Redbull Before/During MCAT

[Maneuver]

I usually take Redbull before I study for the MCAT, since I'm in school and juggling MCAT study and Exams etc...

Who here took caffeine before and/or during the MCAT. Did it improve your focus on increase your anxiety.

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[StarryNights]

Haha, I'm the first/only one who voted. Caffeine affects different people differently. I don't think it really has any effect on me, just the smell of it though helps me focus. I'm one of those people who sip on coffee over the entire day although it has turned room temp bc it's not so much the caffeine but the smell/taste that gives me energy. Others drink the entire thing as quickly as possible for the immediate jolt. It puts some of my friends to sleep on the other end of the spectrum. You probably know how coffee affects you before exams. I probably wouldn't drink it before as it can make you more nervous, but I would drink some during when you feel an energy dip. Once you get over the fact that you're taking the real test, you'll feel no more anxiety (if you prepared with enough practice exams, real testing conditions, etc)

 

[Vassili Zaitsev]

The use of caffeine or amphetamines is hit or miss. If your anxiety level is really high the day of your exam, those substances would only contribute to it. You're going to have enough epinephrine rushing through you to keep you focused; adding to this might be overkill. Your best bet is to try to maximize the amount of sleep/rest you get the day before and to eat a good meal a couple of hours before your exam. I wouldn't really advocate the method I used to help control my anxiety the night right before my MCAT unless you're very familiar with it all ready, but I'll say that I had snacks on hand to combat the side effects. You don't want to alter your natural state of mind going into the exam.

 

[LetsGo352]

haha, I drank a red bull before a practice test and it seemed like I was just blankly staring at the screen. For me, it doesn't work.

 

[Oncoloman]

haha, I drank a red bull before a practice test and it seemed like I was just blankly staring at the screen. For me, it doesn't work.

OMG. Yess. Don't Do it. I posted a story in the 3/27 tread about my experience with a 5 hour energy. You should check it out. 👍

 

[Oncoloman]

Hey I just saw this REALLY OLD post of yours. Any form of caffeine makes things 10X worst as far as anxiety goes in my opinion. Funny story: For my first exam i felt I needed an extra edge so I drank a 5 hour energy extreme. OMG... I was shaking in my seat the whole exam. I felt like a rocket getting ready to launch. I couldn't focus or read a dang thing. To make matters worst the extra boost of energy convinced me to skip all of my breaks. lol. I was surprised I scored average with a P on the WS and average on the rest. Because of this I feel like I could only do better on my exam. I should have voided but then I would have never been able to reflect on my mistakes. Moral: The calmer the better.

....

 

[SirWilliamOsler]

Tea is my drink of choice. I drank a cup of hot tea before the test and found it to have no adverse effect on my state of mind. I think it all depends on whether you have consumed Redbull on a regular basis before the day of your test.

 

[NYYk9005]

idk bout MCATs, but I took an energy bar before a practice SAT and I had such a bad headache!

 

[fishbait63]

I drank a coca coca before my exam I had to go to the bathroom during every break... (I normally drink anywhere from 1 grande to 2 vente starbucks coffee a day .... total addict here)....

When I first took the test I was so nervous I didn't even feel tired at the last passage... it was hard to concentrate on the screen much less read, its hard to feel tired I don't know about anyone else but I felt my adrenaline pumping just before and after a little more caffeine isn't going to help.

Anyone care to back me up on this... You get a little energy boost in Bio just because you know its almost over and the craziest sections in my opinion are over.

 

[plsfoldthx]

5 hour energy

 

[Whiteshoes]

do they allow test takers to drink a can of energy drink during the MCAT?

 

[Ahmed786]

I took 3 5 hour energies during my MCAT (One before PS, one before VR, one before BS) Had never felt this jolted in my life it was a crazy mix of crashing and jolting

The crash 2 hours after my MCAT...

 

[erskine]

personally i don't consume energy drinks or caffeinated beverages that often because it makes me unable to focus- i get too fidgety. But i would just say do whatever is normal in your routine. If you usually slam back a redbull before a practice test then you should do it on test day. Don't do anything out of the ordinary when test day rolls around.

 

[Vassili Zaitsev]

I just realized I had two cups of tea the day of my MCAT. Well that makes my first post seem pretty...useless. I remember doing a lab in ochem where we extracted caffeine from coffee and tea to see which one had more. I don't remember the results, but I just kind of assumed coffee has more because it gives you a jittery rush as opposed to the calm rush you get from drinking tea with sugar in it.

 

[Maneuver]

I'll try to kick the caffeine 2 weeks before test date, we'll see how it goes. I think I do better without it but right now I'm pretty dependent as evidenced by this post at 1am and the fact that I'm prepping in 37 days.

Withdrawals will make me so very tired however and I'm not willing to sacrifice even one day of preparation. We'll see what happens

 

[TFS]

.

 

[JoyceMD]

No caff...it varies from person to person...dehydrated becomes a factor...me personally I might become hyper and cant sit still...losing focus...lol

 

[unhappytnt]

Eat a chocolate bar right before the test. The sugar boost will get you going. 👍

 

[lstone13]

For me, I didn't have a Redbull, but I did have my regular iced Americano. I think it's important to just do whatever is normal for you and do whatever is your daily routine on your MCAT test day.

 

[Maneuver]

Right Now I'm used to drinking red bulls. I tried to go without it today and spent 2 hours staring at 3 pages of material. I know from past experience it'll take me atleast 4 days to kick the caffeine, time I don't have.

I'm just worried about having to pee during the exam. Maybe I should catheterize myself.

Joke

 

[noshie]

If I didn't drink a Full Throttle everyday that I studied and everytime I took the test (even practice), I would not have been able to concentrate. And I NEVER drink regular soda for any reason. I can't even finish a full can of Full Throttle! It was a life saver for me!

 

[murphdogz]

If you react poorly to caffeine (makes you jittery) then it's a bad idea to take it before the test. However caffeine has shown to improve memory recall so it could help pull out that information that you have stored in the back of your mind. It doesn't help with learning but recall could prove effective on test day.

 

[lastcall]

Nooo! Don't do it!
(was jittery, literally running to the bathroom for each break)