How to Use Your Hour-Break on the MCAT so You Don't Burn Out!

After all your hard work and preparation, the day has finally arrived:  MCAT Test Day.  This is one of the most important days in your life so far and you have to make sure that you do your best in order to keep your opportunity of practicing Medicine in the US alive, no pressure, right?  

You may have done dozens of MCAT prep courses to mimic the exam but in reality, nothing will adequately prepare you for the stress of sitting through the 7 hour and 33 minute test.  As of April 17, 2015, the "new" MCAT has been unleashed and you are responsible for answering 230 questions in 6 hours and 15 minutes.  That means you are given a little over 1 hour of  break-time to collect your thoughts and make sure that a difficult section does not derail your entire test.   I will give you some insight into the pressure of sitting for your first MCAT and reveal some tips and strategies that really helped me now only deal with the pressure of the MCAT but also STEP 1 and STEP 2 which are substantially longer than MCAT.  

Number 1:  Meditate for 5 minutes Between Each Section 

This was something that I was skeptical about at first but once I started applying it to my practice tests, I noticed an improvement in my scores in later sections of the test.  You may have the knowledge to be able to do well on the exam, but there is also a component of mental fatigue that will be hard to overcome of the exam.  

Once you get some more experience with the USMLE STEP exams, you becoming more accustomed to sitting for such a long period of time but considering the longest exams you have faced were less than 3 hours, it can be hard to adjust to a 6+ hour test with such pressure.  I had tried several different strategies to deal with the "bonus" time I was given.  At first, I tried to power through the first 3 sections without breaks because my mind was still fresh and I was ready to get the test over as soon as possible.  Once you approach the 4th hour, your brain will gradually start to feel like rice pudding.  It will be hard for you to focus on another question and you may even feel that you have to reread the question multiple times in order to make sure you retain the important message you are trying to solve.  If this happens, your time-management has failed dramatically. 

The popular story of the "Tortoise and the Hare" comes to mind and depicts how you should approach this exam.  Instead of powering through the sections as quickly as you can, if you have a deliberate approach and you are even taking breaks during the first portions of the test, you will be able to sustain your focus for at least another hour.  Thankfully, if you are able to get to the last 2 sections, a "second-wind" usually happens and your adrenaline starts to take over.  You will reawaken slightly and be able to get through the last sections without even noticing the fatigue.  

Two More Essential Tips to Make Sure You Are Prepared For the MCAT 

Number 2:  Do Not Wear Contacts on Test Day 

This point may only apply to a select number of readers out there but it is another tip that will greatly help you avoid scoring low on MCAT. This test may have been the first opportunity you have experienced what the rest of your life will be like should you do well on the MCAT.  Your body is physiologically designed to be only stare at a computer screen for a specific amount of time.  After 2 to 3 hours, your vision will gradually fail and if you wear contacts like I do, you may have an unpleasant experience of being physically unable to focus on the computer print anymore because your eyes have failed you.  

What can add insult to injury is the fact that most Prometric Centers that host the MCAT Exam are notoriously cold to help make "the testing environment pleasant for all."  This may be fine for your friends taking the GRE but that exam is a 3-hour cake-walk compared to the MCAT.  Your eyes will dry out very quickly and it can make it hard for you to focus on completing the test.  If you decide to take eye drops with you to the testing center, that is a sound option but remember that you have a sign-in and sign-out process to the computer room that can take 5-10 minutes.  From my experience, I strongly recommend just by-passing the contacts for the day and use your glasses instead.  

Number 3:  Take Your Lunch Break 

This should be an obvious thing for most people but surprisingly enough, I have met 4 people this year who told me that they elected to not take their "Lunch Break" on the STEP exams because they wished to get the test over with sooner.  The first thought that popped into my head was that they were crazy.  This is a 7 hour test and you need to make sure that you have enough energy to give yourself the best chance to succeed.  Considering that most of you will probably be waking up 2 hours prior to your 8AM start time, that means that you are expecting your body to respond for 9 hours on a small breakfast and adrenaline.  Unless you are part machine, this will not end well and you will start getting headaches.  

Your brain is sabotaging your efforts as it is crying out for glucose that you failed to provide.  I would recommend taking a lunch break after finishing your 2nd section.  This will provide your body time to rejuvenate after the first two parts and then you will be able to rally and power through the next sections with a clear mind and a full stomach.  

Obviously everyone tests differently so perhaps these recommendations will not work for you.  If you want to just fly through the MCAT and are able to get a high MCAT score, my hat goes off to you.  As you progress up the Medical ladder though, STEP 1 is 8 hours long and STEP 2 CK is 9 hours long so this may not be the best strategy to use going forward.  The most important thing though is to test out what steps work for you during your practice exams.  You have studied about biological experiments for the last 6 months at least so why not try a more useful one out with you being the vessel.  Try out taking breaks, going as quick as you can, and with or without lunch breaks and see how your scores respond.  You have to make sure that all the controlled variables you can regulate like your energy level are optimized so your product will be a high MCAT score.  Good luck!