(Michael) wrote in
om:

It's not about being in a hurry to get out of the clouds -
it's about reaching MDA well before reaching the MAP. In
other words - it's not about rate of descent (I couldn't
care less about spending an extra couple of minutes in the
clouds) but about angle of descent (I don't want to reach
MDA only seconds before reaching the MAP). This is simply
another one of those areas where the checkride diverges
from real life.

We're talking about different things, I think. The OP was
talking about intermediate stepdown fixes, and so was I. IME, a
constant descent is safer than diving as quickly as possible to
an intermediate altitude, leveling off, and then diving again.
I agree you want to be at the MDA before the MAP, but it does no
real good to hit an intermediate altitude early. Even the
descent to the MDA isn't something I rush. Rushing to the MDA
can mean you see the ground far from the airport, go below the
MDA, and then encounter IMC again. I prefer to make a
stabilized descent to reach the MDA just before the MAP, and
continue the descent to landing. But if you're flying your
airplane, do it however you like. It's your life.

--
Regards,

Stan