Surviving the M.C.A.T
What a day! Taking the M.C.A.T.s is a... surreal experience - something that I'm not looking forward in experiencing any time soon. After nearly four months of revision, the biggest test of my academic career to date is over with! Now, I have finals to look forward to on Monday... *sigh* when does all it all end?
Getting into the room to actually take the test was rather daunting, we were practically stripped searched (we were only allowed to bring in identification (sans wallet)) and then digitally fingerprinted before we were allowed over the threshold of the room. We were then escorted to our cubical (they told us where to sit) and were provided our very own scrap paper, industrial ear covers and pencils - the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) don't mess around when they give their tests! The test itself was a real killer! I'm surprised that my brain didn't explode!
The M.C.A.T. is like no other exams I have ever taken - this bloody test actually took most of my day! I'm used to having exams around three hours, any longer then I start to go stir crazy. The M.C.A.T. is broken down into four sections and after each section we're allowed to have an optional break, which I took every time, but didn’t plan to. Below is what I had to endure today, something that I allowed myself to go through - what can I say I'm half mad!
M.C.A.T. Breakdown
- 77 multiple choice questions on Physical Science (marked out of fifteen)
- Optional ten minute break
- 60 multiple choice questions on Verbal Reasoning (marked out of fifteen)
- Optional one hour lunch break
- 77 multiple choice questions on Biological Science (marked out of fifteen)
- Optional ten minute break
- 2 essay questions that test our Writing Sample (marked form J to T)
As mentioned above, I wasn't planning on taking the optional breaks or lunch, but I hadn't realise how exhausted I felt after each section that I changed my mind. Unfortunately, it wasn't relaxing as I planned it to be. Kevin, the bane of my existence, the self-proclaimed authority of everything and anything under the sun sought me out at every break (and believe me I tried to hide) and question me on my answers on each and every question that he had doubts on. I ended up telling him (not so nicely) to piss off - one of the many things that I don’t do is discuss my tests that I just completed - ever! Very little good could come from doing that. I'm worried about the test enough, without having someone else's anxiety compounded onto mine. However, Kevind didn't get the message *sigh*
At the end of the day, Lizzie (my girlfriend), Christina (my roommate), Andrew (an old friend of mine), and yes, Kevin asked me how it went. I told them, what I really thought - I don't know, part feels like Hermione when she was about to open her O.W.L results - that we would fail (or done poorly)! Unfortunately, this feeling won't go away anytime soon - the results of the M.C.A.T.s would be mailed to us in eight weeks. So, for the next two months, I would be holding my breath and being a pain to anyone who wants to talk to me about my M.C.A.T.
Now, I feel like turning off my brain to get some sleep. I have a boatload of finals to look forward to for the next fortnight, but at least I could sleep well tonight knowing that I just killed off my Goliath of exams.