Post MCAT anxiety plz help

[imatarheel]

Hey guys,

I took my MCAT 3/14 (last week) and cannot stop thinking about the select questions in each section that I know I got wrong (maybe 3-4 in C/P, 2 in B/B, and a couple in P/S)

During the exam I kept my composure/focus and had optimum arousal and completed each section in time. However it was tough and I knew it. I felt indifferent going throughout the test and when I was walking out I started worrying about "what if I did terrible because it was hard and I didn't know what I was doing?".

I feel like I'd be lucky to get my AAMC FL score average (510) and I'm really nervous. How did you guys feel after the MCAT and is this normal?

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[DOcJo]

completely normal. If you walked out of there feeling like you blew it out of the park i’d be more worried


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[Blueprint Med School]

Hey guys,

I took my MCAT 3/14 (last week) and cannot stop thinking about the select questions in each section that I know I got wrong (maybe 3-4 in C/P, 2 in B/B, and a couple in P/S)

During the exam I kept my composure/focus and had optimum arousal and completed each section in time. However it was tough and I knew it. I felt indifferent going throughout the test and when I was walking out I started worrying about "what if I did terrible because it was hard and I didn't know what I was doing?".

I feel like I'd be lucky to get my AAMC FL score average (510) and I'm really nervous. How did you guys feel after the MCAT and is this normal?

When I finished my exam, I legit thought about voiding it. Now I am an ER MD swimming in the pandemic of all pandemics.

The lesson here is: Your self-efficacy about an exam is worth diddly squat, particularly for standardized exams. Trust the process. Trust your training.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[med112]

Hey guys,

I took my MCAT 3/14 (last week) and cannot stop thinking about the select questions in each section that I know I got wrong (maybe 3-4 in C/P, 2 in B/B, and a couple in P/S)

During the exam I kept my composure/focus and had optimum arousal and completed each section in time. However it was tough and I knew it. I felt indifferent going throughout the test and when I was walking out I started worrying about "what if I did terrible because it was hard and I didn't know what I was doing?".

I feel like I'd be lucky to get my AAMC FL score average (510) and I'm really nervous. How did you guys feel after the MCAT and is this normal?

Honestly I feel the exact same. It was a hard test on 3/14. But I'm trying to think positive because I can't do anything to change it now. Fingers crossed for us!

 

[MaxCycle42]

Like all the above mentioned, you did fine. I was a nervous wreck coming out of the exam too but ended up well...... or at least the score was good enough for me. For an exam like this, going out NOT knowing how well you did is a normal thing...

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

A harder the test means an easier curve. I took that 3/14 test too and it was WAYYYYYYYYYYY different from my first MCAT (2018). It definitely had material that was pulled from page 12,459 of the book of obscure science things.

But from my first sitting I learned that how you think you did and how you actually did never match. I did better than I thought on C/P and B/B and worse than I thought on CARS (my nemesis who is the reason I had to take it again).

The only thing I would say that helps in predicting how you did is when you had passages and questions on the real exam that felt and looked like your practice materials. That happened the first time in C/P and B/B, and those were my best sections.

 

[Grapesurgery]

COMPLETELY normal to feel that way. I was anxious for weeks. Just giving you a heads up though, the seemingly long wait (30 days) for your score back is nothing, haha. Just wait til you’re applying and schools take 6 months to decide to send you an interview/rejection! Or, waiting 2+ months to receive decisions after interviews without knowing what day they come out. The app cycle is truly a wild ride. Take care and enjoy yourself before that score comes out!

 

[Medical Muse]

What you've been feeling is perfectly normal among pre-meds. This drive for perfection that we all feel will continue throughout your medical career. Sometimes I will wake myself up right as I'm falling asleep thinking that I need to add a test on a patient's lab slip. The mind works in fascinating and frustrating ways! It's taken me a long time to let certain things go (especially when they are out of my control). Try to relax. Enjoy being in a world that has lost its mind and yet is also coming together. There's nothing you can do about the MCAT now. Later on in your career, thankfully, you'll have the opportunity to call the lab the next day and add the test on. 🙂