MCAT: Learning to Overcome Fear

Overcoming the MCAT = Overcoming Yourself 

Perhaps one of the greatest learning experiences of my life was overcoming the MCAT. When I say overcoming, I don't mean passing or scoring the magic score you need to attend dream school X. I mean overcoming, as in learning to overcome the fear and self-doubt, the anxiety and intensity that results from an exam that seems like it has the power to change your destiny. Here are the lessons no Kaplan, Princeton, or Berkeley Review could have ever taught me. 

1. The Biggest Enemy is Yourself 

 The first time I took the MCAT I choked. I remember sitting there looking at the first problem of physical science. Gravitation. I knew about gravitation, I even knew the formulas, but I hadn't specifically worked on a problem like this in my review. So I sat there for fifteen minutes trying to work through problem number one. The thoughts ran threw my head: 

 "You're going to fail....You won't be a doctor...This is the biggest exam of your life...You've wasted too much time...Everything you've done up to this point won't matter if you do poorly on this exam"

By the time I snapped out of it, fear and anxiety had won. I hit the void button and left heartbroken. In retrospect, this lesson was exactly what I needed to grow. The next time I prepared for the MCAT, I knew that a good score wasn't so much dependent on intellect as it was on mental stability and positivity. What did I do differently next time? Several things... 

         A. Positive affirmations work - tell yourself you are proud, during your breaks build up your spirit as if you are talking to a team and want to win the game

B. Find and use a support group (they may have a better perspective on YOU than you do). 

C. Practice deep breathing and meditation. While this may sound corny, deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels during tests 

2. You Must Believe You Can Do It 

The median separating arrogance and self-abasement is confidence. Finding this median is the key to doing better on the MCAT. I'm not talking about manipulating yourself into some form of pseudo-confidence. I'm talking about believing you have what it takes to past the MCAT because it is the truth. Seriously, building up the confidence makes the daunting MCAT much more easily surmountable. 

3. Nothing Is Worth Your Health and Well-Being

The second time taking the MCAT was much different. For two months, I studied 8 hours a day (albeit quite unhealthy). In order to accomplish this task I stopped hanging out with friends, I stopped going to the gym, and I started to neglect my health and well-being. I thought I had a good excuse. I mean after all, passing the MCAT takes time and effort. I believed that the more intellectual effort I put in, the higher score I would receive. This was completely false. I learned that just as important as scholastic endeavors, I needed to keep myself healthy. The week before the exam I realized this critical mistake and started to take care of my mental and physical health. Why isn't your health and well-being worth being sacrificed? Well, because of #4. 

4. There Will Always Be Another Hurtle

My mind often makes things seem so black and white. I get into medical school or I get rejected from medical school. I score an acceptable score on the MCAT or I bomb the MCAT. This isn't reality. Reality has hints of grey. I use to tell myself, "once I get _____ I'll be happy". Happiness, I've learned, doesn't work like this. I have to learn how to be happy now, in the moment because there will always be something to stress over. 

I left the MCAT room for the second time a couple of months ago. I managed not to hit the void button again, but I came out feeling like I failed everything. And I mean everything. Good news though! I managed to pass the MCAT, but more importantly, I learned how to overcome my fears. 


By: Brian Covello