Last Week Before Your MCAT? 4 Tips On How To Prepare For Test Day
The final week leading up to your MCAT test can be overwhelming and full of anxiety. All students will prepare differently. Some will simply take this time to rest, while others will study frantically. In all honesty, the best thing that you can do is to find a happy medium between the two. Here are five last-minute tips to help you ensure that you do your best come test day:
Tip #1: Complete a Final Full-Length MCAT Practice Test
Early in this last week, you want to sit down and simulate how it will be on test day by taking a full-length MCAT practice test online. This exam is very lengthy, so you don't want to take it late in the week, causing you to take two exams back-to-back. This could drain your mental stamina, which is the last thing that you want to do. If necessary, during your practice exam, take a break when you begin to feel tired. Don't push yourself too hard.
Tip #2: Review Study Material
You don't want to answer questions incorrectly, and the best way to avoid this is by reviewing your study material. You want to make sure that you understand what you have been studying all this time. Some of the most uncommon information that isn't properly grasped is the data. Make sure that you understand how to interpret data, the differences between statistical tests (T-tests, chi-squared, etc.). You want to go back over overarching concepts, as many students get these confused. Some examples include cell membrane physiology, and positive and negative feedback, as well as basic intracellular signaling pathways (such as G proteins).
Tip #3: Go Back to What You Find Difficult
There are always certain concepts that you find difficult to remember. Determine what these are and work to memorize them. Study these harder than anything else. These should be focused on closer to your MCAT exam day, though they should also be reviewed early in the week. Keep in mind that memorization is a key concept of this exam; the basic point of the MCAT is the application of all the materials that you have learned. Therefore, it is important that you fully understand all of the topics that you have gone over up to this point.
Tip #4: Get Some Rest
While it is important to study hard in this last week leading up to your MCAT test, it is also just as important that you take some time to rest your mind, which means no studying. This is particularly true the last day before your exam. The MCAT is no walk in the park, and it is a very long exam, so your mind needs to be well rested to ensure that it has the endurance to pull you through.
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