MCAT preparation with a full time job and part-time classes

[samuel984]

Hi there,
I'm planning to apply for MD programs next year. I've done some research and it seems I should take MCAT before this September or Next Jan.
Currently, I have one full-time job as a scientist at a pharma company and taking 3 premed classes (General Chem 2, General Physics 2, Writing) for the pre-requisites part-time. I was wondering if there's anyone in a similar situation and what's your MCAT preparation plan? Thanks!

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[petomed]

Hi there,
I'm planning to apply for MD programs next year. I've done some research and it seems I should take MCAT before this September or Next Jan.
Currently, I have one full-time job as a scientist at a pharma company and taking 3 premed classes (General Chem 2, General Physics 2, Writing) for the pre-requisites part-time. I was wondering if there's anyone in a similar situation and what's your MCAT preparation plan? Thanks!

If you're looking to apply to medical school next year, 2023, then you'll be beginning medical school in July of 2024. If you meant that you would like to apply this year, 2022, then you will need to accelerate what I'm saying below by one year.

Most would agree it's advantageous to submit a completed app on the first possible day of the application season. While you can submit your application without an MCAT score, it's best to plan on having your MCAT result to make things less complicated. The AAMC does not provide for us the MCAT score release dates for those who wish to matriculate in 2024, as you have indicated, however we can use their timetable for the 2023 matriculation. Cross reference this with the fact that your MD application can be submitted the first week in June, and you should be taking your MCAT no later than April 30. Again, this is using the MCAT timetable for testing this year and matriculating next year. You've indicated you'd like to matriculate in 2024.

I would add two things. First, you don't know if you'll end up needing to retake the MCAT. No one plans on this, however you should strongly consider taking the MCAT earlier than April just in case you end up disappointed in your score.

Second, you indicated you are only interested in applying MD. I would recommend planning on applying DO as well, unless you're 150% positive you would never attend a DO school. If you change your mind and plan to also apply to DO schools, know that the DO application (AACOMAS) is completely separate from the MD application (AMCAS). Further, the DO application can be submitted the first week in May, which is about 30 days earlier than for MD schools. With this being the case, I'd plan on taking the MCAT no later than March 25 if you know you won't possibly retake it. To be safe for a retake, I'd suggest taking it early January.

As for MCAT prep, there are endless ways to do it.

Option 1, 6+ months of part-time preparation. If you're remaining fully employed, this is likely what will work with such other commitments.

Option 2, which is arguably the most common: ~3 months of full-time studying. This will mean you quit your job and study 40+ hrs/wk for at least three months.

Option 3, which I would personally do if I could go back in time: Pay the money and do an expensive review course with a well known test prep company. Anyone can score 510+ with a proper study plan, but these companies actually offer a money back guarantee if you follow their program. I believe you can even get on a weekend-only schedule and maintain your full-time job. The beauty of these review courses is that they are complete and force you through years worth of material in a very regimented schedule. 2-3k may sound like a lot, but it really isn't considering how expensive a single medical school application cycle can be.

Best of luck!

 

[skaran17]

If you're looking to apply to medical school next year, 2023, then you'll be beginning medical school in July of 2024. If you meant that you would like to apply this year, 2022, then you will need to accelerate what I'm saying below by one year.

Most would agree it's advantageous to submit a completed app on the first possible day of the application season. While you can submit your application without an MCAT score, it's best to plan on having your MCAT result to make things less complicated. The AAMC does not provide for us the MCAT score release dates for those who wish to matriculate in 2024, as you have indicated, however we can use their timetable for the 2023 matriculation. Cross reference this with the fact that your MD application can be submitted the first week in June, and you should be taking your MCAT no later than April 30. Again, this is using the MCAT timetable for testing this year and matriculating next year. You've indicated you'd like to matriculate in 2024.

I would add two things. First, you don't know if you'll end up needing to retake the MCAT. No one plans on this, however you should strongly consider taking the MCAT earlier than April just in case you end up disappointed in your score.

Second, you indicated you are only interested in applying MD. I would recommend planning on applying DO as well, unless you're 150% positive you would never attend a DO school. If you change your mind and plan to also apply to DO schools, know that the DO application (AACOMAS) is completely separate from the MD application (AMCAS). Further, the DO application can be submitted the first week in May, which is about 30 days earlier than for MD schools. With this being the case, I'd plan on taking the MCAT no later than March 25 if you know you won't possibly retake it. To be safe for a retake, I'd suggest taking it early January.

As for MCAT prep, there are endless ways to do it.

Option 1, 6+ months of part-time preparation. If you're remaining fully employed, this is likely what will work with such other commitments.

Option 2, which is arguably the most common: ~3 months of full-time studying. This will mean you quit your job and study 40+ hrs/wk for at least three months.

Option 3, which I would personally do if I could go back in time: Pay the money and do an expensive review course with a well known test prep company. Anyone can score 510+ with a proper study plan, but these companies actually offer a money back guarantee if you follow their program. I believe you can even get on a weekend-only schedule and maintain your full-time job. The beauty of these review courses is that they are complete and force you through years worth of material in a very regimented schedule. 2-3k may sound like a lot, but it really isn't considering how expensive a single medical school application cycle can be.

Best of luck!

Do you think these review prep courses provide more material than the prerequisite courses (eg Orgo 1-2, physics 1-2, biochemistry etc.) or is it just that they are more regimented and organized to help people study?

I honestly feel like 40+ hrs/week of studying would just lead to burnout but I could be wrong. My plan is just to take very good notes in all my prereq courses and review anything I don't fully understand continuously over the next couple years while I am taking them, and then spend the last semester with a lighter workload and more practice exams/review.

 

[petomed]

Do you think these review prep courses provide more material than the prerequisite courses (eg Orgo 1-2, physics 1-2, biochemistry etc.) or is it just that they are more regimented and organized to help people study?

I never did one so I can't say whether they provide more material than the prereq courses. They probably don't, however not every piece of minutia from those prereqs are tested. Some concepts are hit harder than others and I venture to guess test prep companies try hard to be successful at emphasizing the high yield material. As for being regimented, yes. Such courses are intrinsically regimented such that you get through all the material, which you may otherwise struggle with on your own.

I honestly feel like 40+ hrs/week of studying would just lead to burnout but I could be wrong. My plan is just to take very good notes in all my prereq courses and review anything I don't fully understand continuously over the next couple years while I am taking them, and then spend the last semester with a lighter workload and more practice exams/review.

All depends on you. If you can do this for phys 1-2, chem 1-2, orgo 1-2, biology 1-2, biochemistry, psych, soc, stats--power to ya. You probably also have a photographic memory. There's a memory decay curve for everyone and the longer you spread out the material, the more likely you are to forget the things you inadvertently haven't reviewed recently. This is why so many people cram 40+ hrs into those few months right before their exam. It's just very efficient.

As to whether you need as much time as I mentioned to do well on the MCAT, that again depends entirely on you. From my digging around when I was studying for the MCAT, it seemed to me that, while people can walk into the MCAT with much less than the average amount of time studying and nail a 90th percentile score--they are the exception, not the rule. As the old saying goes, you need to put in the work if you want to reap the benefits.

 

[esob]

The undergrad courses do little to help prepare you for the MCAT. Spaced repetition will help you more w/ rote facts (and there are a decent amount of questions that can be answered with brute force memorization) but the high-intensity study weeks help with the stamina portion of the test, which, for many is the limiting factor of their score.