MCAT Advice - To take or not to take

[TitusAndro]

Hi to anyone who sees this. So I am going to do my best not to whine or complain because I know many people have had it far worse than me, but I am not sure what my next steps should be in this situation. So this is my second time taking the MCAT. The first time I took it, I voided it. I was foolish to think that I could manage a full time job, a prep course and study at the same time. Others may have done it, but I could not. This time around, I did not go back to work and devoted the summer to just studying and taking a prep course. There have been some family issues going on in the house (fighting, yelling, etc.) which have made studying in a quiet environment difficult. Jump to the last month of prep, and my grandmother has fallen ill. This has resulted in me having to take her to the ER multiple times, doctor's appointments and physical therapists as she is physically weak. I hope I don't sound like I am complaining because I want to be there for her and help in any way I can. But it has progressed into me having to care for her throughout the day with meals and helping her around the house. My younger brother is not helpful and will not help. My parents are always at work and don't see how much I have to help her around the house. I'm getting more stressed with my test date coming up on Sept 1st and with my grandmother's health deteriorating. Again, I do not want to sound like I am complaining but I am starting to get very anxious multiple times throughout the day. I don't feel like I am in the mindset to write the test and focus, but I am so angry with myself for a) not being able to manage and b) not doing it right the first time around. Should I not take the test this time around and wait until next summer? Or should I push through and go with it? Thank you for any input in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rdyotz]

This test is extremely important (obviously), therefore don't take it until you are ready and in the right mindset.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

Hi to anyone who sees this. So I am going to do my best not to whine or complain because I know many people have had it far worse than me, but I am not sure what my next steps should be in this situation. So this is my second time taking the MCAT. The first time I took it, I voided it. I was foolish to think that I could manage a full time job, a prep course and study at the same time. Others may have done it, but I could not. This time around, I did not go back to work and devoted the summer to just studying and taking a prep course. There have been some family issues going on in the house (fighting, yelling, etc.) which have made studying in a quiet environment difficult. Jump to the last month of prep, and my grandmother has fallen ill. This has resulted in me having to take her to the ER multiple times, doctor's appointments and physical therapists as she is physically weak. I hope I don't sound like I am complaining because I want to be there for her and help in any way I can. But it has progressed into me having to care for her throughout the day with meals and helping her around the house. My younger brother is not helpful and will not help. My parents are always at work and don't see how much I have to help her around the house. I'm getting more stressed with my test date coming up on Sept 1st and with my grandmother's health deteriorating. Again, I do not want to sound like I am complaining but I am starting to get very anxious multiple times throughout the day. I don't feel like I am in the mindset to write the test and focus, but I am so angry with myself for a) not being able to manage and b) not doing it right the first time around. Should I not take the test this time around and wait until next summer? Or should I push through and go with it? Thank you for any input in advance.

What have your practice scores been like? If it's not ABOVE what you want on the actual test, postpone. I say above because you will not be 100% on test day with all this extra stuff going on. If you postpone, your shot at med stuff this year will be extremely difficult... I took the MCAT 3x (had upward trend for all 3). If you do worse on this one than the second, it could screw your chances at MD. Good luck!

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

I don’t think you should take it. Seems like you are in a tough place right now and haven’t been able to study as much. Why don’t you go to the library to study?

 

[TitusAndro]

What have your practice scores been like? If it's not ABOVE what you want on the actual test, postpone. I say above because you will not be 100% on test day with all this extra stuff going on. If you postpone, your shot at med stuff this year will be extremely difficult... I took the MCAT 3x (had upward trend for all 3). If you do worse on this one than the second, it could screw your chances at MD. Good luck!

Unfortunately, they have not been above what I want on the actual test. I will try another FL and see where I should go with it.

 

[TitusAndro]

I don’t think you should take it. Seems like you are in a tough place right now and haven’t been able to study as much. Why don’t you go to the library to study?

All local libraries around me are children's ones with no quiet study space or noisy study spaces. There is a university one but it is quite far from my home. I have tried studying in libraries when I can though

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

All local libraries around me are children's ones with no quiet study space or noisy study spaces. There is a university one but it is quite far from my home. I have tried studying in libraries when I can though

Yeah I’ve tried public libraries and they are horrible. I meant school. Do you not have a community college nearby?

 

[TitusAndro]

Yeah I’ve tried public libraries and they are horrible. I meant school. Do you not have a community college nearby?

Shoot, I haven't actually thought of college libraries. I'm going to try it out. Thank you