Step One: What is the best way to take your breaks?

[JRod]

I take the test on Wed. How does the break time work?

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[LovelyRita]

You get a 45 minute lunch (or is it 30), no matter what. If you finish your pre-lunch blocks early, the remainder of time left in each block can get added on to your lunch.

I took some protein bars with me and water and gum, etc. In between my 1st and 2nd blocks I used the restroom and ate part of a zone bar. I had ample time.

 

[dukeblue01]

It works as a sign in and sign out system. You can only legally take breaks after you have finished a section (otherwise you get the irregularity report). Bigfrank mentioned this, and I second him that the best way to do it is to take breaks after every section to clear your head. For me that was the best way. I took a 20 minute break for lunch and finished with plenty of time to spare. Good luck.

 

[bigfrank]

Take a break after every block is my best advice. Several of my friends who felt they "killed" a block and were on a roll went on to subsequent blocks and got burned.

 

[JRod]

How long are the breaks? Let me get this straight, 7 blocks fifty questions, how many minutes per block?

 

[bigfrank]

It's one hour per block. I ended up taking 5-6 minutes between each block to go to the bathroom, drink 1/2 a soda, and collect my thoughts.

 

[Idiopathic]

I took 10 minutes after 3 blocks, another 10 after 2, and finished by 1:30.

 

[AlexRusso]

Take a break after every block is my best advice. Several of my friends who felt they "killed" a block and were on a roll went on to subsequent blocks and got burned.

See what works for you by doing full length exams beforehand. I took a full length at Kaplan a week before my real one and noticed that whenever I took a break I had a hard time getting back into it. Looking at my score report I also noticed that the sections after breaks were my poorest. On the real exam, same thing happened. I sat down and did 4, felt like I rocked them. Took a break came back and got destroyed, took another break and got destoryed again...carried through and thought I killed the last one. Point is: I did worst on all the sections immediately after break. If it weren't for nature's calls I would've sat through the entire thing without getting up. See what works for you.

Also, you can take breaks at your seat w/o "officially" signing out, you can't get up however. When a block is over and the screen pops-up asking you if you would like to take a break, don't press anything. Do not hit Yes and do not hit NO. The clock will still run but you can just kinda sit there in your cubicle and veg for a while. I did do this after every block. Took like 1-3 minutes of just sitting there staring at the wall.

 

[Rod Farva]

Pound Red Bulls each break... that's the only way I could stay awake staring at a computer screen for 7 or so hours.

 

[IlianaSedai]

I took a 5min break between each block to stretch my legs, go to the locker, and eat a few nibbles. And in the middle of the day I took a 20min lunch.

It's worth looking back at how you approached your course exams. Did you finish early or were you the last to turn it in? Did you do better on the exam when you took the entire allotted time, or did it not make any difference whatsoever? I always found that I did the best on the exams I thought were hardest and that I turned in at the last minute -- so on Step 1 I took the entire time.