Good Ways to WAKE UP Before MCAT

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Alrighty everyone. So, I am not a morning person by normal behavior. What I mean is, I enjoy waking up later in the morning (around 10 a.m.); however, my MCAT is scheduled for 8 a.m. about 35 minutes away from my house. This is the way it was before my first test date as well.

I averaged a 30.63 on all of the AAMC's (minus 3) before my first test and scored a 27 (9/9/9). I have come to terms with the fact that I just dropped the ball, but I also know being tired probably didn't help my situation. I got about seven hours of sleep before the test, but I still felt amazingly tired. I didn't drink coffee because of its ability to get my bowels moving, and I didn't want to have much liquid in my system. Worrying about that didn't seem like the best idea. This meant, though, that I didn't have any caffeine, which is bad. I have been drinking coffee since I was in kindergarten, so I'm quite used to having caffeine in my system.

It is now three weeks before my test on January 8th at 8 a.m. I wish to be fully awake during my test, so I was hoping you all would give me some "waking up" advice. I've already purchased caffeine pills (200 mg a pill), which I will be taking when I wake up and 30 minutes before the test. I have also started waking up at 6:00 a.m. from now until test day in hopes that my rhythm will be where it should.

So, what are your best "wake up" tips?
 
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What helps me get up early is getting into a routine before going to bed and in the morning. Maybe try finding something that relaxes you. I've been treating my practice MCATs like I plan to treat the actual day. What I do is I go swimming the day before I take a practice test because it relaxes me. I think it helps me sleep better and allows me to focus better when I take practice exams. Maybe exercise can help you too. I think it helps get rid of some of the stress. You probably didn't do well because you were tired/stressed.
 
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BigBang said:
What helps me get up early is getting into a routine before going to bed and in the morning. Maybe try finding something that relaxes you. I've been treating my practice MCATs like I plan to treat the actual day. What I do is I go swimming the day before I take a practice test because it relaxes me. I think it helps me sleep better and allows me to focus better when I take practice exams. Maybe exercise can help you too. I think it helps get rid of some of the stress. You probably didn't do well because you were tired/stressed.
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I appreciate the response. Hah. Yeah, I was stressed. I was so worried about missing those little facts that I was cramming until about 9:30 p.m. Very, very bad idea. I may take your advice and go shoot some hoops or just chill the day before. Thanks!
 
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I would be careful about caffeine pills. I heard from somewhere here that it's the caffeine molecule that makes you go poop. Maybe try it out starting now when you take your practice tests to see what the results are? Also, isn't 200mg of caffeine A LOT? like 3 cups worth of coffee? lol
 
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I'm probably the worst person in the world to ask this since I normally go to bed at dawn and wake up around noon.

When I took my 8AM exam, I took a FL which finished at around 1AM and I didn't really get to review it. I tried to sleep and maybe got like 2 hrs. in, but just slammed coffee when I woke up.

The human body is remarkably resilient. Just make sure you're fine for those few hours of the test. You'll have the rest of the day to sleep/watch netflix/text every girl in your phone/etc.
 
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adr2be said:
I would be careful about caffeine pills. I heard from somewhere here that it's the caffeine molecule that makes you go poop. Maybe try it out starting now when you take your practice tests to see what the results are? Also, isn't 200mg of caffeine A LOT? like 3 cups worth of coffee? lol
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Haha... 200 mg is a lot for someone who hasn't become accustomed to caffeine. If you drink a lot of it, then it's really not much. I generally have a 20 oz cup of coffee in the morning and at least 36 oz. of diet pop throughout my day. So 200 mg really doesn't hit me quite that hard. And you are correct! Caffeine is the cause of pooping in coffee, but I was more worried about the having to pee part :/

azor ahai said:
I'm probably the worst person in the world to ask this since I normally go to bed at dawn and wake up around noon.

When I took my 8AM exam, I took a FL which finished at around 1AM and I didn't really get to review it. I tried to sleep and maybe got like 2 hrs. in, but just slammed coffee when I woke up.

The human body is remarkably resilient. Just make sure you're fine for those few hours of the test. You'll have the rest of the day to sleep/watch netflix/text every girl in your phone/etc.
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Yeah... You're on a whole different level than I. You still managed a 35 on that test, yeah? Talk about clutch.
 
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I am an early morning person, so haven't really tried this. Drink LOTS of water right before you fall asleep. Put a loud enough alarm for when you want to wake up. Nature should hopefully do the rest. Then take a bitter cold shower....
 
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adr2be said:
I heard from somewhere here that it's the caffeine molecule that makes you go poop.
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Yeah, bro. It stimulates the sympathetic nervous system - cigarettes and other stimulants will do the same thing.

HCHopeful said:
Yeah... You're on a whole different level than I. You still managed a 35 on that test, yeah? Talk about clutch.
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No need to bring altitude into this. How about latitude though? People are individuals - naturally different, right?

I'm really susceptible to stimulants, so I need to take something with L-theanine with my caffeine otherwise I get the shakes.

Also, be aware that a sleep cycle is 90m so as long as you wake up at the end of a sleep cycle you won't feel groggy or tired. So instead of 7hrs., make it 7.5hrs. and go by that.

You should have plenty of time while they process everyone at the test center to use the bathroom. I don't think you'll have a problem with that unless you just had food poisoning the day before - which actually gives me an idea - if you're really worried about taking a dump at an inopportune time you can get some OTC loperamide.

I notoriously miss/am late to important interviews/work/exams/etc. so I have multiple alarms set up all over. This can be a good safety net. If you have a roommate, tell him/her to throw a cup of cold water on you to get you up. If they did it for ALS, you can do it for MCAT!

GL bro.
 
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Well, tomorrow I plan on waking up around 6:00 a.m. doing some pushups, hopping in a cold shower, taking 200 mg of caffeine, watching an episode of a show, drinking a cup of coffee, and taking GS #6. Hopefully all of that works out well. I'll let you know if my scores improve at all 😉
 
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1) 2 nights before test day, sleep 4 hours or less.
2) day before MCAT, keep yourself up by watching TV, exercising, taking a walk, etc. but by all means DO NOT take a nap
3) I guarantee you you'll collapse to bed, around 8-9 pm the night before
This works even if you are a late and heavy sleeper like me and don't even need coffee or caffeine pills if you aren't used to those
 
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I do 1-2 untimed "warm-up" passages every morning and before my practice tests.

This idea dawned on me when I got in the gym to play basketball.. you don't usually play your best until you get at least a few shots up..

I tried to translate this idea to the MCAT and it has really helped... The idea is that you want to do them untimed so that it's low pressure/ low stress, and you can just get your mind ready to answer questions and read passages - kind of like taking some practice jumpshots before a game

I do my warmup passage, eat and have a cup of coffee, and then I feel ready.
 
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I'm not a morning person either but I took a morning test! I think it has to do with nerves. I was kicked into pretty high gear upon waking up because it was ~the test~ but nerves are obviously not going to help. Try to ease anxiety as much as much as possible, but really drill into your head that being alert, awake, focused, and calm can make a SIGNIFICANT score difference.

You've been studying for so long. You want to bring your game face. I think continually reminding myself of that helped the adrenaline kick in and woke me up.
 
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Yikes. Woke up to find that my router wasn't working. So I had to make a trip to Wal-Mart to find a new one. I guess that's one way to wake up before a test... Taking GS #6 now...
 
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Well... Got a 33 (12/11/10). Really need to start getting back into the 11s with Bio.

I definitely felt more awake during this test than my last. Might take an AAMC tomorrow morning to get used to their format again. Still have GS 7-10 and TBR 3-5 to take as well.
 
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Your original post implies that you plan to take 200 mg caffeine when you wake up, and then an additional 200 mg of caffeine before the test. That is 400 mg of caffeine in just two hours, that is a lot, even for a coffee drinker.

You should definitely "test drive" that dose of caffeine before test day. There is a strong risk that 400 mg of caffeine in a short time will cause side effects, especially when combined with the anxiety of the test.

200 mg for a regular coffee user seems reasonable, 400 mg seems excessive.
 
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pithy84 said:
Your original post implies that you plan to take 200 mg caffeine when you wake up, and then an additional 200 mg of caffeine before the test. That is 400 mg of caffeine in just two hours, that is a lot, even for a coffee drinker.

You should definitely "test drive" that dose of caffeine before test day. There is a strong risk that 400 mg of caffeine in a short time will cause side effects, especially when combined with the anxiety of the test.

200 mg for a regular coffee user seems reasonable, 400 mg seems excessive.
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I do appreciate your concern.

I have test drove over 400 mg of caffeine before. Two days ago actually. I took a caffeine pill and then had 60 oz. of coffee. I was in a good state of mind (until I crashed that is).

I am 6'4" 225 pounds with a muscular build, so my body is naturally set up to withstand a larger dose of most anything. Add that to the fact that I used to be a 10 pop a day drinker (plus coffee), and my tolerance is pretty high.

I recognize these habits aren't the most healthy things in my life, but the caffeine pills will only last until January 8th. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to go out of your way to help me.
 
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I have trouble waking up sometimes too. Something that helps me is going outside and/or being around other awake people.
 
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Gauss44 said:
I have trouble waking up sometimes too. Something that helps me is going outside and/or being around other awake people.
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Welcome to the club. I just watched a lecture on euler's number and two lectures on tympany with my roommate.
 
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Ayoo everybody. Took TBR #3 this morning and came out with a 34 (13/11/10). Happy with verbal and PS right now, but I find myself wishing I could bring BS up just a point or so.

Besides reviewing mistakes, is there any specific strategy you all use for BS? I seem to be below-average at it. Thanks, everyone!
 
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This seems to be a little off topic, but does anyone know how much one tablespoon of ground coffee I get from a drip machine?
 
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HCHopeful said:
1) Thanks
2) Thanks
3) Thanks

Much helpful. So kindness.
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You're welcome 🙂

But seriously, experimenting with all these things is just unnecessary. If you haven't been on a caffeine regimen already, then starting one the day of is probably not a good idea...

I guess if you really wanted to go far, you could calibrate your glucose/protein intake to ensure that your brain is functioning at peak capacity but I think a lot of those effects would be placebo anyways.

Less is more.
 
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justadream said:
You're welcome 🙂

But seriously, experimenting with all these things is just unnecessary. If you haven't been on a caffeine regimen already, then starting one the day of is probably not a good idea...

I guess if you really wanted to go far, you could calibrate your glucose/protein intake to ensure that your brain is functioning at peak capacity but I think a lot of those effects would be placebo anyways.

Less is more.
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I feel ya. Stuffing chemicals in my body isn't a great idea. I wouldn't be experimenting just the day of. I've been doing it recently and it's been helping (placebo probably).
 
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Take 5mg melatonin with 3-4 Benadryl and it will knock you out .
If you sleep early, you should be able to wake up early as well.

I usually take 300mg ltheinine in the morning along with caffeine and it gives a smooth synergistic feel.

Nice practice scores, keep it up!
 
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swolebrah said:
Take 5mg melatonin with 3-4 Benadryl and it will knock you out .
If you sleep early, you should be able to wake up early as well.

I usually take 300mg ltheinine in the morning along with caffeine and it gives a smooth synergistic feel.

Nice practice scores, keep it up!
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Thanks for the advice! I hadn't even considered the melatonin and Benadryl route, but I think it could be beneficial. I might try it out. Thanks again!
 
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I've said it in several threads, but test drive your drugs three or four times in advance. Do not use new drugs, new doses, or new combinations for the first time on test day (or the day before).

Melatonin and Benadryl have somewhat more side effects than my personal favorite sleep aid, Valium. Melatonin gives some people nightmares, for instance. Benadryl causes dry mouth, next-day drowsiness (in some people), rapid heartbeat, and constipation. (Too much Valium can also cause next-day drowsiness, so choose the correct dose.)
 
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