How sensitive is the scoring machine?

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Ugly Boy

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I have a problem bubbling so I'm afraid my bubbling will show up very light on the scantron (I don't want to waste precious time perfecting my bubbling on the exam) - is the machine sensitive enough to recognize my choices? Also, is it a bad idea to drink energy drinks before the exam?

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MollyMalone said:
Yes, it's a bad idea to drink energy drinks beforehand.

I have no idea exactly how sensitive the scoring machine is.


the machine is so sensitve, only chuck norris can feed the answer grids in.

seriously, those machines can prob detect dna or something. but they do say darken completely. not "darken hard". you'll be fine.
 
MollyMalone said:
Yes, it's a bad idea to drink energy drinks beforehand.

Why is that? I drank one during my lunch break of a Kaplan proctored FL and it didn't negatively affect me. I'm taking my 2nd FL tomorrow, I'll see if it affects me again.
 
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Teerawit said:
Why is that? I drank one during my lunch break of a Kaplan proctored FL and it didn't negatively affect me. I'm taking my 2nd FL tomorrow.

i think energy drinks affect ppl differently. like i can chug coffee like no other and nothing will happen to me: i dont feel more awake but i dont get grogy. my girlfriend drinks a cup of coffee and her heart beats out of her chest.. so i guess try drinking an energy drink before a practice test and see what happens to you
 
nekrogg said:
like i can chug coffee like no other and nothing will happen to me: i dont feel more awake but i dont get grogy.

Weird...I thought I was the only one not affected by coffee 😳
 
Above and beyond any stimulant effects, caffeinated drinks generally act as diuretics. If you're used to drinking Red Bull every morning, you're probably inured to the effects and it's not such a big deal, but if energy drinks aren't a part of your daily routine, the MCAT is not the time to trial them out.
 
Also, have a light lunch. Avoid heavy foods - steak, greasy burgers, lots of pizza - you'll feel logy. (God, I love that word.) If you need energy, I say go for the trucker's choice: speed.
(Also, do people actually drink a red bull each morning? Isn't that way more expensive than just making your own coffee each morning? Maybe I'm just, uh, careful with money.)
 
Well, redbull does have a wonderfully high shot of pure glucose/sucrose in every swallow. Once that burns off though....
 
tymothy said:
Well, redbull does have a wonderfully high shot of pure glucose/sucrose in every swallow. Once that burns off though....

Sugar-free one.
 
Don't do anything unusual for you on Test Day. Studies have shown that breaking routine on a test day (from your study habits) has negative effects on performance. I think everyone has heard the example, "if you chew grape bubble gum when you study, chew grape bubble gum during the exam."

I took the Kaplan MCAT prep course, where we had five full-length simulated exams, given under conditions similar to the actual MCAT. I was comfortable after the fourth exam, so I performed a little experiment.

I have difficulty sleeping the night before big events, and got at most 30 minutes of fitful sleep before each practice MCAT. I was so tired at the beginning of the exam, that it usually took me 30 minutes or so to really get going on the exam. I only got through the first two passages on the PS section in those 30 minutes.

I wondered if I drank coffee before the exam, would the caffeine lift the fog, and allow me to perform better? On my 5th practice exam, I did just that. I was surprised in that while I was no longer sleepy, I couldn't focus. I wasn't wired, I just couldn't focus. It was the strangest thing! I only got through 6 out of 9 passages! Boy am I glad that I did that experiment on the practice test, rather than on the actual exam!!! What I wound up doing on the night before the exam was to turn on the air conditioner and make my apartment very cold. That allowed me to bundle up under the blankets and get a good night's sleep. I was thrilled the next morning when I wasn't groggy at the start of the exam!

So, my advice is that if you are accustomed to drinking energy drinks before or during exams, and you know that it doesn't affect you negatively, then don't rock the boat. Keep doing it. Otherwise, either experiment like me, or just don't do it.

Good luck! :luck: :luck: :luck:
 
Ugly Boy said:
I have a problem bubbling so I'm afraid my bubbling will show up very light on the scantron (I don't want to waste precious time perfecting my bubbling on the exam) - is the machine sensitive enough to recognize my choices? Also, is it a bad idea to drink energy drinks before the exam?

If you are concerned about the machine scoring, you can request a hand scoring. I can't remember if you can do that from the start, or only as a re-grade after you see your scores.
 
OctoDoc said:
If you are concerned about the machine scoring, you can request a hand scoring. I can't remember if you can do that from the start, or only as a re-grade after you see your scores.

You can do that? Would someone who know more about that please let us know? thanks.


Also, anyone know what's the brand name or where can I find those larger kiddie pencil?
 
Teerawit said:
Weird...I thought I was the only one not affected by coffee 😳

Me, too! Me, too!

It's more of a psychological thing. Like, "it has caffeine in it, therefore it should make me stay awake." But it doesn't.

J-med: The AAMC website has all of the information about hand scoring.
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/about/faqs.htm#rescore
It costs $50, and you can choose to have one or all sections rescored. It'll always be $50. And you could probably find the pencils at a Staples or Office Depot.
 
If you're worried about bubbling, do what TPR (and probably Kaplan) suggests: don't bubble every answer right away. Do three passages, then go back and bubble them all at once. It's more efficient than switching back and forth, and you can use a bit of the time you save to make sure the bubble marks are proper.

CQ
 
j-med said:
You can do that? Would someone who know more about that please let us know? thanks.

Hand-scoring is only for regrades, and it could take months. You could get your score like four months after the test!

For the OP, just bubble dark and clear. You must've done it for the SATs, I'm sure.
 
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