Chewing gum during the MCAT test

[samsungx]

I tried searching for this but nothing came up.

I know we cannot bring food or drinks into the testing room, but can we chew gum during the test?

I also did a quick search on AAMC and found nothing.

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[Live4Life]

For the sake of every other person in the room, leave the gum at home. No one wants to listen to someone smacking on gum while they are taking one of the most important exams of their life.

 

[jayel]

just bring a pack, and if they let you, go for it. if not, just throw it away 👍

 

[Medmad]

My test center allowed me to chew gum as long as I wasn't disturbing others. It was kind of surprising because I wasn't expecting them to allow that.

 

[Tutmos]

Chew gum, it actually has a mental benefit according to one study 😱. Be polite and keep your mouth closed while chewing though.

 

[ShaneK]

Chew gum, it actually has a mental benefit according to one study

That's an interesting fact😉

 

[BlueElmo]

uhhh, Michael Jordan chewed gum during games because it helped him focus. If it worked for the GOAT, then hell, I'm going to see if I can do it.

 

[sindadel]

I don't think it would have been a problem at my testing centre.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

I think it would be ok if the gum is in your mouth before going to your computer and not removed until you are cleared from your computer. Most of the AAMC policies are against adding or removing things that are visible to the proctor while taking the exam to prevent dishonesty. However, I would recommend that you contact your testing site to be sure.

 

[capn jazz]

You better be the quietest gum chewer in the world, or you might get jumped midway through the phy sci section.

 

[pinoyunggoy]

I hope we can chew gum too, but I tend to have a bad problem of blowing bubbles. I bet I was pretty annoying to all my TPR classmates =/

 

[ShaneK]

I tend to have a bad problem of blowing bubbles

Once you do that you are almost garunteed to be asked to get rid of it.🙂

 

[pinoyunggoy]

Once you do that you are almost garunteed to be asked to get rid of it.🙂

I know, I really need to constrain myself as I chew. For my last few practice tests, I think I'll try really hard to not blow bubbles haha

 

[DrMattOglesby]

I've also read that study about how chewing gum improves concentration. After I told that to all my physio students...they suddenly all showed up next class chewing gum! haha it was good times.
and btw, I chewed gum at one of my MCAT administrations. I had it in my mouth before I went in to sit down; and I think I ended up swallowing it.
The key thing here is to respect your fellow test takers (as some have already alluded).
For instance, during my last MCAT we all sat in swivel chairs, and the kid next to me had a slight squeak in his. So he found the sweet spot for the squeaky noise and rotated back n forth on it making all kinds of distracting sounds. Myself and the guy next to me took off our "sound-proof" headphones to find out where the noise was coming from and then we saw the culprit.
We just kinda shook our heads and returned to our test, all the while this kid swiveled and squeaked in his chair. I felt I was going to report him to the testing supervisor but he didn't do it that much throughout the rest of the test. I was close though!

 

[sindadel]

Blowing bubbles: right out. :lol

My earplugs were pretty good though.

 

[BlueElmo]

also, do you think it would irritate people if I cracked my knuckles? I tend to do this quite often when I'm nervous, and it's pretty loud. It's a habit and I don't know if I will be able to ditch it before my test.

 

[scaredoflife]

Oh crap I definitely cracked my knuckles I hope i did not annoying anyone lol. I forgot about chewing gum, but i guess I could see that as being annoying if someone was smacking gum loudly. Idk but gum is great way to stay alert and focued hmm.

 

[Food]

I don't think it matters. I'm pretty sure I chewed gum for at least part of the test. But yeah, I'm not an annoying gum chewer. Although sometimes my jaw starts hurting and I start hating myself.

 

[Striving4MD]

As long as the administrator doesn't care, then it is not a problem. Just be quiet with it and do not annoy the others around you and everything will be fine. I Chewed gum during my MCAT test the other day on the 26th of August without any interruptions of others.