Mcat Advice for Fatigue Anxiety? Also screen resolution for testing centers?

[azrk]

I was just curious what some of you do to deal with the mental fatigue and anxiety while taking timed tests.

I just took my first practice section in the physical sciences and I am already exhausted. I finished with a few minutes remaining but the timed aspect of it makes me extremely anxious while working.

Also from past experience are the scores on practice exams fairly representative of the score you obtained on the real thing? I only missed 2 on the PS section and got a 13/15. That is 1 point a question, I really hope the real thing is not as harsh.

Another thing I would really like to know from those who have already taken the exam is the screen resolution. How much scrolling was involved and how much text can fit on the screen at a given time? I took the practice on a 2560x1600 monitor so I only scrolled two or three times during the whole section.

Thanks in advance guys Im looking forward to your responses.

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[erskine]

practice, practice, practice, practice. You have to get used to not only dealing with a mentally exhausting 5 hour test, but also staring at a screen for 5 hours.

For me, i also got used to listening to an iPod during breaks to revitalize myself, which is actually a crutch because you are not allowed to access any electronic equipment, or paper materials, during your breaks. Instead, get in the habit of lots of walking and eating whatever healthy snacks you have to wake yourself up between sections.

the aamc practice exam average is close to my score (i ended up doing 2.5 points better on the real deal than my average). A much better estimate than the PR or kaplan tests, though i hear BR is closer in content and question style than AAMC.

Not too sure what the screen resolution at my testing center was, but the screen was wide, and i didn't need to scroll down that much, either.

 

[DoctaFuture]

Yeah just keep practicing. Don't do the essay when practicing using a CBT. If you want take a 20 minute break instead of 10. You should get use to it after some time. I was like you at first, it goes away. But on test day you should be pumped up enough where it shouldn't effect you as much.

 

[BiochemGuy]

The screen res on the monitors at the testing center really suck. Expect to not only scroll up and down on the passages, but left and right! I definitely spoke about it in the survey. I'm thinking it was 1024x728 if you want to practice on the proper resolution.

 

[dohlo]

The screen res on the monitors at the testing center really suck. Expect to not only scroll up and down on the passages, but left and right! I definitely spoke about it in the survey. I'm thinking it was 1024x728 if you want to practice on the proper resolution.

I've been taking cbts on my 11" netbook. prepare for the worst! lol.

scrolling left/right is really poor though. they really shouldn't make people do that.

 

[NYR56]

The screen res on the monitors at the testing center really suck. Expect to not only scroll up and down on the passages, but left and right! I definitely spoke about it in the survey. I'm thinking it was 1024x728 if you want to practice on the proper resolution.

I'm not sure if it was quite that bad more me but it definitely wasn't good. I don't remember the size of the text but I know for sure the monitor wasn't displaying its native resolution. Whatever the res was, it won't be anywhere near what you are using, OP.

 

[azrk]

Thanks for all the replies!

Im assuming there would be no possible way to change the resolution on their monitors? Taking the test @ 1024*768 is going to be horrible :cry:

I managed to finish BS and Verbal after a prolonged break but my brain was fried halfway through verbal and I couldn't read properly anymore. In fact I was so tired I didn't feel anxious at all. I will probably do some more practice passages and try to take the test all in one sitting next time.

Thanks again guys

 

[Oncoloman]

The screen res on the monitors at the testing center really suck. Expect to not only scroll up and down on the passages, but left and right! I definitely spoke about it in the survey. I'm thinking it was 1024x728 if you want to practice on the proper resolution.

No I seriously think its worse than that..more like 800 x 600. Its terrible either way.