I'm especially curious how much people practice when they're preparing for auditions vs non-audition mode & maintaining your current level of playing. Is it significantly more or about the same? What do you practice differently, or is that about the same list as well? Discuss!

Its not how much you practice...it is HOW you practice.

I have been taking auditions for many years & I definitely practice more in the 4-6 weeks preceding an audition. I find that you really have to put in the time even though you may have played the excerpts at a high level in the past. You will find there is a certain route for bringing each excerpt to the highest level and you really can't skip steps. Also, the excerpts are chosen specifically for their level of difficultly & the conditioning necessary to have them 'ready' requires a certain intensity.

I believe it is similar to preparing for an olympic event or a marathon, especially when travel is involved. After the big preparation is done, the last week tends to be spent drilling the excerpts in varying order on a stage or in some kind of environment that will replicate the pressure. Recording yourself a lot during these drills ensures that the product matches what you want to project. In the last two days, time is spent mentally preparing and spot checking the most challenging excerpts. These two days tend to be more about storing up some reserves through extra sleep & self-care for the event ahead than frantic practice.

For me, this has been an effective system so hopefully you will find it useful.