Motivation to Study

[The Poet Sings]

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So, I take the MCAT on the 22nd, and I seriously don't feel like studying. I think it's partly because I feel unprepared, and partly because I feel like pretending it isn't right around the corner. Or something. So when you guys know you should be studying and don't want to, what do you do to motivate yourselves and get the job done?
Any input will be appreciated. And for the record, I'm eating right now, so it's not like I could be studying and eating at the same time! Eating and reading SDN totally makes more sense 😉.

 

[slim78]

I didn't study for the last 2 weeks leading up to the MCAT. Then I went over all my flashcards the day before. I remember being sick of studying.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

If you feel UNPREPARED, you should try to determine your main weaknesses right now and ameliorate them BEFORE the 22nd. Pick the high yield areas and work your way toward the more obscure areas.

Oh, and for the love of God, stay away from SDN. Seriously.

 

[Bowl of oranges]

So, I take the MCAT on the 22nd, and I seriously don't feel like studying. I think it's partly because I feel unprepared, and partly because I feel like pretending it isn't right around the corner. Or something. So when you guys know you should be studying and don't want to, what do you do to motivate yourselves and get the job done?
Any input will be appreciated. And for the record, I'm eating right now, so it's not like I could be studying and eating at the same time! Eating and reading SDN totally makes more sense 😉.

Get rid of the root problem and you will feel much better, and it will be much easier to study. easier said then done obv.

 

[binko]

Flashcards are good for when I already know the main concepts and/or feel like my brain is full. They're something to do to get rid of that "I should be studying" feeling, without being too demanding.

 

[Semicolon]

Study as you see fit. Pace yourself, don't cram information down your throat. In other words, don't burn yourself out. Put yourself through a little bit of hell for the next 10 days and it'll pay off in the end.

Personally, I was taking full-length practice exams from a few weeks to the night before the exam (may not be recommended 😀). I hated it with a passion, but a lot of this test can depend on your confidence, and you want to come in there as strong as possible.

Good luck!

 

[MossPoh]

The last month, I didn't even touch material stuff for the most part. I took every practice test I could get my hands on. If I didn't have time for a full test I took a section. I then reviewed the section and figured out what was stupid and what I truly didn't know, skimmed over the subject and moved on. I'd retake the section again 2 days later and see how I did. If I STILL missed stuff then I considered that something I needed to work on.

It does double duty because it makes you target your weaknesses but it also gets you to practice timing. I probably took 15 practice mcat exams. I was scoring well too but had some emotional issues during each that kind of screwed me over, so under normal circumstances it probably would've worked better.

 

[rc4ch]

This just reminds me of how it was for me last year. So sad. The MCAT is such an awful thing.

 

[Anita817]

I'm taking mine the 28th-- I'm taking a practice exam every other day, then going over it question by question on the days in between focusing on obvious trouble spots. Every day I am memorizing a set of flashcards (Kaplan), and then walking on the treadmill or in the park for about 2 hours listening to exam crackers audio osmosis. It's a lot of work, but having a routine is helpful for motivating me to study. That way I have a set number of tasks to accomplish each day, and once I've done them, I feel good.

 

[123165]

I'm taking mine the 28th-- I'm taking a practice exam every other day, then going over it question by question on the days in between focusing on obvious trouble spots. Every day I am memorizing a set of flashcards (Kaplan), and then walking on the treadmill or in the park for about 2 hours listening to exam crackers audio osmosis. It's a lot of work, but having a routine is helpful for motivating me to study. That way I have a set number of tasks to accomplish each day, and once I've done them, I feel good.

Very similar to my plan, and we are sitting on the same day.

 

[MossPoh]

I have to say that people kept telling me to use all these flashcards and stuff but I think they screwed me up more than anything. I was testing in the 37 range. I really only needed like 3 equations down pat. I found that learning to take the test is much more important than spending tons of time with flashcards. If used as a little extra thing to kill time it is fine but the MCAT really isn't a material test as much as it is knowing how to derive answers from supplied information.

 

[Anita817]

I have to say that people kept telling me to use all these flashcards and stuff but I think they screwed me up more than anything. I was testing in the 37 range. I really only needed like 3 equations down pat. I found that learning to take the test is much more important than spending tons of time with flashcards. If used as a little extra thing to kill time it is fine but the MCAT really isn't a material test as much as it is knowing how to derive answers from supplied information.

Yes, if I was testing in that range, I would feel flashcards would be a moot point and would focus on familiarizing myself with the test more too. Needless to say, I am not.

 

[Gold 5]

This just reminds me of how it was for me last year. So sad. The MCAT is such an awful thing.

The unfortunate thing is that it does not end with the MCAT (think boards). Med school seems to be a blur of a bunch of tests that you must do well on if you want to go into your dream specialty.

Sorry for the cold water, end of 1st year exams just giving me the blues 🙂

Gold

 

[EricH]

So you dont have to do this job:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cLMKfzbfvA[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Vee]

The unfortunate thing is that it does not end with the MCAT (think boards). Med school seems to be a blur of a bunch of tests that you must do well on if you want to go into your dream specialty.

Sorry for the cold water, end of 1st year exams just giving me the blues 🙂

Gold

Just wait until you're studying for boards after second year...then you'll know what having no motivation really feels like.

 

[Thomas Hearns]

I unplugged my computer for a week... seriously

 

[lastcall]

If you feel UNPREPARED, you should try to determine your main weaknesses right now and ameliorate them BEFORE the 22nd. Pick the high yield areas and work your way toward the more obscure areas.

Oh, and for the love of God, stay away from SDN. Seriously.

👍 Voice of Reason.

 

[coffeeeandtea]

1. unplug the internet cord/ turn off the wireless.
2. go somewhere quiet, and where you can see other people studying or doing something productive (possible inspiration?), i.e. a cafe
3. caffeinate! (actually maybe this is just me, but i feel 10x more productive after i've been sufficiently caffeinated)

 

[Semicolon]

I think I'm immune to coffee's effect...I swear it doesn't do anything. 🙁

 

[TheGoodGoodTime]

If I had to take the MCAT twice, I probably wouldn't be going to medical school. I hated studying for that test THAT much.

 

[EricH]

If I had to take the MCAT twice, I probably wouldn't be going to medical school. I hated studying for that test THAT much.

I would probably go through with it.....but amen brother. I hated that test with every fiber of my being. I was more excited about my MCAT score than admission (no joke) because my score was good enough so that I would never have to retake.

Screw the MCAT

 

[antapolar]

So, I take the MCAT on the 22nd, and I seriously don't feel like studying. I think it's partly because I feel unprepared, and partly because I feel like pretending it isn't right around the corner. Or something. So when you guys know you should be studying and don't want to, what do you do to motivate yourselves and get the job done?
Any input will be appreciated. And for the record, I'm eating right now, so it's not like I could be studying and eating at the same time! Eating and reading SDN totally makes more sense 😉.

I encounter similar situations before, and i find nothing helps 😛 Fooling yourself that its ok doesn't help. Keep procrastinating of any form (eating, exercising, relaxing) doesn't help. Reading forums doesn't help. Even unplug the ocmptuer wouldn't help much, b/c if you just don't feel like studying, you will just plug it back.

The best way is to get a friend or someone to test you on the material and be tough on you. Really grind you down and make you realize "holy S***" i know nothing. Then you'll have all the motivation you have to study.

 

[engineeredout]

I didn't HATE the MCAT, at least not like other people seem to ("If I had to take it again I'd forget med school completely"). I got to a point where more studying probably would not have been of any benefit. Sure the test was nervewracking, lots of pressure, lots of hard work and sober nights, but in the end, if I wasn't in anywhere right now, I'd pick up a review book the day after my last final and repeat last summer all over again. Writing out notes from all of the EK books, reviewing practice questions from 1001 at work, 2X FL practice exams every week after I crossed the halfway point, listening to audio osmosis on the commute to work/hospital, staying up most nights studying, random science terms invading my dreams, typing up notes to read later.

It was all worth it. Every minute.

 

[The Poet Sings]

thanks everyone for the comments. i've been trying my best to stay off of here but i have been reading the email updates on this thread. i've been rereading the books and finishing up on the practices. i have audio osmosis but the cheesy intro-outro music just gets to be too much haha.

if i just bust my butt up until the day before the test (save that one day to relax) then i'm sure i'll be fine. and the fam convinced me to get a tutor to help me with my weak spot (physical sciences) so that's been a help, too. he got like 41 on his when he took it. maybe some of the smart can rub off on me!