Good Luck To All Aug Takers

[dr kevin40]

remember to get a full night's rest

a tactic that i used was sleep very very little on thursday night. sleep at say 1 oclock and get a roommate/parent to wake u up at 7 am sharp!

WHATEVER U DO, don't take a nap during the day. then u'll be soooo tired by nightfall that u won't let nerves keep u up. trust me this worked great for me when i used it. i believe a full night's rest will allow u to perform maximally.

and whatever u do, please don't cram on the friday before the test.

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[lady bug]

Thanks for the tips and encouragement!

 

[DW]

Originally posted by dr kevin40
remember to get a full night's rest

a tactic that i used was sleep very very little on thursday night. sleep at say 1 oclock and get a roommate/parent to wake u up at 7 am sharp!

WHATEVER U DO, don't take a nap during the day. then u'll be soooo tired by nightfall that u won't let nerves keep u up. trust me this worked great for me when i used it. i believe a full night's rest will allow u to perform maximally.

and whatever u do, please don't cram on the friday before the test.

agreed, good points Dr K, definitely dont study the day before the test. You've done all you can by then, just relax. I spent the day feeding cats at the local animal shelter (I know, I'm weird, but I just love animals), it was a very relaxing experience

Oh, make sure you know exactly how to get to the site (sounds silly, but we had some people dashing in out of breath at my MCAT). Its all about eggs and oatmeal, cereal, before the test.
Complex carbs, high protein, lots of brain food, you get the idea. If you can, avoid coffee and other strong diuretics (no booze withing a 24 hour window before the test). Pack a lunch (turkey or tuna sandwich, yogurt, fruit, etc, but dont risk driving from the test to get a lunch) basically avoid anything you know that will make you have to take a leak/dump. Layered clothing and flip flops are the way to go, stay comfy and be prepared for unpredictable climate control.

And most of all, be confident!! You've done the work, know its time to dominate. And after its done, take a nap, wake up, and get hammered.

Good luck and godspeed.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Well, chances are you'll be awake even if you are sleepy. So this is what I did the second time around: I took Benadryl (the anti-histamine) a few days before the test to see if 1. it would make me go to sleep 2. it'll will keep me refreshed and not groggy the next day. I suggest you talk to your doctor about possible side effects though.

Anyway, it worked like a charm for me. Slept like a baby, felt like superman the next day.

 

[dr kevin40]

i'd def not advise doing medications unless u do what street phil did and test it out a few days before it.

flip flops might not be good for some, cuz u have to remember, it gets quite cold at a lot of testing sites.

 

[lola]

i was thinking of taking a bayer pm the night before the test around 9:00. it doesn't make me groggy the next day so should be ok i think. i'm afraid i won't be able to go to sleep or will keep waking up during the night if i don't take something.

 

[dr kevin40]

lola, r u sure it doesn't make u groggy?

 

[mws99]

I saw a report on the news today that taking vitamin E vitamins help your memory and focus. Maybe you guys could try it and see if it works, i don't think there are any side effects.

 

[missbonnie]

I dunno about the sleep tactic, but I stopped studying thurs morning and did NOT look at stuff again. I was totally relaxed on mcat day. Alot of people had their big kaplan and tpr books doing last minute cramming, pointless in my opinion and can cause panic.

-bonnie

 

[Bevo]

I'll put my little tid bit in here.

Recently I have been having problems sleeping. With the stress of my class and doing well on this mcat and whole lot of other worries my mind kept on racing every time lay down to rest. So Id be up till 4-5 am every day after getting in bed around 11 pm or so every night. It was killing me, and my grades, etc.

So after talking it over my father who's a doctor he told me to try melatonin. Its a natural sleeping pill you can find with all the other vitamins and quack stuff in that part of the drug store or supermarket.

Anyways, Ive taken it twice in 2 weeks. First night to get me to sleep, which it did. And after that I tried to pretty much exhaust myself all day so I would pass out.


Now to the relevant part

I took it prior to my practice test last friday. It put me out in 30 mins or so. I woke up feeling good and my mind was pretty clear the next morning.

Since Ive started taking practice tests, last saturday was the only time where I wasn't yawning and fighting myself to pay attention and stay awake during the verbal section of the mcat.


The only danger with sleeping pills is to make sure it doesnt become habit forming.

But I plan on taking one before the real thing. I'll be plenty nervous and exited the night before that I know I'll be up too late.

 

[dr kevin40]

melatonin didn't really work for me. i took some of that **** night b4 my first testing. i still coldn't fall asleep and woke up hella tired next morning.

 

[ivyleague22ny]

hey guys,
I really don't believe it will do any harm if you study the day before your MCAT.

I took the exam twice. The first time I did what they all said and really tried NOT to study and watch a movie, but I couldn't even concentrate watching the film cause I was too anxious about the exam. I did alright, but not great.

The second time I took it last April 2002, on the day before,
I simply just glanced over general principles and looked up any uncertainties I had on nick-picky details. Also on the
week going into the exam, every morning including friday, I woke up at 6am and took a full-length verbal exam. Even
on the day of the MCAT, I glanced over my orgo notes during lunch time, just to keep my mind xiked for the last section. I scored 8 points higher than the first time I took it.

So if it makes you feel more confident to constantly study until the last minute, then go ahead.

Basically do whatever it takes (legally of course) to get the maximum score on the MCAT.

 

[Dr. Dodger Dog]

I believe that the day before the MCAT, you can do a little of both relaxing and preparing. Just to keep my mind sharp, I did a full length verbal practice section in the morning. Then I went out to lunch with some other friends also taking the MCAT and we watched a funny movie-- Rush Hour 2. It really did take our minds off of the test even for a few min. After I got home, I chilled... watched some of a Dodger game and then tried to get to rest.

I was pretty nervous so I did get up a few times in the middle of the night, but I still did fine on the test. Experiments in sleep have shown that performance is not necessarily hampered by getting a subpar night's sleep. SO the bottom line here is to TRY to get a good night's sleep, but not to stress out about it and take medication.

Just know that you are going to be nervous and you'll probably get less sleep that you're expecting to. This however should not prevent you from performing on the day of the test. Good luck to all of you!