Applying this cycle after voiding MCAT and punting on last cycle: outlook on time allocation and best interests

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Question:
- Should I quit my job? Would unemployment in the months immediately preceding the application cycle look bad?

Try to reduce your hours at work if you haven't tried already. If not, then quit. Giving up responsibilities for the sake of better grades/MCAT scores won't be a red flag (as long as you can explain this during your interviews).

- Any recommendations as to getting out of a rut/cyclical negative thinking/lethargy/pessimism, particularly for those who have ADHD/learning disabilities?

The MCAT is probably the largest barrier for all pre-meds, so it is okay to feel discouraged at times. When I was feeling defeated, I would remind myself that this part of my life is not going to last forever. I don't have ADHD so I can't place myself in your shoes, but the best thing you can do for yourself is to start with a clean slate. If you do quit your job, treat the MCAT as a full time job. Have a set schedule of when you're going to study and a list of milestones that you plan to hit each week. Study 6-10 hours per day with lots of breaks in between, have a day off where you don't think about the MCAT at all, and get plenty of sleep. If you can't bring yourself to study on a particular day, then don't. Do whatever it is you want to do (Netflix, games, browsing memes, etc.) and get it out of your system before continuing (within reason obviously). Reward yourself for making progress even if it is small. I found that staying connected with your friends (especially those who were non-premed) and family was the best way to stay optimistic and to keep myself from falling into a cycle of despair. It helped me realize that there is more to life than just medicine/premed/MCAT/etc.

- I feel as though the MCAT's format emphasizes non-content skills within the realm of test-taking that I simply do not have, as I relied entirely on content knowledge based in memorization during undergrad. Has anyone felt the same friction with MCAT2015 and been able to overcome it? If so I'd be interested to hear your perspective.

When I first started studying for the MCAT, I went in with the mindset that memorization was the best method. I quickly learned that it was not. Memorization only helps you tackle questions in 1 dimension and the MCAT can present a topic in nearly infinite ways. Don't get me wrong, memorization certainly does help with certain aspects such as formulas and mechanisms. Start content review and the learn the concepts behind each topic. The MCAT is ultimately an endurance test that gauges your ability to reason under pressure, and having a strong conceptual foundation will allow you tackle the same problems no matter how it's presented. I treated my MCAT books as the bare minimum for what I should know. For each topic, I always asked "why?" If I couldn't explain it thoroughly then I would go back and review using a different source such as Khan Academy. I went from passive learning to active learning. Instead of just reading and taking notes, I would draw out everything on whiteboards using different colors and actively talk my way through everything. Practice, practice, practice. Doing content review can only get you so far. You must be able to apply what you learned! Do UWorld, question packs, section banks, practice quizzes, etc. If you get a question wrong, write down the the line of reasoning that got you to the wrong answer and fix it.