MCAT study schedule

[PersonBehindAScreen]

This is pretty far away from now but I will be done with my remaining prereqs around this time next year (biochem and phys 2) in May 2020 which I could then begin another gap year for MCAT studying and strengthening my application for when I eventually apply MD or DO. I wanted to take the MCAT in time to apply to SMP programs that would start summer or fall of 2021 meaning I would take it either in September 2020 or in Jan 2021. I used studyschedule.org for a rough estimate of how my time would be used. I put a max of 5 hours of studying a day due to 40 hour work weeks and an SO with kids. Resources would be all Kaplan books except P/S. all KA, all AAMC, and uworld. Projecting a September test date made it automatically bump me up to 7 hour days because 5 isn't enough. Projecting a January test date would tell me it's too long a schedule and I should scale it back to November which doesn't have test dates. Between work and kids I'd barely be able to study during the semester while taking biochem and phys 2 so that's out of the question.

So what should I do guys? Is a May to January schedule feasible? Should I try to cram it to September? Should I start studying later to get closer to January? I want to give myself as good of an opportunity as I can to knock it out of the park. I didn't care in undergrad with my non-science degree and my gpa shows for it. I need to show that's not who I am anymore and that I can handle the material. Has anyone had a similar dilemma?

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[PersonBehindAScreen]

Forgot to add I'd also have full length for practice from NS, Kaplan, and EK.

 

[toogoofy]

Can you give us more info on you as a student? The answer will be totally predicated on how fast you are able to ramp up. I'm leaning towards Jan-May.

 

[PersonBehindAScreen]

Can you give us more info on you as a student? The answer will be totally predicated on how fast you are able to ramp up. I'm leaning towards Jan-May.

Practice questions is how I learn best, simply doing it not reading about it is how I'd say I really get the information. I consider myself a pretty fast reader and retain the information pretty well. I'd be confident about a 3 month window if I could study full time with no other obligations but since got work and little ones running around and the occasional distraction it throws a wrench in how much I think I would need. And when you say jan-may do you mean starting in May and just take the whole time to study those months? Or do you mean take it in May of the same year I want to do an SMP if I needed?