What to do during breaks?

[agill786]

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Hi everyone,
Happy New Year!
From what I understand, I should be taking all my breaks for the full 10 minutes. During the breaks, though, what do you guys recommend doing?

Aside from going to the restroom, should I do jumping jacks or go for a run? At the testing center, will one be allowed to go outside and get some fresh air?

My biggest weakness is the verbal section and I want to be clear headed and focused during this one. As it is the most demanding in my opinion. Did you guys do anything in particular to get yourself in "verbal mode"? I want to be able to implement it as I do the practice tests. I love the writing section, b/c I kinda get to relax for Bio! lol, I wish the test was Physical, Bio, Writing then verbal! LOL

My exam is at 01PM on 01/29 at the Anaheim hills testing center in California.

Granted that school starts tomorrow ( we are the quarter system at UC Irvine), I am contemplating getting into the habit of drinking coffee so that I will be more alert for classes...I'm going to test this out with my system so hopefully it won't make me pee too much...but, hey I have a month to test it out so we'll see. I'm also thinking about getting those espresso beans from trader joes, anyone have any experience with it?

Also, what coffee do you guys recommend drinking? Anything cheap, good and easy to make at home...I'm asking because I know virtually nothing about coffee and wanted to take the pre-med view on it.

Thanks in advance

 

[SN2ed]

All you really have time for is a bathroom break and a small snack if you want one. It takes some time to log out and into the test room. They will not let you outside the building. Going outside will likely result in a voided test as it's against AAMC's test center policy. So just use the bathroom, eat if you want (I didn't), and clear your mind.

Don't know anything about coffee. Don't drink it.

 

[agill786]

All you really have time for is a bathroom break and a small snack if you want one. It takes some time to log out and into the test room. They will not let you outside the building. Going outside will likely result in a voided test as it's against AAMC's test center policy. So just use the bathroom, eat if you want (I didn't), and clear your mind.

Don't know anything about coffee. Don't drink it.

The time involved in going in and out is what deters me! I just don't want to accidentally loose time on the exam.

However, did you find it helpful to go out to clear your mind?

What do you guys usually do between the physical and verbal sections?

Thanks in advance!

 

[vandyam]

You don't have to stress about loosing time on your exam if you go over on your break. It will not automatically start. I went over on all of mine on purpose because I had heard this and my attendant wasn't clocking us or anything. I wouldn't recommend pushing it because it is likely to stress you and there is just no point to it, but definitely do not freak about getting back to the second. You aren't going to walk back into the room and find your verbal section is 3 minutes into the test without you knowing.

 

[DrLion]

Hi everyone,
During the breaks, though, what do you guys recommend doing? Aside from going to the restroom, should I do jumping jacks or go for a run? At the testing center, will one be allowed to go outside and get some fresh air?

My biggest weakness is the verbal section and I want to be clear headed and focused during this one. As it is the most demanding in my opinion. Did you guys do anything in particular to get yourself in "verbal mode"? I want to be able to implement it as I do the practice tests. I love the writing section, b/c I kinda get to relax for Bio! lol, I wish the test was Physical, Bio, Writing then verbal! LOL

My exam is at 01PM on 01/29 at the Anaheim hills testing center in California.

Granted that school starts tomorrow ( we are the quarter system at UC Irvine), I am contemplating getting into the habit of drinking coffee so that I will be more alert for classes...I'm going to test this out with my system so hopefully it won't make me pee too much...but, hey I have a month to test it out so we'll see. I'm also thinking about getting those espresso beans from trader joes, anyone have any experience with it?

Also, what coffee do you guys recommend drinking? Anything cheap, good and easy to make at home...I'm asking because I know virtually nothing about coffee and wanted to take the pre-med view on it.

During the breaks, you are gonna want to think about questions from the previous section that were difficult. If you have already trained yourself not to do this during the practice exams, good. I used my breaks as a way to pump up myself for the next section. I'd tell myself important general techniques like, "triage" or "get ready move quickly". For verbal specifically, it was, "move quickly" and "short, informative paragraph summaries".

As for your coffee experiment, it is just a good idea to stay consistent with your normal MCAT taking schedule. If you have taken the practice MCATs with coffee and know how it will affect you, then you can base your decision on whether or not you think it helps. Your test is an afternoon test, though, so make sure you consider that you'll have plenty of sleep the night before.

You don't have to stress about loosing time on your exam if you go over on your break. It will not automatically start. I went over on all of mine on purpose because I had heard this and my attendant wasn't clocking us or anything. I wouldn't recommend pushing it because it is likely to stress you and there is just no point to it, but definitely do not freak about getting back to the second. You aren't going to walk back into the room and find your verbal section is 3 minutes into the test without you knowing.

I have found the opposite to be true. While a popup waits to tell you to move to the next section, after a while, it will just move on with or without your click. I found this out when finishing up one of my sections. I was crunched on time and gave an educated guess on one of my passage based questions at the end. When the box came up to tell me that my time had expired, I did not click on the box immediately in order to reread some of the passage behind it to check if my answer was right. After a short while or so, the test moved on without my click into the break time.

 

[AnthroMD]

I would use all break time you are allowed. There's no point in rushing through such an important test. I always do the following:
1. Forget about the previous section.
2. Bathroom and/or Snack. I think the snack is crucial lol, feed your brain!
3. Forget about the previous sections.
4. Do your best.

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,
Happy New Year!
From what I understand, I should be taking all my breaks for the full 10 minutes. During the breaks, though, what do you guys recommend doing?

Aside from going to the restroom, should I do jumping jacks or go for a run? At the testing center, will one be allowed to go outside and get some fresh air?

My biggest weakness is the verbal section and I want to be clear headed and focused during this one. As it is the most demanding in my opinion. Did you guys do anything in particular to get yourself in "verbal mode"? I want to be able to implement it as I do the practice tests. I love the writing section, b/c I kinda get to relax for Bio! lol, I wish the test was Physical, Bio, Writing then verbal! LOL

My exam is at 01PM on 01/29 at the Anaheim hills testing center in California.

Granted that school starts tomorrow ( we are the quarter system at UC Irvine), I am contemplating getting into the habit of drinking coffee so that I will be more alert for classes...I'm going to test this out with my system so hopefully it won't make me pee too much...but, hey I have a month to test it out so we'll see. I'm also thinking about getting those espresso beans from trader joes, anyone have any experience with it?

Also, what coffee do you guys recommend drinking? Anything cheap, good and easy to make at home...I'm asking because I know virtually nothing about coffee and wanted to take the pre-med view on it.

Thanks in advance

 

[vickpick]

I have found the opposite to be true. While a popup waits to tell you to move to the next section, after a while, it will just move on with or without your click. I found this out when finishing up one of my sections. I was crunched on time and gave an educated guess on one of my passage based questions at the end. When the box came up to tell me that my time had expired, I did not click on the box in order to reread some of the passage to check if my answer was right. After a minute or so, the test moved on without my click into the break time.

Vandyam was talking abt between sections.. Not extra time on ur passage

 

[DrLion]

Vandyam was talking abt between sections.. Not extra time on ur passage

I'm not quite sure what you are talking about. I believe I stated that the programming used on the MCAT CBT prompted me that my time had expired. I glazed over the relevant part of the passage to see if I had answered correctly. The program then moved me from one section to another section (testing -> break). Vandyam was also talking about moving from one section to another section (break -> testing). I have edited the previous post for clarity and accuracy.

 

[LaurenMCAT]

From what I understand, I should be taking all my breaks for the full 10 minutes. During the breaks, though, what do you guys recommend doing?

Aside from going to the restroom, should I do jumping jacks or go for a run? At the testing center, will one be allowed to go outside and get some fresh air?

Hey agill

I loved my "break routine" and I'll be totally honest about every part!

- Immediately jogged to the bathroom to get my blood flowing. Made like a 4-year-old before leaving the house and peed as much as I could.

- Jogged back to the waiting area. Opened my locker and ate my snack sitting on the ground while stretching my legs - I brought a homemade ham & cheese sandwich cut into 1/4s, little cookies, apples, and a Gatorade and water. Just the right amount of protein, carbs, fat, and liquid!

- Put everything away a minute before my time was up. Checked back into the room.

During this entire break: CLEAR YOUR MIND. Smile. Take deep breaths. Think about the fun stuff you have planned later. Pump yourself up for the next section and tell yourself that you're going to ROCK IT! Say hi to the person next to you. Be polite to the entire staff.

 

[thelaw986]

Eat something, like an orange.

 

[NYR56]

I'm not quite sure what you are talking about. I believe I stated that the programming used on the MCAT CBT prompted me that my time had expired. I glazed over the relevant part of the passage to see if I had answered correctly. The program then moved me from one section to another section (testing -> break). Vandyam was also talking about moving from one section to another section (break -> testing). I have edited the previous post for clarity and accuracy.

You're talking about a different thing. The test may force you into a break, but it will not force you into a section. I was late for one of my breaks and I specifically waited in my chair a bit to see if it would move on and it did not. The point is, don't stress about the break time.

As for what to do, I ate a banana and went to the bathroom during each break.

 

[Swagster]

I loved my "break routine" and I'll be totally honest about every part!

I don't know what I was expecting, but reading this line was like those news teasers they give on TV.

I scrolled down expecting either some secret tricks of what page to look at for one minute, or some deep, dark secret about doing some cultlike ritual, or something really exciting like that.

Then I read that you simply did what everyone else does: eat, stretch/move, and get your head set for the next section. It's a great plan. I was just hoping for something a little more synister. 😀

 

[agill786]

Hey agill

I loved my "break routine" and I'll be totally honest about every part!

- Immediately jogged to the bathroom to get my blood flowing. Made like a 4-year-old before leaving the house and peed as much as I could.

- Jogged back to the waiting area. Opened my locker and ate my snack sitting on the ground while stretching my legs - I brought a homemade ham & cheese sandwich cut into 1/4s, little cookies, apples, and a Gatorade and water. Just the right amount of protein, carbs, fat, and liquid!

- Put everything away a minute before my time was up. Checked back into the room.

During this entire break: CLEAR YOUR MIND. Smile. Take deep breaths. Think about the fun stuff you have planned later. Pump yourself up for the next section and tell yourself that you're going to ROCK IT! Say hi to the person next to you. Be polite to the entire staff.

Hey Lauren!
Thanks for the tips. I hope I just don't miscalculate my break time. Whenever I get my breaks, the thought that takes precedence over everything else (including relaxing/staying calm/lowering my heart rate) is that I only have 10 minutes! LOL I seriously have this anxiety for tests and I think it's paranoia mixed there as well.

But I'm going to go into this test with the tips you mentioned. Also, as mentioned above, if I'm a minute or two over, I won't lose time on the test so that is good to know! 🙂

Thanks again guys!

 

[startswithb]

Remain calm. One girl literally looked like she was going to burst into tears the entire time. Also, don't listen to what the other test takers are saying. There was a group of friends taking it together at my place and they were like "omg" and "I hate verbal" and it was really annoying. Stay calm and confident. And eat an apple!