easy question for mcat vets

[BlitzSleep]

How much scratch paper are you allowed to have per section?

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[chicago88]

they give you a little book of paper.. it was definitely at least 2 pages front and back (so that's 4).. perhaps even as much as 3-4 front and back, but if i recall correctly they are not full size pages.

if you raise your hand and ask for more, they will always provide you w/ it - i find this a little distracting, unfortunately, because during this time your clock is running.. however, i did not run out of paper

 

[Rolling]

Did you guys "map" the passage and write down the main point of every paragraph? How many of you found that this was really helpful?

Did you guys use the EK method where you just read and at the end try to summarize the authors main point in 2 sentences in your head? Was that effective?

Rolling

 

[frescoengano]

main point of every paragraph (that was of substantial length)...then put a line between each paragraph on the scratch paper...helps separate thoughts.

 

[EpicBearMan]

I'm not a big fan of Kaplan's VR strategies. It seems like a waste of precious time to me. The MCAT software lets you highlight parts of the passage, that was all I needed.

On the topic of scratch paper, I had about 2x more than I needed in the end. I think that if you are using all the scratch paper you are given, you may want to reevaluate your strategies. Calculations can be minimized with rounding / order of magnitude estimations, which saves a significant amount of time.

 

[SapphireBlue919]

I had related questions: Is the scratch paper booklet like 8.5 x 10 folded in half - "hamburger" style? What kind of pencils do they provide you with? I'm gonna be pretty disappointed if I paid 2-3 hundred bucks to used half-sized #2s!

*Things I wonder about when I can't keep studying! Thanks!

 

[WhizoMD]

copied from my post in another thread:
I'm using an old TPRH verbal workbook, and it has 7-8 questions per passage, is that the amount of questions per passage on the current mcat?

 

[EpicBearMan]

I had multiple standard length #2 pencils with an eraser and everything. I had 3 or so ~standard sized sheets of scrap paper to use (front and back). These papers might have been a little bit smaller than normal, but they give you more paper than you need. They were tinted blue and attached together at one side to make a booklet.

It's extremely unlikely that you will have any issues with the paper, pencil, or environment. They give you industrial strength, sound canceling earphones. My room was quiet enough that I never bothered with them though.

The MCAT itself is enough to worry about in itself. My advice is to put these details away in the back of your mind and concentrate on your studies. Just make sure you know where your testing center is ahead of time, get enough sleep, eat breakfast, and don't forget your ID.

Edit: You have 10 minute breaks between sections. If you feel like you used too much paper on PS, just let the proctor know as you are heading back in. There were more like 5-6 questions per passage for the VR section.

 

[SapphireBlue919]

Thanks for the answers and advice, EpicBearMan!

Will try to stay more focused!