior to the MCAT. Problem is, I don't think I can study without it, and with the test being only a week away, I'm not sure if I should bother.

I know this sounds kind of dumb, but do any of you think caffeine intake will have an effect on my score? If I drink coffee all the time, but don't on the morning of the MCAT, do you think I will be groggy, miss details, etc.?
Anyone know of any interesting facts/studies related to caffeine and test performance?

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I've read that caffeine actually enhances recall. Though, I'll be damned if i can i can rememer the source ;)
 
Why are you trying to wean out of caffeine a week before the test? If you're a regular coffee drinker, you are so risking it if you don't have that cup of coffee the day of. Believe me...you'll need it!! Just make sure you drink it an hour before so you don't have to go pee during the exam.
 
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you're crazy. coffee is one of life's little pleasures and about the only evidence I have been able to come up with for the existence of a God.

Why would anyone not want to take coffee? Coffee is good for you. All together now "Coffee....yummmmmmm".

Personally I try not to let too much blood get into my caffeine system. That can be very bad.

All together now: "coffee...yummmmmmm!"

(don't ask how many cups I've had today....)
 
whatever you do, make sure you're really "off" it before you take the test or else drink some that morning. caffeine withdrawals can cause really bad headaches, and so can the mcat! the two in combination are not a good idea.

i personally drink decaf every morning (which has a bit of caffeine i think), because i got sick of the terrible headaches when i couldn't have my morning coffee. i'm taking an excedrin migraine the morning of the test just to make sure i get a little caffeine in me :cool:
 
It might not be such a bad idea to stop caffeine intake right now. Give your receptors a break, and have your next cup the morning of the test. You might have headaches for 1-3 days, if so you might as well go have a cup of coffee again instead of popping an analgesic and just stick to the routine. Personally, I've stopped caffeine intake a little while ago, as it is a diuretic and you don't want to be frantically running to the little boys and girls room, or having to "go" in the middle of a section.
 
I have not been drinking coffee in the morning before Kaplan full lengths, but I do drink it on the lunch break before writing/Bio. I have been rocking the Bio sections, but have not done as well on VR and Physical sciences. I know those sections are considered more difficult, but tomorrow I am gonna slam some Starbuck's before my practice test and see what happens...
I don't know why I am telling all of you SDNers about my personal MCAT/Caffeine experiment. I think I was just looking for an excuse to take a study break.
And to all of my fellow caffeine addicts, may this wonderful drug bring you the 40+ scores you envision during your coffee induced hallucinations. :D
 
Originally posted by JMD

And to all of my fellow caffeine addicts, may this wonderful drug bring you the 40+ scores you envision during your coffee induced hallucinations. :D


....or at least more pleasurable hallucinations....
 
i dont think you should change your habits right before the exam...like coffeecat said, state dependent learning....your ideal situation is to have it as similar to your studying days as possible :)
 
Originally posted by Mr. Z
I've read that caffeine actually enhances recall. Though, I'll be damned if i can i can rememer the source ;)


LOL :laugh:

All I know is that I've been drinking starbucks coffee every day for the last 3 months, and when I'm at Barnes and Noble studying with my caffeine high I score about 2 pts higher on each section. ;)
 
I too spend about 25 hours a week and $100 a month at b&n (affectionately referred to as "the nobe" ) they are making a killing of us medical folk. At any given time at my location 85% of the clientel are studying some form of medicine.
 
Originally posted by DrLady


I go to Barnes and Nobles to study as well, and i always drink my fav. Cafe Mocha..or Caramel Mocha...and it gets me real energetic....and i get done a lot of studying, hahah. i usually need caffeine in the afternoon, when i get tired, though. too bad, i won't be able to get mocha for lunch time at the MCAT test center.
[/QUOTE

You can buy fraps at any local store although they aren't slushy like the ones at B&N. It's not what you drink but it's something.
I plan on bringing one with me incase I tend to lose that caffeine feeling during lunch.

I've been studying at B&N for a year (not all MCAT, regular classes to). I can't seem to study at the school library it's just something about that place that bothers me. When I would do problems there I would miss like half the of them. When I'm at B&N with people chattering all over the place I can usually get a score of 10 or higher on the practice materials.
 
I'm dying laughing because this thread represents my life for the last 6 months - I study at Starbucks every night until they close, Obviously, I'm a regular, and the crew there is already giving me my one week countdown pep talks. They've even said they'll give me my MCAT combined score in free credit on my Starbucks card as an incentive - I could use $35 in iced mochas!!!!

Here's an even stranger antedote that goes to the original heart of this thread: My OB/GYN wanted to change my oral contraceptive pill two weeks ago to a stronger dosage/different brand to reverse some negative effects the pill was having on my skin. I told her NO WAY did I want to, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, mess with my hormones this close to the MCAT! I might burst out crying during the ID check, or something completely wacko!!! Needless to say, I start my new prescription on August 18th!!! Point is, now's not the time to be experimenting with your body chemistry on any level. Likewise, I'm not about to alter my caffeine uptake in the least bit.
 
AS much as I like going out for coffee and walking around with it warm in my hands...I'm really poor and can't afford frapuccinos as I would like. BUT! Here's my recipe that approximates it...kind of, it's warm:

A "2" cup stove top espresso maker (I've seen them at Starbucks). This make about two thimbles full of espresso, or about 1/3 mug of espresso. I use it all in one go.

Espresso grounds -- I use Lavazza

WHile espresso is cooking, heat 2/3 mug full of at least 1% milk in microwave. DUmp in you finished espresso, add 1.5 teaspoons of sugar, and you've got a damn tasty drink if I do say so myself.

DON'T SKIP YOUR COFFEE BEFORE THE MCAT! And beware if you've been weaning off -- I was sick a couple months back and went off coffee for three days for my ...er...digestion...the forst two days drinking it again I felt like I had 5 cups instead of one.
You don't want extra jitters on test day!
 
I don't know about the rest of you, but when I drink caffeine I have to pee like every 10 minutes (Seriously). I know it is a diuretic and this is normal, but is it normal to have to go so often? Maybe I just have a very tiny bladder. Also sometimes when I drink water or orange juice this happens as well. Maybe that means I am hydrated?
 
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