Does anyone feel very mentally exhausted after these practice tests?

[Dreamstoo]

I took a FL today, had lunch, and a snack during my first two breaks. At the end of it, I'm like 😕. Lol.

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[trimethylpurine]

Took my first one yesterday and definitely exhausted at the end. By the time psych rolled around, everything sounded like gibberish at best 🙁

 

[DrHart]

It gets better the more you practice. I took 3 FL exams and simulated test environment and all. First time was brutal but the more you work at it, the better it gets. Building endurance for this new test is definitely important imo

 

[ElectricNoogie]

Feeling mentally drained is normal. Med school will be more of the same. It's been said a million times before and it bears repeating. The MCAT is a mental marathon. You need to train your brain to think critically for 7+ hours. That isn't natural but it is possible. Start small, 2 passages at a time. Every 2 weeks or so increase your practice time to 4 passages, then 6, then 8 in a row. By your final month you can take an entire FL a week. Build your stamina and endurance over time. Early on focus on content, critical thinking, strategy. Speed and endurance will come with systematic practice. Good luck!

 

[mcatjelly]

Yep, I can get through the exam but once I'm done, I'm pretty much out of commission for the rest of the day.

 

[Levrone]

Yep, I can get through the exam but once I'm done, I'm pretty much out of commission for the rest of the day.

were you able to buy the EK exams? It's not letting me pay 🙁

 

[mcatjelly]

were you able to buy the EK exams? It's not letting me pay 🙁

Wha'? D: I bought one a few weeks ago. Definitely call them in the morning about this.

 

[KungFuPanda123]

adrenaline will carry you through on the real thing. no matter how much endurance you try to build now, it'll never be enough to feel okay after a practice FL (although some endurance is without a doubt helpful/crucial)

 

[rozalind]

Ugh, they just make me so grumpy! I haven't been able to start a FL yet before 2PM (I know, not actual testing conditions, but I'm working with I've got), and so I get to watch the sun slowly set on a beautiful Saturday while I'm stuck inside fighting this 7-hour monster. I've never been good at sitting still in the first place, so I'm pretty grouchy by the end. But it's all worth it; I've been building up some serious testing endurance.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

If your brain isn't tired at the end, you're probably doing something wrong. Unless your score is a 528.

 

[LaPola19_MD]

How long does it take you guys to go over the exam? Would two days after the exam be enough? Do you recommend taking one every 3 days??

 

[mcatjelly]

How long does it take you guys to go over the exam? Would two days after the exam be enough? Do you recommend taking one every 3 days??

It took me two days for the Sample Test because that's the exam that really matters, but for the others I just spend one day reviewing what I missed and why. You could definitely do an exam every three days provided you take some sort of break day in between.

 

[somedudehere]

How long does it take you guys to go over the exam? Would two days after the exam be enough? Do you recommend taking one every 3 days??

Me personally, I would wait more than 3 days between exams...if you haven't taken one yet don't underestimate how exhausting it is. Aside from mental exhaustion, my eyes are SHOT after staring at a computer screen for 7+ hours... I don't know about anyone else.

 

[ElectricNoogie]

Some good advice here. The most important part of ANY practice test is the time you take to review your answers, analyze what happened with your mistakes, and then to do appropriate practice or content review depending on the type of mistake you made. With the MCAT now ~ 8 hours, that's an entire day.Furthermore it is very common, especially early on in studying, for it to take up to 2x as long to review the exam as it did to take it. Even towards the end, I would not recommend you take more than 2 full length MCAT exams in 1 week. Remember, it is what you learn/take away from the test that is most important to improvement. Good luck!