How do FT people study for MCAT?

[Creightonite]

I got work 9-5:30, then Kaplan two days/wk 6-9, do tutoring twice/wk 1.5-2hrs each, volunteering 2 hrs/wk. I feel i do not have time to study at all. How do people who work full time manage their time? How many hours do you sleep? any advice for time management? I thought about quitting my job for a month, but doubt my boss will be happy. I also thought of using my vacation time to take one day off every week.

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[koopa_troopa]

You should definately try to find a way to cut back since your MCAT is one of the big factors in your application and you don't want to take it again. I ended up taking a month off to study for the MCAT. My classes ended by April 30, and planned to start working in June. I studied throughout May for the MCAT (took it on the 31st). I would never have been able to go through all my practice material if I hadn't done this.

 

[J ROD]

My advice is to spread the studying out over a longer time since you have less time per day than most.

Or just quit your job and study!


My friend worked FT and made it work. But, he is very smart and could just reason his way through the test. He barely reviewed for it and took a few practice tests and still got a 33.

I am working around 25 hr/week and studying the rest until August. I am not as bright as him. So, I need to put in more time and effort.

It really all depends on how much time you need to get ready for the test.

 

[msbell]

My schedule at work is pretty flexible most days of the week. Mon-Thur I work from 7:30/8:00am - 3:30/4:00pm and Friday 7am-3:00pm no exceptions. It takes me about 45 minutes to get home. Once home, I usually take a small break to eat and shower and then start studying at 5:45/6:00pm. I finish up around 11:30/12:00am. I usually hit the bed by then only b/c I have to. My dreams I should mention are almost always about the MCAT. Last night was Orgo (oxygen containing compounds only).

I should mention that I am a single parent of a twelve year old who I just sent off to vacation with family in MA. So the above schedule is my study schedule as of late. Before that I would only log about 3-4 hours of study a night.

The short of it is that the MCAT is important and sometimes you have to make adjustments that will allow you to prepare thoroughly and without distraction. I miss my daughter terribly though. I hope you’re able to move some things around in you schedule and that your studying goes well.

I really love these little icons.

 

[Kaydubz]

Haha, I'm typing this from work right now...

I work 8:30-5 every weekday at a pharmaceutical company as an intern. Sometimes, I'll have a significant amount of downtime if I can just start an experiment and leave it running for a while (sometimes days). I bring my EK books every day and try to review the material from it during the day, usually doing practice problems and maybe looking up concepts on wikipedia. Of course, you may not be able to do that kind of stuff at your job.

My commute every day is an hour in each direction, so I listen to audio osmosis during the drives, and that certainly helps at hammering in the basic concepts. When I get home, I'll usually try to put together a few hours of studying, whether doing problems, reviewing material, or doing practice test sections. The worst part is after a day at work, the last thing I want to do is do more work. I probably go to bed around 12:30 and get up at 6:30, and 6 hours of sleep / night is enough to keep me running through the workweek. But I'm not doing any tutoring, Kaplan, or volunteering, so it's quite simple. Work, study, work, study, and maybe spend a friday night doing something fun. I think in my case it'll be ok since I don't take the exam till mid August. Good luck!

 

[jace's mom]

I work full time, and the semester before I took the MCAT I took a class two evenings per week, volunteered at the hospital 4 hrs per week, had family life, church activities, etc. My advice:

1) Keep a schedule and stick to it. I had a calendar that I followed religiously. I usually only studied about one hour per day, but if the calendar said to study periodic motion, I made sure to get it done by the end of the day.

2) Always be ready to study, even if it's just for 10 minutes. My job doesn't have much down time, so I would study during lunch. I also studied while my husband was driving places...when we waited in the theater before our daughter's choir concert...while I brushed my teeth (reviewing formulas)! When I gave exams to my students, I would study in my head while I watched them take their tests.

3) Be creative with your studying. When you've been working all day, just reading material won't work because you're too tired. So don't read any more than 30 minutes worth of material. After you've read, try to do something with it...answer practice questions, write a brief summary of what you read, draw a picture or make a chart about the material...some interactive way to make sure you understand it and won't fall asleep.

Hope these ideas help! Good luck to you!