Is it ok to go 3-4 months without a job to study for MCAT?

[James'Magikarp]

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I haven’t had a successful cycle this year, and I want to retake my MCAT in case I must reapply.

I’ve been out of undergrad for 4 years now, and my 1st MCAT attempt was 2 years ago. I’ve pretty much forgotten everything at this point and need to re-learn everything. Plus, I feel the pressure to do much, much better the 2nd time around.

Would adcoms care if I only study for MCAT without doing much else?? Ideally, my schedule would be MCAT studying (40h/week) plus some volunteering (10h/week).

 

[harkas]

They do not care. I did the exact same thing and I doubt they even noticed the gap in my activities.

 

[lol_new_user]

I didn't have a job for the summer I studied for the mcat. It's a big test, and honestly for me the best results are when you have 6+ hours to dedicate a day. and that's 6+ QUALITY hours.

Many many people just take the summer to study for MCAT. But many also have a full time job. You just need to understand how much time you need.

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

ADCOMs don't give a diddly poo about summer employment. Borrow some money from parents if you got some bills to pay the next 3-4 months.

You have a singular purpose now: find a nice quiet library --- turn off your phone --- and cram for the MCAT 6-8 hrs. a day and 10 if you're "in the zone"

 

[3toedsloth]

No one is going to question why you had a gap in employment. And if they do, studying for the MCAT is a pretty good reason to not work.

 

[CJhooper123]

Yes - a career as a physician is at stake

 

[mariposas905]

I didn't have a job for the summer I studied for the mcat. It's a big test, and honestly for me the best results are when you have 6+ hours to dedicate a day. and that's 6+ QUALITY hours.

Many many people just take the summer to study for MCAT. But many also have a full time job. You just need to understand how much time you need.

ADCOMs don't give a diddly poo about summer employment. Borrow some money from parents if you got some bills to pay the next 3-4 months.

You have a singular purpose now: find a nice quiet library --- turn off your phone --- and cram for the MCAT 6-8 hrs. a day and 10 if you're "in the zone"

Is this the same thing for employment during the year or just for summer employment? I mean, if someone takes 3-4 months off during the semester to study solely for the MCAT, is that okay? I think that is also what OP wanted to do...

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

Is this the same thing for employment during the year or just for summer employment? I mean, if someone takes 3-4 months off during the semester to study solely for the MCAT, is that okay? I think that is also what OP wanted to do...

MCAT scores FAR outweigh any employment when applying to med schools --- unless you worked in a lab where you discovered the cure for cancer 😀

 

[MDhopeful324]

I can't find the thread at the moment, but someone asked a very similar question earlier this month and the consensus was that you want to be doing something else as well. Does that mean you have to work 40+ hours/week while studying? No. But you may want to commit some of your time to let's say volunteering or your research, job, etc.
(Btw, it is possible to work full time and study for a retake. I did it. As a previous commenter mentioned, you just need to know yourself and your needs very well). Good luck!

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

I'll be honest...I wish I could have taken 4 months off to study for the MCAT. If you can you absolutely should. It is the most important test of your life so far.

 

[James'Magikarp]

Thank you everyone for your input!

I've been working full-time for past 4 years now, so I definitely have enough savings to live off of for awhile. I'll just quit my full-time job and focus on my MCAT retake! I'll do some volunteering on the side to keep myself sane

 

[878956]

The MCAT is a full-time job. Quitting one job for another makes a lot of sense.

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

I've been working full-time for past 4 years now, so I definitely have enough savings to live off of for awhile. I'll just quit my full-time job and focus on my MCAT retake! I'll do some volunteering on the side to keep myself sane

Like many other people have stated, this is one of the most important exams in your life --- so devote 110% to it and don't worry about some piddly job for the next few months.

Of course, take time for study breaks so you don't go bonkers burying your face in prep books for 8-12 hours a day. Set aside time for a Netflix movie every night, or heading to the local Starbucks to enjoy a nice latte and goofin' off on the Interwebs. Just getting out of the house/library is stress relief in itself. Walking in the park with a dog on a warm spring day is wonderful for the mind and soul. Study breaks help you relax and get ready for the next marathon stretch of cramming! 😀

 

[Welshman]

I personally wouldn't recommend taking over 3 months off to avoid burnout. I did the same as you but did ~12 of research of the side and I found that I got awfully tired of studying for it around the ~2.5 month mark, to the point where the week before my exam I hardly studied lol. Maybe its just my personal experience but I think I could have done much better (ie matching my AAMC FLs) if I condensed my study time by a week or so.

 

[ThinkMaize]

Doing well on the MCAT is much more important than being able to explain every month of your adult career.

 

[Ampharos]

I don't think that the main worry should be the gap of time that you wouldn't be at the job, but rather would you be financially able to handle 1) not working during that time and 2) the difficulties with potentially finding work after you take the MCAT. Applying is also quite expensive if you do not qualify for FAP.

Are you aiming to submit the AMCAS June 2018?

 

[Dwight Snoot]

Absolutely it's okay! I truly believe this is what most successful MCAT takers do/should be doing.