MCAT Studying Taking Too Long...

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[lmladdno84]

Nobody should ever spend 4 months studying for the MCAT, let alone 3 years.


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[0dee]

Three years dedicated to studying for the MCAT? or you had a job while doing other things (EC's) along with studying for the MCAT? Because if it's the former then that wouldn't look good at all.

 

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[mathnerd88]

Show that you can handle a 40 hour work week and that you can do well on the MCAT at the same time. Otherwise, if all they see no ECs in your gap year it would look bad.

Plenty of non traditional applicants have a full time job, volunteer, and have a good MCAT score all in the same period. If you need to take a long time to study MCAT then you need to start figuring out ways to efficiently study or you won't be able to handle school.

 

[bunchesonothing]

How would they know it's because you were studying for the MCAT. Do some clinical volunteering/work. Why do they need to know the reason?

 

[mathnerd88]

How would they know it's because you were studying for the MCAT. Do some clinical volunteering/work. Why do they need to know the reason?

Because AACOMAS is going to ask how many hours he's been volunteering/work. If he is being honest, the hours will be very little for three years out of school.

40 hrs/week*52 weeks/year*3 years = roughly 6000 hours. If he can account for those 6000 hours then it is fine.

 

[bunchesonothing]

Because AACOMAS is going to ask how many hours he's been volunteering/work. If he is being honest, the hours will be very little for three years out of school.

I don't think that leads straight to that answer. I also don't think most adcoms have the time to really analyze each and every application quite so deeply.

 

[mathnerd88]

I don't think that leads straight to that answer. I also don't think most adcoms have the time to really analyze each and every application quite so deeply.

Perhaps. The problem isn't even this. The OP is setting himself up for failure if he needs to spend 3 years to study for the MCAT. Medical school is going to be very difficult to handle and boards would be impossible.

If the OP has taken the prerequisites, it should take at most only 4-5 months of full time studying to do well on the MCAT.

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

I was wondering if med schools would look down on a student who took a long time to study for the MCAT. If a student finishes undergrad at the age of 22, then applies for the first time at the age of 25 to Med School with a good MCAT score and GPA but it's because that student actually spent 3 years studying for the MCAT how bad does that look??

I took the MCAT 3 times, over the course of 3 years.

The avg age of med school for DO is like 26ish. Focus on getting a high MCAT, and not your age.

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

The former.... I'm a non-science, non-trad student. In short, it was a combination of bad studying habits and lack of content knowledge. I took the MCAT once, didn't do well. Went back to my cc and took Biochem and was involved in EC's and now deciding to watch every Khan Academy video from A-Z and learn all the content. It just feels like it's taking forever

I studied 8-12 hours a day with 5-10 minutes snack and/or restroom break every 3 hours -- camped at the 24-hours library.

I'm not smart by a long shot. If I can do it, anyone can. I also have ADHD, taking no medication.

I deleted all of my games, broke up with my gf, removed all of my social apps from my phone and went ham on the MCAT.

 

[aspirations101]

I studied 8-12 hours a day with 5-10 minutes snack and/or restroom break every 3 hours -- camped at the 24-hours library.

I'm not smart by a long shot. If I can do it, anyone can. I also have ADHD, taking no medication.

I deleted all of my games, broke up with my gf, removed all of my social apps from my phone and went ham on the MCAT.

For how many weeks?


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[oOKawaiiOo]

For how many weeks?

1st attempt: 2011 April-August (5-10 hours 6/7 days); LOW MCAT

[Gap year -- obtained another B.S degree]

2nd attempt: 2013 April-August 2013 (5-10 hours 6/7 days); had to cancel my MCAT due to a scribe position
2nd attempt (again): 2014 April- August (10-12 hours 7/7 days); +5 points from prior, rescheduled for November
3rd attempt: 2014 September-November 10-12 hours 7/7 days); +6 points from last attempt

Books: TBR + 101 verbal passages + Exam Krackers (Bio/Chem/Physics/OChem) + lots of praying and tears

 

[TheOther]

What others have said is true. If you need 3 years to study for a good enough MCAT score, I'm not sure if you can handle the work load of med school. It's not the hardest conceptually, but the sheer volume is constantly overwhelming.

If you can crush the MCAT, do some serious EC in medicine (eg. I have a friend who's an EM doc - he volunteered for a year as a surgical intern abroad) and shadow DOs, you shouldn't have a problem standing out as an applicant. Granted your GPA is solid (3.5+).

 

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[TheOther]

With that GPA and an solid MCAT (equivalent to 26+), you should be fine...as long as you have some medical EC under your belt and a good grasp of exactly why osteopathic medicine.

 

[Philotic]

I don't think it'll look bad at all if you're also doing other activities which can enhance your growth/learning/contribution to the community in those 3 years. Many people take gap years after undergrad and use that time to study for the MCATs, work, or volunteer. That being said, you should ask yourself:

1) Do you really need 3 years, or could you study more efficiently in a shorter amount of time?
2) Will you still remember what you learned in year 1 by year 3?
3) How likely are you to be burned out by the studying?

This was me after 3 months of studying:

By the end I was going crazy and wasn't absorbing much information anymore. @_@ I think there's a point where studying more gives you diminishing returns. I personally would not recommend studying more than 3-4 months for the MCAT, even when working full-time (I opted not to take classes the semester I was going to take the MCATs).

Try to stay sane, my friend....best of luck!!