How to build MCAT endurance?

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ajax224

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Just took a full length today and my brain really started getting mushy during bio/biochem. Any tips on how to build up my endurance? My exam is Aug 9th. And I plan on taking a FL a week until then. Maybe some more getting closer to it.

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1. Download Anki app and download the deck for it from Premed95 on Reddit. Play this flashcards app everyday especially focus on the psych sections and bio. Focus other sections if you are weak in them also.

2. Buy NS1-4, take the diagnostic and figure out where you stand, review and learn from each question of the diagnostic and learn which areas you are weak.

3. Buy the AAMC material and use the Qpacks in between NS FLs, the Qpacks are easy but will help you lock in the basics. Continue the NS FLs and Qpacks. You can repeat the Qpacks until they are easy and you score 80-90%+.

4. As you finish these up you can start doing Uworld questions (free 90 day trial if you search) focus on PS for Uworld and supplement your weak areas. Now you can consider taking the AAMC SAMPLE.

5. Now might be the time to take AAMC FL1 after learning everything from aamc sample. And see how you are doing. Review FL1 and maybe retake it. Now start digging into the AAMC section banks, they are difficult but will seriously get you j to gear. Follow with FL2, review and supplement Uworld/section banks. Now FL3 is the finale. Hopefully you are in your target range.
 
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Also don't forget about proper nutrition both during your practice FLs and the actual MCAT! Your body is going to react predictably to the kind of fuel you provide it. If you load up on sugary crap that will make you crash after a few hours, you're going to find that troublesome when taking the exam and have distracting hunger pangs.

I did a mix of nuts and canned tuna/salmon snack packs and half a banana. I hate getting hungry during a long exam, so this was a good way to have something that was both filling but light enough to not feel drowsy. Your mileage may vary.

Plus the ritual of it helped put me into a focused mindset that could be recreated on the actual test date.

Otherwise, like Blanky said, you just have to get used to doing as much material as possible to the point it becomes routine.
 
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Not sure if I'd necessarily recommend this, but here's how my second full-length went:

-Sit down with laptop, headphones with white noise, paper/pencil.
-Start test.
-Section 1 done. Breaks are for losers, start section 2 right away.
-Section 2 done. Halftime, now I get my ~30 minute bre-start section 3 right away
-Section 3...done. The sun apparently set? when did that-start section 4 right away
-Section 4 done. start section 5. Oh wait, I'm done
-I'm hungry/thirsty/why haven't I moved in 6 hours.

Compared to that, the MCAT itself was fairly relaxed!
Maybe the real lesson is practice and train yourself to handle that load for a long time, maybe even slightly longer than a full test. That way the test itself doesn't seem so bad? Worked for me at least.

Also don't forget about proper nutrition both during your practice FLs and the actual MCAT
^ and keep it up after the MCAT too!
 
Here's how I trained myself to focus well for such a long test:

I took the section banks and qpacks, broke them in half, and used those to assemble additional practice tests. If you break both the section banks and qpacks in half, you end up with a bunch of sections that are approximately the same length (50 to 60 questions) as those you would see on the real test. You can pick and choose four of these (as best as possible, try to have one of each subject) and do them back to back to simulate the timing and endurance for the real thing.

Using this strategy gave me an additional four or five AAMC FL-style tests in addition to the sample test and 3 AAMC full lengths.

I didn't plan well and only had 4-5 weeks to study and gain stamina for the test. I would do one of these tests when I woke up in the morning and then review it in the evening and the next day while taking notes on everything I didn't know perfectly. Then I would start with the next test. Just using this strategy got me a great score.
 
Here's how I trained myself to focus well for such a long test:

I took the section banks and qpacks, broke them in half, and used those to assemble additional practice tests. If you break both the section banks and qpacks in half, you end up with a bunch of sections that are approximately the same length (50 to 60 questions) as those you would see on the real test. You can pick and choose four of these (as best as possible, try to have one of each subject) and do them back to back to simulate the timing and endurance for the real thing.

Using this strategy gave me an additional four or five AAMC FL-style tests in addition to the sample test and 3 AAMC full lengths.

I didn't plan well and only had 4-5 weeks to study and gain stamina for the test. I would do one of these tests when I woke up in the morning and then review it in the evening and the next day while taking notes on everything I didn't know perfectly. Then I would start with the next test. Just using this strategy got me a great score.


I basically have about 4 weeks too (bad planning as well), and I'm a bit confused on your technique. Are you saying you practically did a FL every other day or? I am currently just doing all the Uworld qbank questions.. they're awesome but they don't have enough!! Wondering what else I should be doing?? I plan on taking a FL like every weekend (basically 4 weekends) until test day! Any further suggestions?
 
Not quite sure flashcards are the best way to get a high return on your time investment. Not familiar with the cards that Blanky is referencing above, and I took the MCAT 5-6 years ago... so I could be wrong. I tutored a few students over the summers between med school for the new mcat (all of them scored 513+) and I don't think flashcards are the best way to study... Cards are good for content review, but they are not really going to help with endurance. With the mcat, it's not just about knowing content, it is about knowing how to apply that content, and also about being able to identify what information is missing and how to appropriately work the passage... I think your best bet for building endurance (assuming you have already completed an exhaustive content review) would be to buy books on Amazon that have passages (with explanations)... the nextstep series has good explanations and pretty good quality questions... and do 8-9 passages in one sitting per section and then go back and review your answers the next day... make sure you understand why you missed them, categorize your error, and find out how you can avoid similar errors... take a FL every week if you have can access enough of them, and make sure to take them under the same exam conditions
 
I basically have about 4 weeks too (bad planning as well), and I'm a bit confused on your technique. Are you saying you practically did a FL every other day or? I am currently just doing all the Uworld qbank questions.. they're awesome but they don't have enough!! Wondering what else I should be doing?? I plan on taking a FL like every weekend (basically 4 weekends) until test day! Any further suggestions?

Yes, that's what I'm saying. I either did one of the official FLs or one of my "custom" tests every other day as best as I could. At first, it took me longer than a day to review everything so I took two days in between tests instead of one. As I reviewed more material, my review time decreased so that I could get through the FLs faster. I saved FL2 and FL3 for the end to get an accurate idea of how I might do on test day. I ended up getting the same score on FL2 as I did on the real thing.

Other than reviewing some of the kaplan and EK books for questions I missed, this is literally all I did.
 
I did your 1 FL a week plan and it really helped me. You get used to the mental exhaustion and figure out that you can power through it. Just takes practice. Good luck OP!
 
One thing to add - once you've built up the stamina, don't forget to rest before the test! You don't want to go into the day on a half tank of gas!
 
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