Snacks on Test Days

[midn]

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I was wondering what kinds of things you guys were bringing to eat on your test day.

Personally, I have to eat every break to make sure I don't get hunger pangs which destroy my concentration. I've found the thing that best sates my appetite is peanut butter although I think people are going to look at me funny when I go to eat peanut butter out of the jar every break.

 

[ieatrice]

I was wondering what kinds of things you guys were bringing to eat on your test day.

Personally, I have to eat every break to make sure I don't get hunger pangs which destroy my concentration. I've found the thing that best sates my appetite is peanut butter although I think people are going to look at me funny when I go to eat peanut butter out of the jar every break.

if all test centers were like mine, people start at different times and thus have breaks at different times. i maybe saw only one other person during a break.

so you'll be ok with the peanut butter. no one's going to say anything if there are people anyways. majority of the people are probably going to be preoccupied with questions from the last section they were in.

i just had a bite of my granola bar and drank some gatorade every break. nothing to it. you'll be fine. and good luck

 

[Lshapley]

I relied heavily on caffeine and sugar. I bought two starbucks frappucinos and kept them in the center's fridge. I also brought along some Jolly Rancher's hard candies. Before the Verbal and Bio sections, I downed a frappucino. I popped a Jolly Rancher before every section so I could suck on it during the test and have a constant supply of glucose in the blood. Might not be the best strategy for maintaining concentration on a daily basis, but I think it worked for a test day thing. Oh yeah, I also drank a couple of cups of java before the test even began!

Did I mention my test started at 7:30 am?

 

[poly800rock]

I relied heavily on caffeine and sugar. I bought two starbucks frappucinos and kept them in the center's fridge. I also brought along some Jolly Rancher's hard candies. Before the Verbal and Bio sections, I downed a frappucino. I popped a Jolly Rancher before every section so I could suck on it during the test and have a constant supply of glucose in the blood. Might not be the best strategy for maintaining concentration on a daily basis, but I think it worked for a test day thing. Oh yeah, I also drank a couple of cups of java before the test even began!

Did I mention my test started at 7:30 am?

granola bars and redbull saved my life.

 

[midn]

Caffeine = death for me; it completely kills my concentration. I get really jittery and think about a million things at once without ever completing a thought.

I tried drinking coffee before verbal once. Bad, bad idea. I had to pause the test so I could get my heart rate down back to normal.

 

[DRPL]

I found that a cliff bar was spot on....(blueberry *antioxidants* crisp is my favorite!!). It was easy to just nibble on and loaded with nutirents & vitamins...but not filling to discomfort. I also ate some trail mix here and there- dried fruits, nuts... Gatorade was my drink of choice. I like the squirt bottle type. It was no fuss and easy to drink in a rush.

 

[boodthedog]

Does anyone know if I can bring a thermos full of coffee to the test. I don't think too well without a constant source of caffeine. I don't think now is the time to try and change that.

 

[max_poWER]

i'm pretty sure you can just leave it in you're locker, but i know for a fact that you can't bring anything into the testing room. they didn't even let you bring in an extra sweater at my testing center, you had to be wearing it on if you wanted to bring it in. hardcore!!

 

[prettymonkey]

breaks were VERY short. i stuffed some dark chocolate m & m's in my mouth and washed them down with sugary iced tea. that definitely kept me from being hungry and i stayed focused. people have been warning against sugar or caffeine for fear of crashing but the reality is that you get a break almost every hour. you will be fine with tiny snacks. just get something in you so that your blood sugar doesnt get too low. and keep some advil or tylenol with you in case the flickering screen gives you a headache. i also packed a banana cut in half, some pretzels, and a granola bar, as well as water and a diet pepsi. i took a sip of water, drank an iced tea, and ate m & m's. just make yourself happy during breaks. dark chocolate did this for me.

 

[jochi1543]

I skipped one break (between VR and WS, I think). I had a Subway turkey sandwich with me, I don't remember if I ate the whole thing over one break or split it between the two. And lots of water!

 

[jochi1543]

I skipped one break (between VR and WS, I think). I had a Subway turkey sandwich with me, I don't remember if I ate the whole thing over one break or split it between the two. And lots of water!

Wow. A new SDN low has just been hit - having exact recollections of what you ate 6 weeks ago.👎

 

[boodthedog]

Another new low, you just quoted yourself.

 

[boodthedog]

Another new low, you just quoted yourself.

I'm doing anything to put off studying more. Even if it's writing nonsense. This topic makes me hungry.

 

[jochi1543]

Another new low, you just quoted yourself.

Why, edit a post or quote it to raise your # of total posts - the choice, my friend, is obvious.😀

 

[Lshapley]

people have been warning against sugar or caffeine for fear of crashing but the reality is that you get a break almost every hour. you will be fine with tiny snacks. just get something in you so that your blood sugar doesnt get too low. and keep some advil or tylenol with you in case the flickering screen gives you a headache.

I don't know about warning against caffeine and the MCAT, unless you have a bad reaction to it like a previous poster said. Caffeine is indeed proven to sharpen your focus, and that is how it really does work for me. I certainly had a hell of a lot of it on test day, I wouldn't take that much on a regular day. I think the fear of crashing is when the caffeine and sugar wear off and you hit the inevitable low. The lows are avoided if you just make sure you have some during the breaks. I don't think sugar by itself is a great idea though, unless you have a constant influx (i.e., hard candy you can suck on). A candy bar, for instance, would definitely lead to a low.

 

[jochi1543]

I don't know about warning against caffeine and the MCAT, unless you have a bad reaction to it like a previous poster said. Caffeine is indeed proven to sharpen your focus, and that is how it really does work for me. I certainly had a hell of a lot of it on test day, I wouldn't take that much on a regular day. I think the fear of crashing is when the caffeine and sugar wear off and you hit the inevitable low. The lows are avoided if you just make sure you have some during the breaks. I don't think sugar by itself is a great idea though, unless you have a constant influx (i.e., hard candy you can suck on). A candy bar, for instance, would definitely lead to a low.

Yeah, just don't drink your coffee/coke on an empty stomach - have snacks with it, or else you'll be pissing yourself during the test.

 

[Lshapley]

Yeah, just don't drink your coffee/coke on an empty stomach - have snacks with it, or else you'll be pissing yourself during the test.

Maybe a free cathertization should be included with the MCAT fee.

 

[.surgical.]

I never saw anyone during breaks. I brought a bottle of water and some nutrasweet bars. They proved enough to hold me over. Under the strict timing of the CBT, the test only took like 4.5 hours.

 

[jochi1543]

Maybe a free cathertization should be included with the MCAT fee.

Yes. May I also suggest that the examinees perform the procedure on each other as to prepare themselves for their future in medicine.

 

[Lshapley]

Yes. May I also suggest that the examinees perform the procedure on each other as to prepare themselves for their future in medicine.

Perhaps they could add it as a whole new section? You can score from a 1 to a 15 and there will be a severe time limit to perform the procedure. I wonder how much weight the adcoms would give the new CS section?

 

[freelove]

So these test centers have fridges? Do they also have microwaves? I'm thinking about bringing lasagna. I know it sounds weird, but I just have these intense cravings for it sometimes, and it can be very distracting.

 

[Addb]

no microwaves or fridges.

I survived fine with a nice large breakfast at 6:30 with lots of protein and fruit. I brought a liter of club soda and a bag of trail mix and kept them in my locker. Every break I stuffed a few handfuls of that in my mouth, chugged some club soda, visited the restroom and then took a drink of normal water from thier water cooler to "reset" my taste buds.

I got a little hungry at the end of the essays, but other than that I was fine. I did eat a massive celebratory lunch at the local burger joint afterwards though 😉

 

[jochi1543]

So these test centers have fridges? Do they also have microwaves? I'm thinking about bringing lasagna. I know it sounds weird, but I just have these intense cravings for it sometimes, and it can be very distracting.

Mine had a microwave.

 

[doinmybest5840]

I was wondering what kinds of things you guys were bringing to eat on your test day.

Personally, I have to eat every break to make sure I don't get hunger pangs which destroy my concentration. I've found the thing that best sates my appetite is peanut butter although I think people are going to look at me funny when I go to eat peanut butter out of the jar every break.

When I took the MCAT last August I took animal crackers. If you need peanut butter, why not bring some of those Ritz peanut butter sandwich crackers?

 

[sillydoc2230]

I survived on a solid breakfast and water/pretzels during every break. The 10 min goes a lot faster than you think because you have to sign in/out every time and if you're like me and the fingerprint thing hated you, you will worry that you won't have enough time and go back in early. If you need to pee, there goes your whole break basically. Expect to eat quick, b/c I honestly don't think there's time to microwave and stuff. Eat before and snack during. That's your best bet.

 

[ATP Synthase]

I also did research on what I shoud bring on test day, but food was actually the last thing on my mine...I could not eat! I would say to bring a smoothie in case you dont feal like eating.

 

[AAhopeful]

The testing center I was at had a microwave and coffee, along with sugar and creme, going. During breaks, I saw one person on one of the breaks. They allowed us to go outside, pretty much what ever you wanted to do as you came back in time. I was a tad bit late on the first break, the test did not start though. A message saying the break was over popped up. I hit okay and the section started with the full amount of time. The testing site itself added no stress to the test what-so-ever. Got my fingers crossed, I really don't want to retake.

 

[Nikki2002]

omg i love these mcat snack threads.



last mcat (paper version) i drank 4 starbucks double shots. i would not recommend as i was shaking during the BS section

 

[PseudomonasPAO1]

omg i love these mcat snack threads.



last mcat (paper version) i drank 4 starbucks double shots. i would not recommend as i was shaking during the BS section

I packed a can of soda, bottle of water, crackers, mini-snickers..Not the most nutritious, but it gets you through the morning.

 

[voirlesetoiles]

yumm.... powerade, granola bars, and maybe some chocolate for motivation haha 🙂

 

[midn]

I'm going to go shopping tomorrow for a few snack items.

I still think all you people who drink loads of caffeine are nuts, but that's mostly because I am very sensitive to caffeine. The only time I ever use caffeine are during weeks where I have slept little and occasionally for running (not too much though since it's hard to offset the dehydrating effects).

 

[Lshapley]

I'm going to go shopping tomorrow for a few snack items.

I still think all you people who drink loads of caffeine are nuts, but that's mostly because I am very sensitive to caffeine. The only time I ever use caffeine are during weeks where I have slept little and occasionally for running (not too much though since it's hard to offset the dehydrating effects).

Don't begrudge me my legal drugs!