Test Anxiety anyone???????

[Adam638]

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or techniques that helped them alleviate anxiety??? Taking the MCAT again in August and would love any feedback. Thanks.

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[sentrosi]

Just think about the task at hand. If you think to far ahead about all kinds of "what-ifs" then you'll get freaked out. Just prepare as much as you can and do you best. That's all you can do. So just do it.

 

[braluk]

drugs is your only solution my friend


but for me, i never had test anxiety, every test ive ever taken ive always done it in a very cool and calm demeanor, i suppose its just the attitude that if i dont do well on this test, there are other options I can go, to make myself successful. I guess all i am saying is that if you realize its not the end of the world, you'll be a little more collect when going into the test.

 

[chaeymaey]

Has anyone taken beta blockers for test anxiety?

 

[photo_girl07]

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or techniques that helped them alleviate anxiety??? Taking the MCAT again in August and would love any feedback. Thanks.

I took the April MCAT....and what really helps is staying calm...working out helps channel any anxiety


For test day-I brought my MP3 player and listened to a bunch of Jack Johnson songs right before I registered...which really eased my jitters.

Good Luck-- there is light at the end of the tunnel

-PG

 

[heeseop]

just study as hard as u possibly can...forget social life, TV, games, or whatever...
so when you take the test, u know u couldn't have done any better
good luck!!

 

[notdeadyet]

Perspective helps. Bombing the MCAT may mean not getting into medical school this year and you may have to wait a year. Sounds disastrous, but really isn't when you look at it with a bit of perspective.

Meditation also _really_ helps. Studies were just released showing marksmen improving their aim by 30% via 30 minutes of meditation twice a day. I doubt you'd get that kind of ROI on the MCAT, but I find meditating a bit each day and for a minute or two before each practice test really helps.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or techniques that helped them alleviate anxiety??? Taking the MCAT again in August and would love any feedback. Thanks.

The 6 S's

1. Sex
2. Sleep
3. Sam Adams
4. Sedatives
5. Sports
6. Sangria Swirl

 

[joanofarc0907]

make sure the week before the test you STOP studying. I know it varies for a lot of people how many days before to actually stop, but there IS a point where you aren't going to learn any more. Take time to relax and have a chill evening at home with some friends the night before the test. Test day take an ipod and don't talk to anyone. Get away at lunch and try to refocus outside of the stress-bubble that is the testing center. Good luck to everyone taking it for the first time or retaking it

 

[ambidigital11]

make sure the week before the test you STOP studying. I know it varies for a lot of people how many days before to actually stop, but there IS a point where you aren't going to learn any more. Take time to relax and have a chill evening at home with some friends the night before the test. Test day take an ipod and don't talk to anyone. Get away at lunch and try to refocus outside of the stress-bubble that is the testing center. Good luck to everyone taking it for the first time or retaking it

This is sound advice, I was in iPod isolation the day of the test. My strategy was a little odd before the test though--I took a full length test every day until two days before the test. Like joanofarc says, you pass the point where you're not going to learn any more in the last week, but it helps you 1. build test endurance (we know all to well how long the MCAT is) and 2. get comfortable with the feelings taking a test. This advice is probably better suited for people who didn't have a chance to do all the full lengths with time to properly go back over them, and it worked pretty well for me, just adding something else to the mix

 

[joanofarc0907]

This is sound advice, I was in iPod isolation the day of the test. My strategy was a little odd before the test though--I took a full length test every day until two days before the test. Like joanofarc says, you pass the point where you're not going to learn any more in the last week, but it helps you 1. build test endurance (we know all to well how long the MCAT is) and 2. get comfortable with the feelings taking a test. This advice is probably better suited for people who didn't have a chance to do all the full lengths with time to properly go back over them, and it worked pretty well for me, just adding something else to the mix

agreed, i did a lot of full lengths in the weeks leading up to the week of the MCATs. My last one was on the sunday before. After that I just reviewed and tried to calm myself down about it all. Then after I had a joyous celebration (from what I remember haha)

 

[Anastasis]

Everyone is going to laugh at me but, Yoga during the breaks but only if you've done it in the past, strained joints not so great for concentrating.

 

[ambidigital11]

Everyone is going to laugh at me but, Yoga during the breaks but only if you've done it in the past, strained joints not so great for concentrating.

haha that's great, but seriously, it's quirky things like that that could make a difference of a few points (esp. in those upper ranges!), take the MCAT in a zen like trance and you may be surprised by your score.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or techniques that helped them alleviate anxiety??? Taking the MCAT again in August and would love any feedback. Thanks.

I highly recommend Zen bubbling. Do the two pages of answers in the test booklet and fill in all the answers at once. When you bubble on the answer grid relax your eyes, stop straining, and breathe deeply. It will work wonders to keep you sharp.

 

[geno2568]

i listen to a lot of metal and other hard stuff right before a test

Metallica's "Master of Puppets", Pantera's "Walk", and Rammstein's "Du Hast" all work great.

Then on my way there, and right before, I hum the song to myself. Try to get into it (walk to the beat, etc). You might still know theres an mcat coming up, but yur body will forget .

 

[Schaden Freud]

I've heard of people taking them for public speaking. It doesn't seem like there would be much point to taking them for a test, since the detrimental symptom of anxiety in that case is inability to focus. All beta blockers will do is slow down your breathing and heart rate, no?

Has anyone taken beta blockers for test anxiety?

 

[chaeymaey]

I've heard of people taking them for public speaking. It doesn't seem like there would be much point to taking them for a test, since the detrimental symptom of anxiety in that case is inability to focus. All beta blockers will do is slow down your breathing and heart rate, no?

well, my mcat teachers had said its the most common prescription for text anxiety, but that you have to start taking them 2-3 weeks b4 the test.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I've heard of people taking them for public speaking. It doesn't seem like there would be much point to taking them for a test, since the detrimental symptom of anxiety in that case is inability to focus. All beta blockers will do is slow down your breathing and heart rate, no?

That and constrict your bronchioles, preventing your ability to get a full breath, leading to hypoxia, causing your thoughts to be fuzzy and you to fail the MCAT.

It would be idiotic to take meds to control your catecholamines before an exam.

If you can't handle the stress of an exam, then how are you going to pass 4 levels of board exams or more, and treat patients in emergent situations?

 

[dwigt]

make sure the week before the test you STOP studying. I know it varies for a lot of people how many days before to actually stop, but there IS a point where you aren't going to learn any more. Take time to relax and have a chill evening at home with some friends the night before the test. Test day take an ipod and don't talk to anyone. Get away at lunch and try to refocus outside of the stress-bubble that is the testing center. Good luck to everyone taking it for the first time or retaking it

I know that it's different for everyone, but I found that talking to people actually helped me relax, as long as it was about something other than the test. Granted, I knew a lot of people testing with me so we had other stuff to talk about.