eXtReme test anxiety

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appple85

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Hey guys! I'm new to SDN... So I’m taking the test on April 5th… and I’ve been doing alright on AAMC practice tests (consistent low 30’s). My biggest problem now is that I have HUGE test anxiety, and it shows when I practice… no matter how hard I try to focus, I keep panicking about time. I have trouble concentrating, my heart is seriously racing like crazy, and I have to reread the passages several times, which wastes even more time... But, afterwards when I look at the questions again off the clock, even without reading the solutions, the answer is obvious to me, and I realize that I had made a lot dumb mistakes and easy calculation errors due to my horrible test-taking skills… anyway, this will be my second time taking the test… I scored abysmally low in september (20Q!!)… I had been scoring in the high 20’s during practices, but I panicked during the test. This time around, I’ve definitely improved on the concepts… but my test taking skills have NOT improved… u guys think I should wait a couple of months to take it or just go in and hope for the best… do u think this is something that I can improve on in a span of a couple months?… it seems that no matter how solid I am on the concepts, I have a hard time focusing and relaxing during test-taking conditions. I hear the real MCAT is a little harder than the practice AAMC’s, but if my practices are accurate, I can still get in the high 20’s, even with a 5 point drop, which I will be happy with since I’m going D.O. and their averages are lower. At this point, I know it’s mental… but I need to learn how to not let this damn test get to me. But yeah… anyone have any suggestions…? Hahah sorry I know this post is lame!!! :rolleyes:

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there's no magic bullet for test anxiety, but I'm sure many of us can relate to some of your struggles. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but just from whatever practice I've done and from my past standardized testing experiences, I know how frustrating it is to have voices pop into your head that distract you from the passage. I think you can keep yourself from getting distracted by making a conscientious effort to stay focused. If you find yourself panicking or getting caught up in some irrelevant thought, take a five second pause to gather yourself, and move on. EK stresses the fact that, particularly on the verbal section, your brain will want to take breaks since it can't work that hard for that long of a stretch. So either you dictate when you take your breaks or you allow your brain to shut off whenever it pleases. Gather yourself at the start of every passage so that you are ready to go into it with good focus. If you're only thinking about the problems in front of you, that leaves little room for you to get anxious.

I'm sure someone else can offer a more motivational perspective on how to deal with what is pretty much exclusively a psychological obstacle, but hopefully this gives you something to practice.
 
taking a 5 second close-my-eyes-and-breathe-deep usually hooks me up. The toughest part is to acknowledge that u are in the middle of a freakout. But as soon as u do, the 5 second break really does the trick. Its amazing what a little O2 will do.
 
Every one says to do the discretes first cuz they are easy points. I like to do them first because they give me an opportunity to kinda of ease into the test/section. Starting with them gets me in the right mindset to start the section. Also I don't have to do a lotta reading yet either. I try to tear through them as fast as possible while still being accurate. This usually leaves me a nice chunk of extra time that makes me feel confident that I will finish on time and be able to take my time with a more difficult passage. By the time I start the passages I am primed and thinking about physics/gen chem or orgo/bio. Once I am doing the passages I get in a "zone" and continue to knock 'em out until I finish the section, sometimes with extra time to spare.
 
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BJ Wart's Anxiety Reduction Techniques.

1. Have sex. Not to sound totally crass, but after me and my college honey (now wife) and I, um... started having sex, I noticed my anxiety/stress levels in general decreased substantially. So, if you're hooked up, get to it.

2. Exercise. Long term exercise has shown to also reduce anxiety levels in people.

3. Avoid Caffeine. It only makes anxiety worse.



Okay, so you're test is tomorrow. Here are some immediate tips:

1. Drink alcohol. Don't get totally smashed before the MCAT, but a shot of whiskey or a glass of red wine may just do the trick to calm you down.

2. Take cold showers. Taking a cold shower makes you forget about your anxiety. Take one the morning of the MCAT.

3. Drink Tea. Certain teas have a calming effect (at least on myself).
 
BJ Wart's Anxiety Reduction Techniques.

1. Have sex. Not to sound totally crass, but after me and my college honey (now wife) and I, um... started having sex, I noticed my anxiety/stress levels in general decreased substantially. So, if you're hooked up, get to it.

2. Exercise. Long term exercise has shown to also reduce anxiety levels in people.

3. Avoid Caffeine. It only makes anxiety worse.



Okay, so you're test is tomorrow. Here are some immediate tips:

1. Drink alcohol. Don't get totally smashed before the MCAT, but a shot of whiskey or a glass of red wine may just do the trick to calm you down.

2. Take cold showers. Taking a cold shower makes you forget about your anxiety. Take one the morning of the MCAT.

3. Drink Tea. Certain teas have a calming effect (at least on myself).
I don't think a shot of whiskey before the MCAT is a good idea...Actually, I'm sure that it's a bad idea, a very bad idea.
 
I just say "woosah, woosah" like the guy does in bad boys II, and i usually calm down, I been doing it since the SAT/ACTs
 
cold shower? **** that.

shot of whiskey could help...a shot definitely gets your blood pumpin, but then again...no thanks haha.

tea is a diuretic and will make you piss like no other. it also has caffeine in it, which you said you should avoid.

conclusion of your suggestions: EPIC FAIL
 
I had the same thing happen to me last August. I did about 9-10 points less than my practice average on the real one.

I was nervous and let the pressure of the moment get to me when I saw a test harder than I was expecting.

Now, I am pissed:mad:, not nervous:scared:.

Plus, I know what to expect.


When I take a regular test at school, I am always relaxed but whenever I take a standardized test I get nervous and bomb it (well, to me).

I plan on preparing for a fight this summer.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.

I do not know about you but I do not like to bring shame to myself.

This time I am going to make that MF'in MCAT nervous!!!!
 
Sorry this post wasn't done in time to help the OP, since I think his/her test is tomorrow. But perhaps it'll help others.

I took the MCAT last May and this is what I did to cope with the (sometimes extreme) stress I felt:

1.) Ran. I usually don't exercise much, but doing a physical activity was crucial to getting my mind off of the exam. And it helps to kick up those endorphins and put you in a good mood.

2.) Practice every part of the MCAT morning - visualize and practice yourself waking up at that certain time, eating breakfast, getting into your car, etc. It really helped to break the day down in my mind and make it more realistic.

3.) DON'T TAKE A PRACTICE TEST THE DAY BEFORE. I scored the lowest I ever did on the day-before's Kaplan exam. Just use that day to do some light reviewing.

4.) Sleep. Quite obvious, but as test day drew nearer, I found my endurance lagging more and more. Don't worry. When it comes to test day, you will shine if you've put in lots of practice.

Also, don't be stressed if your scores aren't improving. If you've put in tons of studying and it's not showing on your practice exams, just KEEP AT IT. Believe me, it'll pay off. My score improved 6 or 7 points from my average to my actual exam, and I ended up scoring in the 99th percentile. The most important thing is to just go into the exam with confidence. If you've studied hard, you'll do well. Don't worry.

And don't freak out about the verbal. It's all about mentality and confidence on that section. Don't switch methodology in the middle of the stream (like from Kaplan to EK method), especially if you have less than a month of studying left.

Best of luck to all!:luck:
 
this is inspiring...i'm taking it in less than 11 hours! im gonna rape the **** out of it :)


Sorry this post wasn't done in time to help the OP, since I think his/her test is tomorrow. But perhaps it'll help others.

I took the MCAT last May and this is what I did to cope with the (sometimes extreme) stress I felt:

1.) Ran. I usually don't exercise much, but doing a physical activity was crucial to getting my mind off of the exam. And it helps to kick up those endorphins and put you in a good mood.

2.) Practice every part of the MCAT morning - visualize and practice yourself waking up at that certain time, eating breakfast, getting into your car, etc. It really helped to break the day down in my mind and make it more realistic.

3.) DON'T TAKE A PRACTICE TEST THE DAY BEFORE. I scored the lowest I ever did on the day-before's Kaplan exam. Just use that day to do some light reviewing.

4.) Sleep. Quite obvious, but as test day drew nearer, I found my endurance lagging more and more. Don't worry. When it comes to test day, you will shine if you've put in lots of practice.

Also, don't be stressed if your scores aren't improving. If you've put in tons of studying and it's not showing on your practice exams, just KEEP AT IT. Believe me, it'll pay off. My score improved 6 or 7 points from my average to my actual exam, and I ended up scoring in the 99th percentile. The most important thing is to just go into the exam with confidence. If you've studied hard, you'll do well. Don't worry.

And don't freak out about the verbal. It's all about mentality and confidence on that section. Don't switch methodology in the middle of the stream (like from Kaplan to EK method), especially if you have less than a month of studying left.

Best of luck to all!:luck:
 
Just think that you are taking a practice test. This way your test anxiety should go away. (works for me)
 
Everyone has exam prep that is suited to themselves, but one thing I now do which has never failed me for getting at least 90% in physiology exams...

1. is early preparation covering all work by the time I am at least 2 days out from the test
2. revision the last 2 days and the night or two before the exam when I am in bed ready to sleep, I will slowly but surely go over EVERYTHING I have studied in my head without the aid of books or papers. I am not sure why but the following morning I can recall everything at the click of a finger that I went over in my head the previous night... it works great for memory.
3. Make sure you get a good long sleep night before exam (this can be hard if you are very anxious but try not to stress because some of my best marks came from nights of horrible sleep).

I continually try different things to help with prep but organisation is the most important... when I have this covered I am hardly nervous for the exam because I know everything that is going to be covered.
 
Not to sound like a total downer, but I think my anxiety stems from the fact that this test pretty much defines the first marker of the rest of my life. Kinda hard to not notice that bear in the room.
 
Not to sound like a total downer, but I think my anxiety stems from the fact that this test pretty much defines the first marker of the rest of my life. Kinda hard to not notice that bear in the room.

That's how I felt last summer when I took it the first time!!

That bear was sitting on my chest the whole time!

Seriously though, I got nervous and lost the ability to think clearly and got worked. Most will agree the real one is harder but the curve is easier.

The key is you have to read and think through the passages. They are hard but not impossible.

Usually before I take a regular exam, I am relaxed and think my way through them because I refuse to study for insane hours of time.

However, I was nervous and unsure of myself on the MCAT.

Think of it this way too. Once you take a regular exam in class, that is it. You bomb it then you have to rely on other exams to bring you up but you might not get that A back. With the MCAT, you bomb it! Just take it again and prepare harder and better.

There is pressure but not that much. Step 1 is where the real pressure starts.
 
Thanks for all the input guys! I took the test on Saturday... i don't think i got as destroyed as i did in september... but i still panicked alot during the PS section... totally ran out of time and wasted so much time trying to balance this one equation with my heart pumping like crazy... and it didn't help that my monitor was crazily flickering at me! haha... but anyway, i calmed down a bit and just took deeper breaths, and it got better during the verbal and BS section... *sigh* i really hope i don't have to retake it. good luck to the rest of you all :)
 
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