MCAT studying while in school

[MercifulDoc]

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I have a low MCAT (27R) PS 8, VR 9, BS 10, WS R. I want to retake the MCAT before the new MCAT hits so that means it will be during the school year where I will be balancing a full course load as well. I was wondering how feasible is it to prepare for MCAT while studying for my school subjects? Does anyone have study tips? Anyone have any ideas?

Help would be appreciated.

EDIT: For the Fall Semester I have all my classes end at 1 PM everyday. I have one class 12.00-1.00 Monday, Wednesday; 2 classes 10-12 Tuesday, Thursday; 1 class 10:00-12:00 on Friday.

I was thinking of devoting 2-3 hours everyday for MCAT prep (will start mid august after I finish my summer school class). I hope to write end of December - January.

 

[HinduHammer]

I was not able to study MCAT effectively while in school (though I also have two jobs). Whenever a length assignment or test would come up, I would drop MCAT studying completely, and then have to pick it up again, having "forgot" some of the things I recently learned. The only thing that's been effective for me has been studying MCAT 8 hours / day with no other obligations. That is just my n=1.

 

[GeneParmesan29]

I was not able to study MCAT effectively while in school (though I also have two jobs). Whenever a length assignment or test would come up, I would drop MCAT studying completely, and then have to pick it up again, having "forgot" some of the things I recently learned. The only thing that's been effective for me has been studying MCAT 8 hours / day with no other obligations. That is just my n=1.

Couldn't agree more with HinduHammer. While studying during the semester, school work often trumped MCAT studying. I didn't learn too much until I could focus on MCAT with no other distractions. Although it's hard, people can study during the school year and be OK. It must take A LOT of dedication.

 

[MercifulDoc]

I see. How do people manage studying during the school year and be okay? I am wondering if there is a certain program (like the SN2ed MCAT method for school year)? I was thinking that if I have trouble keeping up with everything during the year, I will drop a course. What do you guys think?

Hindu Hammer and GeneParmesan, thanks for your imformative posts. what would you guys say you did wrong? What would you do differently to manage studying during the school year? (I am planning on having no other commitments than shool/no research/no ECs, etc. I already did all of this).

 

[frosted_flake]

I am studying during the semester for my test in November. I am free to share any tips/strategies I use with you! I am going to take 8 credit hours (I also work full time) so hopefully that helps a little bit. Could you go part time? Or fewer hours?

 

[sillyjoe]

I have a low MCAT (27R) PS 8, VR 9, BS 10, WS R. I want to retake the MCAT before the new MCAT hits so that means it will be during the school year where I will be balancing a full course load as well. I was wondering how feasible is it to prepare for MCAT while studying for my school subjects? Does anyone have study tips? Anyone have any ideas?

Help would be appreciated.

EDIT: For the Fall Semester I have all my classes end at 1 PM everyday. I have one class 12.00-1.00 Monday, Wednesday; 2 classes 10-12 Tuesday, Thursday; 1 class 10:00-12:00 on Friday.

I was thinking of devoting 2-3 hours everyday for MCAT prep (will start mid august after I finish my summer school class). I hope to write end of December - January.

It's not impossible to do. It is just very hard. You must really remain dedicated to a strict schedule that will most likely limit any other activities outside of school and MCAT depending how much you want to raise your score.

 

[wuhsabee]

I have a low MCAT (27R) PS 8, VR 9, BS 10, WS R. I want to retake the MCAT before the new MCAT hits so that means it will be during the school year where I will be balancing a full course load as well. I was wondering how feasible is it to prepare for MCAT while studying for my school subjects? Does anyone have study tips? Anyone have any ideas?

Help would be appreciated.

EDIT: For the Fall Semester I have all my classes end at 1 PM everyday. I have one class 12.00-1.00 Monday, Wednesday; 2 classes 10-12 Tuesday, Thursday; 1 class 10:00-12:00 on Friday.

I was thinking of devoting 2-3 hours everyday for MCAT prep (will start mid august after I finish my summer school class). I hope to write end of December - January.

I think it is doable if you only have school. I definitely had a hard time studying for the MCAT while taking a full course load + full time job + organizations. RE the gap year. And I also freaked out because each TBR chapter was taking me forever to get through.

If I could do it all over again, I would have watched Chads videos during the school year (one or two videos a day with extensive notes) and then speed through TBR. Instead of 8 hours through TBR, it would only take 4 hours because of chads videos (assuming you aren't super strong in your pre-reqs like I am).

Maybe you can do chads in a month (Aug - sept). Second and third month for TBR (sept-nov). When you hit winter break, you can start doing a buttload of practice tests. And rock the thing in January.

 

[GodComplex]

Like others have said, it is doable with dedication. I would say much less doable if you are working anything over 10 hours a week. I did the SN2 4 month schedule, with some adjustments, while I was in school full time. I would get to school early every day to study a couple hours before class started. Then, I had about 1-2 hours to study in between classes. After class (in the evening), I would rarely study for the MCAT unless I was behind. I would focus on school assignments, tests, eating with friends and watching some Netflix before bed.

 

[MercifulDoc]

Thanks to everyone for their informative posts!

Wuhsabee, this is the first time I hear of chads videos. What are they?

GodComplex, great post! Did you use any particular study books and materials? How long did it take to go through one chapter?

 

[GodComplex]

GodComplex, great post! Did you use any particular study books and materials? How long did it take to go through one chapter?

I used the materials listed under SN2's MCAT study schedule. I made some adjustments, like not using the EK 1001 series after about a month through the schedule and I never did the hat trick. I also started making flashcards at around the 2 month mark on questions that I missed or was fuzzy on. As far as how long it took to got through one chapter, it varied. There were some TBR chapters that were 40 pages long and others that were only 15. It usually would not take me any longer than 2-3 hours to read the chapters (only reading, excluding the passages).

 

[MercifulDoc]

I used the materials listed under SN2's MCAT study schedule. I made some adjustments, like not using the EK 1001 series after about a month through the schedule and I never did the hat trick. I also started making flashcards at around the 2 month mark on questions that I missed or was fuzzy on. As far as how long it took to got through one chapter, it varied. There were some TBR chapters that were 40 pages long and others that were only 15. It usually would not take me any longer than 2-3 hours to read the chapters (only reading, excluding the passages).

Thanks!

Did you make notes while reading the chapters? If I make notes it usually takes long (granted my note taking kinda sucks lol).

When did you do practice tests?

 

[poop420]

I will be finished with content review before classes start so I am wondering if taking classes while studying will hurt me alot. I always heard your last month of MCAT studyig should be the most intense.

 

[GodComplex]

Thanks!

Did you make notes while reading the chapters? If I make notes it usually takes long (granted my note taking kinda sucks lol).

When did you do practice tests?

I did not take notes while reading because of that exact reason. It took too long and I felt that the little good that it did do was not worth the amount of time that it took to take them. This will obviously vary from individual to individual.

I started taking practice tests right around a month before taking the MCAT.

I will be finished with content review before classes start so I am wondering if taking classes while studying will hurt me alot. I always heard your last month of MCAT studyig should be the most intense.

Your last month will mostly be practice tests and some review, depending on the schedule that you are using. As long as you have time to take practice exams and to review these exams and other weak points then you should be fine.

 

[poop420]

I did not take notes while reading because of that exact reason. It took too long and I felt that the little good that it did do was not worth the amount of time that it took to take them. This will obviously vary from individual to individual.

I started taking practice tests right around a month before taking the MCAT.



Your last month will mostly be practice tests and some review, depending on the schedule that you are using. As long as you have time to take practice exams and to review these exams and other weak points then you should be fine.

Ok I and doing the sn2d schedule . The 4 month one so I have 2 months of of school without doing content review ......... What do you suggest I spend the last 2 moths .. ?

 

[ImhotepIII]

I have a low MCAT (27R) PS 8, VR 9, BS 10, WS R. I want to retake the MCAT before the new MCAT hits so that means it will be during the school year where I will be balancing a full course load as well. I was wondering how feasible is it to prepare for MCAT while studying for my school subjects? Does anyone have study tips? Anyone have any ideas?

Help would be appreciated.

EDIT: For the Fall Semester I have all my classes end at 1 PM everyday. I have one class 12.00-1.00 Monday, Wednesday; 2 classes 10-12 Tuesday, Thursday; 1 class 10:00-12:00 on Friday.

I was thinking of devoting 2-3 hours everyday for MCAT prep (will start mid august after I finish my summer school class). I hope to write end of December - January.

I'm scheduled for Jan 15, 2015 so I plan on studying during this fall semester. I'll be taking OchemII lab, Human Physio, and Health Ed course while working ~24hrs a week & doing research. My game plan is to just practice passages during the semester and do brief review of what ever I'm having trouble with. But I started studying in mid June and have been doing passages sense then. But since you've already taking it, I was just focus on passages and see what your weak in. I mean this has been working for me this summer but if you can print out at least 5-8 passages and throughout the day just work on them, you can time your self too. I do passages while commuting, on my lunch breaks, waiting for transit, anywhere I have a few minutes. Good luck!

 

[HinduHammer]

I see. How do people manage studying during the school year and be okay? I am wondering if there is a certain program (like the SN2ed MCAT method for school year)? I was thinking that if I have trouble keeping up with everything during the year, I will drop a course. What do you guys think?

Hindu Hammer and GeneParmesan, thanks for your imformative posts. what would you guys say you did wrong? What would you do differently to manage studying during the school year? (I am planning on having no other commitments than shool/no research/no ECs, etc. I already did all of this).

What did I do wrong? Nothing really, in my opinion, thats just the nature of the beast. For me at least, you can't do school and maximize MCAT studying - unless your taking really easy classes that take like no effort, or your taking like one or two MCAT prerequisites which re-enforce your learning (even that though is iffy because MCAT tests very differently than college).

It sounds like your in this mode (like I was in), where your trying to plan strategically to maximize everything to set it up perfectly so when the time comes your in a position to succeed. Well, in my experience, to succeed for MCAT it needs to be your only devotion. Case in point, I only studied MCAT-only for the last two weeks, and I feel like I have gained more in these last two weeks than I have the 12 weeks prior by studying only ~3 days/week. At the end of the day, it comes down to dedication. If your really dedicated, you will make it work.

 

[poop420]

I second this I think its difficult to near insane to think you can do really well on this without giving atleast 5 hours a day of study and that the minimum in my eyes..

 

[Czarcasm]

Absolutely agree with several posters in this thread. Even with a light course load, you'll find it very difficult to manage. When a test or exam is approaching, you immediately put your MCAT studying on hold to focus on exam/assignments. Then you have to backtrack where you left off, and the cycle repeats. It's not impossible, but don't be surprised if you fall behind schedule. I just finished taking two advanced science classes this summer. My MCAT is scheduled August 7th. I should have kept it at August 27th. I am beyond exhausted at this point. Just hope it doesn't impact my performance.

 

[wegotthis14]

It's definitely possible, especially since your score indicates that you already know the material pretty well. The first time I took the MCAT, my entire duration of study was 4 months during the school year (earned a 30). I studied two to three hours a day and took 3 classes a quarter for two quarters.

If you want to score really well, you have to be very strict about maintaining your schedule and minimize your social life. Otherwise, you have to sacrifice your grades to an extent. I didn't have the discipline to do the former, so both my grades and MCAT score were lukewarm.

Focus on your problem areas instead of trying to go through all the material again. Also, do lots of practice passages. I found TBR helpful.

 

[ImhotepIII]

I second the above post @wegotthis14 , when I initially started studying my schedule was inconsistent for the first two weeks, and it was mostly do to poor study schedule. But once I stubled upon SN2"d 3month content plan, I just committed to it and have been rigorously working my way through it day by day. With that being said, I'm firm believer MCAT can be done during school if practically thought out according to ones intellectual affinity b/c we all have heard someone say "this person X studied for 1.5months and got a 35," I mean thats great but generally people need longer like myself. I think 6 month is adequate while during school, I plan to finish content at the end of this month (Aug) in which I have almost done all EK1001/ TPR WB questions, I usually try and do 9 - 12 passages a day (I smash through the EK). So during the semester, I plan on working through TBR passages and then during winter break start working on the Kaplan FL's and AAMC's.

 

[poop420]

I second the above post @wegotthis14 , when I initially started studying my schedule was inconsistent for the first two weeks, and it was mostly do to poor study schedule. But once I stubled upon SN2"d 3month content plan, I just committed to it and have been rigorously working my way through it day by day. With that being said, I'm firm believer MCAT can be done during school if practically thought out according to ones intellectual affinity b/c we all have heard someone say "this person X studied for 1.5months and got a 35," I mean thats great but generally people need longer like myself. I think 6 month is adequate while during school, I plan to finish content at the end of this month (Aug) in which I have almost done all EK1001/ TPR WB questions, I usually try and do 9 - 12 passages a day (I smash through the EK). So during the semester, I plan on working through TBR passages and then during winter break start working on the Kaplan FL's and AAMC's.

This can be very negative towards your final score if you wait too long to take the exam .. You would be surprised on how much you forget after 2 months of intense studying ... I hope the best for you and hope you are continuously reviewing. But If was in your shoe and already finish with content review I would be doing passages and FL for one more month then take the exam . No need to wait until January when you will forget the details of most you have studied

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

It is 100% possible to manage MCAT prep with a full 15 credit courseload. It can even be easy*

* Okay so a few things about how to manage this:

1. No part-time job, no volunteer work.

2. No clubs, sports, etc. (or at least very minimized)

3. No lab courses, or other classes that are demanding. Get all your "gen ed" type classes out of the way during this semester.

4. Use the EK books instead of the TBR books since you're going to want to have as little time as possible spent with raw reading.

5. Make it an absolute priority to get through AAMC #3-11 and all Self-Assessment Packages and the EK books. Don't overload yourself with ancillary resources. You're better off re-doing and 100% mastering a passage from the AAMC than doing several new passages.

6. Make a schedule and stick to it. Do your MCAT work in the same place every day and when you're doing MCAT work, shut off your phone (not silent. not vibrate. OFF.). "Stick to your schedule" also means when your schedule says to stop, stop. Even if you feel a little nervous or behind, if you've allocated 12pm - 2pm to do MCAT, then stop at 2pm. Pushing too hard will lead to burnout.

7. Sleep.

8. Exercise.

9. Sleep and exercise.

10. Sleep and exercise and hang out with your friends at night on Thirsty Thursdays (or whenever, but build in down time and make yourself take that time off).

Good luck!! 🙂