Practice PS without scratch work?

[IndianVercetti]

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When preparing for the physical sciences, would you guys recommend avoiding writing down formulas, drawing diagrams, etc? I've read a few threads on here, such as Vihsadas, who claim they barely used a small portion of paper for their entire PS section.

I've always been a person who likes to at least visualize things, and put my head around what a question is asking before working on it. But, obviously with the time constraints of the MCAT, is doing scratch work just something I have to learn to do in my head?

 

[Isoprop]

Do what you feel is comfortable in the time constraints that you have. Have you taken a full length MCAT?

On some full lengths practices, I barely used half a sheet. On some, I used almost the entire page.

 

[TRN1983]

You don't need to use tons of paper on most of the tests. There is definitely some variation though. I averaged about 13 for the PS through my practice tests, etc, and there were quite a few where I don't even remember if I filled up even a half page of notes. However, on the day of my actual MCAT there were tons of calculations necessary and I ended up using like 2+ pages.

Point: Overall, I think it's highly likely to get an MCAT that you'll hardly have to use scratch paper. Most of the calculations you should be able to quickly perform in your head and for the sake of time, it's hugely beneficial to do so. However, there is no guarantee you won't need the space. LOL.

 

[JJMrK]

I usually used about a page and a half for PS and a full page for BS.

 

[Captain Jack]

Speed matters. You cannot get bogged down with taking a while doing calculations. But if this is how you do Physics, etc, then do it. I was able to do my calculations fast enough, and so I would recommend doing the calculations you need to on paper. But definitely make sure to be able to do quick estimations

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i relied heavily on scratch work & notes

 

[IndianVercetti]

Alright, thanks for the opinions guys