- Joined
- Aug 8, 2006
- Messages
- 5,187
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Dear fellow SDNers taking the MCAT on this fine August morn,
Having taken the exam in April, I would just like to point out a few things. If you are already awake, do NOT prepare in the same respect as you have previously. RELAX. I only got about 2-3 hrs of sleep, because I was extremely nervous and restless the morning of my exam. My fiance tried repeatedly to calm me down through various methods (;-P) to help me get to sleep, but I kept waking up within a half hour.
If this has happened to you and you are reading this, DO NOT PANIC. You will do fine! If you find yourself awake, make sure that you utilize the time to make an excellent breakfast. Do not take practice exams, but possibly use flashcards or something minorly invasive. At the very least, read something that begins to engage critical thinking on a basic level and make sure that you're able to concentrate and understand what you're reading. It's important that your mind is sharp.
Importantly, remember this: No single test can keep you from fulfilling your dreams. You've studied your ass off, and today -- and I'm not going to lie -- you are about to face one of the most challenging post-secondary exams of your academic career. Do not see this as a burden, see it as a chance to prove yourself. See it as a chance to succeed. You can and will do only as well as you allow yourself.
At some point during the test today, you are going to:
1. forget how to do something
2. make a stupid mistake
3. misstime a section or set of questions.
Do not let it discourage you! The MCAT, like other premed hurdles, is an endurance race. Do not wear yourself out with stress over mistakes! Just keep pushing and avoid panicking.
Here are some tips that helped me. If you have Kaplan review cards, take them to ONLY prepare your mind before each section. It is NOT time to study, rather it is time to give yourself a warm-up. This is PARTICULARLY useful before the verbal reasoning section, and I would suggest reading a magazine like Atlantic Monthly. If you are really tired, DO have a small amount of coffee. I should have. That was just two suggestions, but eh... take them for what theyre worth haha.
Well, premeds, you stand here today at the pinnacle of your academic prime. Academically, there has never been a more trying time of your life than the last few years. However, there has never been a greater time in which you have learned such voluminous quantities of information. You have pulled all-nighters, studied while others have partied, and you have painstakingly gone to 8 AM lectures and have spent Saturdays studying Ochem.
You have studied hard, and it will pay off. It's your time to prove that you're the doctors of tomorrow. Best of luck today and in your futures! Remember that you must allow yourself to succeed -- in the MCAT and in everything you do.
Having taken the exam in April, I would just like to point out a few things. If you are already awake, do NOT prepare in the same respect as you have previously. RELAX. I only got about 2-3 hrs of sleep, because I was extremely nervous and restless the morning of my exam. My fiance tried repeatedly to calm me down through various methods (;-P) to help me get to sleep, but I kept waking up within a half hour.
If this has happened to you and you are reading this, DO NOT PANIC. You will do fine! If you find yourself awake, make sure that you utilize the time to make an excellent breakfast. Do not take practice exams, but possibly use flashcards or something minorly invasive. At the very least, read something that begins to engage critical thinking on a basic level and make sure that you're able to concentrate and understand what you're reading. It's important that your mind is sharp.
Importantly, remember this: No single test can keep you from fulfilling your dreams. You've studied your ass off, and today -- and I'm not going to lie -- you are about to face one of the most challenging post-secondary exams of your academic career. Do not see this as a burden, see it as a chance to prove yourself. See it as a chance to succeed. You can and will do only as well as you allow yourself.
At some point during the test today, you are going to:
1. forget how to do something
2. make a stupid mistake
3. misstime a section or set of questions.
Do not let it discourage you! The MCAT, like other premed hurdles, is an endurance race. Do not wear yourself out with stress over mistakes! Just keep pushing and avoid panicking.
Here are some tips that helped me. If you have Kaplan review cards, take them to ONLY prepare your mind before each section. It is NOT time to study, rather it is time to give yourself a warm-up. This is PARTICULARLY useful before the verbal reasoning section, and I would suggest reading a magazine like Atlantic Monthly. If you are really tired, DO have a small amount of coffee. I should have. That was just two suggestions, but eh... take them for what theyre worth haha.
Well, premeds, you stand here today at the pinnacle of your academic prime. Academically, there has never been a more trying time of your life than the last few years. However, there has never been a greater time in which you have learned such voluminous quantities of information. You have pulled all-nighters, studied while others have partied, and you have painstakingly gone to 8 AM lectures and have spent Saturdays studying Ochem.
You have studied hard, and it will pay off. It's your time to prove that you're the doctors of tomorrow. Best of luck today and in your futures! Remember that you must allow yourself to succeed -- in the MCAT and in everything you do.
