Finishing section early and using as a break

[CatDad26]

Say you finish the bio section 25 minutes early.... Could you in theory keep your exam running, leave the room and take a 20 minute break. Then return with 5 minutes left, close out that section and leave again for your 10 minute break? Basically would they allow you to make your own break midsection?

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[lumya]

Say you finish the bio section 25 minutes early.... Could you in theory keep your exam running, leave the room and take a 20 minute break. Then return with 5 minutes left, close out that section and leave again for your 10 minute break? Basically would they allow you to make your own break midsection?

Technically yes, because you are allowed to use the bathroom during each section. You’ll have to go through the login/log out process. I’m not sure with COVID since each testing site is different, but when I took it this summer we couldn’t even hang out in the main room but had to eat snacks in separate rooms down the hall. Not really sure if they would let you stay in the room for half an hour when they only let one person in at a time.

Although unless you’re scoring 528s on your practice test in half the time, you’re probably not going to have that much free time to do this.

 

[KnightDoc]

Technically yes, because you are allowed to use the bathroom during each section. You’ll have to go through the login/log out process. I’m not sure with COVID since each testing site is different, but when I took it this summer we couldn’t even hang out in the main room but had to eat snacks in separate rooms down the hall. Not really sure if they would let you stay in the room for half an hour when they only let one person in at a time.

Although unless you’re scoring 528s on your practice test in half the time, you’re probably not going to have that much free time to do this.

This^^^^^. Technically you could do it if the test center has a place for you to go (my center allowed people to hang out in the lobby by the front desk), but the issue you are going to run into is that timing is much tighter on the shortened version of the test. Everyone I know (including me!) who was able to get through FLs with plenty of time to spare found they had a lot less time to spare on the real thing. No way will you have anywhere near an extra 25 minutes on tests where you you have to get through 48 questions in 76 minutes.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I strongly believe that you should never waste a single second taking your MCAT. I know people who were scoring 520+, completing their sections in 1/2-2/3 of the time they were given, and then spent the rest of their time going over everything and quadruple checking their work. Some people would reread and retake entire passages during their extra time. No matter how well you think you did in a section, it's always worth spending that time checking your work because you almost always catch something.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors