out of my head....

[acromonkey]

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Has anyone ever experienced "getting into your own head" and psyching yourself out? If you have, please let me know how you can get out of it. I feel like I tell myself to think in a different way, but when it comes to actually doing it, I can't. For example (and purpose of this thread), I keep telling myself that I have studied hard and did good content review for the MCAT and that I have the knowledge to score well. But then I start the practice test and all I can think is "I don't know this" or I over analyze what the question is asking and try to come up with some in depth crazy reason why two answers can be right. Then verbal comes (which I think I have trained myself poorly to do by trying to improve) and I think I have trained myself not to pay attention to what I read...Instead, as I'm reading, I'm telling myself to pay attention. Idk what to do here and I'm getting very discouraged and frustrated. I've never felt so dumb in my entire life.....any advice?!!? (constructive advice for those of you who love to come on SDN and just crap on people's lives)

 

[TommyPickles]

Best advice I have for the verbal is to read each paragraph as if its own story, and write at most four-fove words summarizing it. If you do this for each paragraph the entire flow of the passage will come very easily.

 

[Slowpoke]

I think a majority of people go through this bout of uncertainty with the MCAT.

Perhaps you have unrealistic expectations which is making you perform less poorly than you would normally?

Try telling yourself that regardless of what happens, you're doing the best you can and will continue to put in as much effort as possible. This may help put your mind at ease, knowing that you're giving it your all. There should be no reason to second guess yourself.

 

[Long Dong]

Relax it will be okay.

 

[acromonkey]

It's not okay now...I took the MCAT two years ago and didn't do as well as I would have liked...I also didn't study much and didn't take it as seriously as I should have. So I decided not to take it again soon after...instead I graduated, started a Master's degree, and am doing research. So now, for the past several months, I have been studying a decent amount (much more than the first time around) and feel much more confident with my knowledge...BUT I have been doing consistently WORSE than I did when I took the first exam. I really don't know what to do here. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[Geekchick921]

IMO, this is SUCH a bad mentality to have with the MCAT, but it's good that you acknowledge that. The MCAT, IMO, is designed to psych you out. I know, at least when I took it, the most complicated looking passages actually had some of the easier questions with the more basic concepts disguised as something much more complex, and I remember at least one review thing I listened to or read that said the same thing. You MUST get past this or the test has already beaten you.

Try to relax. You know the material. It's in your head and you just have to know how to apply it. The MCAT should fear YOU, not the other way around, because you are going to make it your b****. Good luck with your test date. 🙂

 

[acromonkey]

Does anyone have any advice as to why I would be doing consistently worse after studying much harder?

 

[Manbearpig]

Only way to do well is to change your attitude. If you studied for a decent amount and have performed well in your undergrad pre reqs then you definitely know enough material to get above a 30. How you approach the exam and the feelings that you harbor towards it will decide most of your score. The MCAT tests how you think and your mental toughness. Understand the exam itself. Learn to apply the material in the context of the exam. Do as many practice exams like they're the real thing, review them, shore up your didactic knowledge when you don't know how to solve a problem, and know that you will still get a little flustered when the real exam starts despite your awesome preparation.

TL;DR: Be positive and confident. Negativity will implode your score. Be a student of the exam instead of the material (but know the material well).

 

[0919mmk]

Does anyone have any advice as to why I would be doing consistently worse after studying much harder?

Yes. Because you "studied much harder" so you think that you must do much better. Doesn't really work like that. You need to take the intensity down a notch. It's a thinking test as much/more than a content test, and if you are stressing out, you're not thinking.

 

[acromonkey]

so I posted something else and it was closed because it said it was the same thing, but i'm trying to ask a different question, so I guess I will post it here and hope for responses.....

So I'm signed up to take test next friday but keep consistently doing worse on practice exams. I just called MCAT and the next 3 dates are not available anywhere in my area. This leaves me with taking the exam at the end of July. I wanted to apply early for this cycle (2012 start) and now I don't know what to do...any advice from anyone?


By this I am asking what advice is based on applying to schools. Is it too late to apply if receiving scores in late AUGust?

 

[Lil Mick]

Service work and meditation have helped me get out of my head, and they're great for relieving stress 🙂

 

[osteohopeful09]

if it makes you feel any better, I am in clinicals now, and I still don't know how to do the physics the MCAT asks you to...

 

[Tapepsi]

IMO, this is SUCH a bad mentality to have with the MCAT, but it's good that you acknowledge that. The MCAT, IMO, is designed to psych you out. I know, at least when I took it, the most complicated looking passages actually had some of the easier questions with the more basic concepts disguised as something much more complex, and I remember at least one review thing I listened to or read that said the same thing. You MUST get past this or the test has already beaten you.

Try to relax. You know the material. It's in your head and you just have to know how to apply it. The MCAT should fear YOU, not the other way around, because you are going to make it your b****. Good luck with your test date. 🙂

^ This. Geekchick921 nailed it. The MCAT is designed to weed out the applicants who can't make the cut, and that includes those who are easily overwhelmed. Even for the people who are prepared to take it (and end up doing well) most of the time feel like crap after they've taken it. I'll never forget this one long and convoluted passage in PS about outer space and I was freaking out b/c it seemed so complex, but realized later on that all I needed to use for most of the questions was PV=nRT (one of the most simple ones too!). So don't psyche yourself out.

A good way to overcome this anxiety is to remain calm. Pick the answer that seems the least wrong. Don't try and find the truth in every answer or you will run out of time before you complete the sections.

Good luck and nail that hellish test! 👍