What to do if losing focus?

[xylem29]

Several questions here,

Mostly for ppl going thru the TPR PS book, do you go through each chapter, every example, and attempt to understand everything? Do you obtain the same level of understanding for each topic or are there certain topics your just weak in and you move on? Because Electricity and Magnetism is really messing my head up, since I went thru that chapter and didn't understand it the same way I understood Electrostatics or Mechanics I, II, and III - I don't feel confident about that chapter and it's kinda adversely affecting my ability to go thru the last 2 chapters....that or I'm burning out. I'm also getting a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information I have to learn for physics...it's a bit much!!!!!!!!! I dunno, is it safe to just hope that MCAT won't ask about stuff I didn't learn well?

And...what the heck do you when you're starting to feel burnt out??? I mean, I'm losing my focus and drive (I think it's might've been doing crapilly on aamc5r and going thru a topic without learning anything) but I still have four more topics to go thru...and I have to review stuff I forgot...and I still have to to the aamc tests....and i don't even know where i stand in verbal...

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[Ginkneephur]

If I was starting to feel burned out I'd take a break. Maybe a half a day or a day of no studying just relaxing. For me it gave my mind a break and let me recharge my batteries so to speak...

 

[MJB]

I burned out during unit 3 of Kaplan Online over the last couple of weeks...still need to finish a lot of the stuff, and then start hitting practice tests...

The constant studying and reading without any payoff really got to me.

Kaplan's PS stuff is just brutalizing me...I can't wait to start taking AAMC practice tests to see how those go...

This week, I'm re-focusing...started last night by going through notecards.

I figure I've got 5 weeks to go....gotta suck it up.

What will make this harder is my wife is starting to get lots of time off at work, so lake trips are tempting...and the new NCAA Football game comes out tonight, and I'm gonna want to play that...

Wish I could just quit my job!

 

[Summer Sweet]

I have the focus problem too. I've resorted to listening to AO while I drive. The PR book is kinda...bleh. It seems like a good refresher for material you learned, but for some stuff, like physics, I like my old textbook better. Personally, I find physics a lot less frustrating when I see a textbook break it down step by step in different colors lol. I don't just want a 3 sentence long description of why the answer is A. Oh, that's another thing. It's annoying when the book puts a frickin long into ONE LINE. Maybe it's just me, but I benefit a lot more when they write the equation out like a real person would do it by hand.

Ok anyways, I'm done complaining about the book I hardly read, for now. Back to studying

About that drive thing, I like finding a study partner to just go to the library and work on stuff. I mean, do your work separately, but just sitting in the same room with someone keeps you a little bit more motivated, as long as you guys don't talk. Sitting by myself, I get bored or sleepy, so having someone there is cool.

 

[Aurora013]

And...what the heck do you when you're starting to feel burnt out??? I mean, I'm losing my focus and drive (I think it's might've been doing crapilly on aamc5r and going thru a topic without learning anything) but I still have four more topics to go thru...and I have to review stuff I forgot...and I still have to to the aamc tests....and i don't even know where i stand in verbal...

Take a day off! As in, for a full 24 hours, find a couple of friends, hang out doing whatever it is you enjoy doing most when you actually have a chance to hang out, and do it for as much of the day as you possibly can. Additionally, tell your friends they have every right to shut you up if at any point during the day you even mention the words "MCAT," "biology," "physics," "chemistry," or any topics associated with the above words. Then, when you get started again the next day, you'll be able to focus better. If you force yourself to study when you can't focus, you're not going to get anything out of it, and you'll have to review the material at a later date anyways. Good luck!

 

[ChymeChancellor]

Have you seen the xenadrine thread yet? That might work for you.