MCAT Tips for the Test Day

The day of the MCAT test would have been the most anticipated day of your life yet. It is better to start preparing for the test day a few days in advance so you do not unnecessarily panic or lose confidence. Try to relax well before the test and you know best about what activity keeps you calm and relaxed, so try to do that. Studying doesn’t help you calm down, so avoid studying just before the exam, like on the test day. Make sure you know where exactly your test center is, and calculate in advance how you plan to get there. Check out the traffic in the location to decide how long the drive to the center would take and avoid driving because it could cause some panic. Take your parents’ or friends’ help for that. If you think it’ll take you 15 minutes to reach your test center during the rush hour, and then start at least 25 minutes early. You do not want to be late at any cost.

Eat a healthy breakfast, but not a really heavy one. In case you think the test will be so long that you’ll get hungry, bring a light snack or a small lunch. Food may not be allowed inside the center, but you can try to take some candies or gum to calm your nerves. But ensure that you do not litter the test center. Get to the center early; avoid electronic devices like calculators, and cell phones etc as they are not allowed.

While writing the test, if you get stuck with a question, do not waste time and feel disappointed, instead try to complete the other questions and come back to the same question again and try solving it. The best way to stay focused on the test day is to tell yourself that you have done a good job of preparing well and this will let you stay confident. Even when you are unable to answer a question, it must be because you have forgotten it due to panic and try to relax and breathe deeply, which will do the trick.

The MCAT Writing Section

Most students would just prepare really well for the physical sciences and biological sciences sections of the MCAT, just revise and skim the verbal reasoning section and fail to even glance at the writing section, during the preparations. The writing section may not be the most essential part of the test, but it sure is important. It gives an insight into how good your language skills are, how correct your grammatical knowledge is and how best is your method to trying to put your point across to the readers. For the latter alone, you need to keep your essay coherent and well organized. To perform well in this section, you need to follow some standard rules, that is stating your purpose clearly, giving detailed evidence supporting your point and combine the ideas effectively in a coherent manner.