MCAT studying while working?

[kobeforpresidnt]

I work a 9-5 research job. I am taking the MCAT in January. Should I take time off from my job for a few months to study, or have plenty of you guys taken the test while still working/taking school?

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[notageek]

Hey, I'm in the same boat as yoU except my hours are 9am to 9pm. I asked my boss to decrease my work load in december and januart as well as take a week off before the test. U should also maybe give ur boss a heads up or suggest something sumilar if u think u will benefit from it. However, I think it is doable .. I hope.. Just make a schedule and stick to it and maybe even take an hour before work and do some mcat stuff. It'll even help your mindset in the morning.

 

[MP50801]

I work a 9-5 research job. I am taking the MCAT in January. Should I take time off from my job for a few months to study, or have plenty of you guys taken the test while still working/taking school?

I was in the same situation as you. I was employed full-time and started studying for the MCAT last October for the January test date. I set aside 3-4 hours everyday afterwork to study. I still ended up pushing my test date back to April because I wanted to take more practice tests. Just manage your time wisely and set weekly goals for yourself and Im sure you will do fine.

 

[pitt1166]

I think it depends what exactly your research entails.

I was fortunate enough to have a job at a med school running Western blots all day, which meant I could get probably six hours of studying done per eight hour workday.

 

[aznb0y129]

For the past six months, I was working 9-5 as a research coordinator, finishing up my prereqs (Orgo II and Physics II) at night, volunteering on Saturdays and taking Kaplan on Sundays. I also had to do my AMCAS application and secondaries simultaneously. Not the most pleasant schedule in retrospect, but I think it was manageable if you can multi-task.

 

[J ROD]

It is definitely doable.

There are many factors to consider. Your ability to stay on task, how much you need to prepare, your intelligence level with the MCAT just to name a few.

I think about 2-3 hrs a night taking Friday off and then maybe 5-10 hrs over the weekend would be enough over the course of 2-3 months. It really depends on you. Noone on here can tell you for certain.

Just make sure you have a solid foundation in knowledge and get in alot of practice before you take the real MCAT.

 

[RaVen777]

I took the test last Sep 7. Prior to that I was working from May-Aug doing 9-5 research. I was able to end my work term 3 weeks before the test and study really really hard. However, before that I had to find time to study in the evenings. I think if I would have studied longer/harder or not worked I may have gotten a better score, but whatever. I am not going to take it again.

 

[Neuro178]

I am pre-dental, not pre-med, but I can give some advice... I just took the DAT, and I worked in a lab all summer, 40 hours a week (and sometimes on weekends). I was dead tired when I came home from work, and I still forced myself to study afterwards. I ended up having a week off before my test, which was nice, but I wish I would've had maybe 3 weeks off prior to the test. If you can't get off work, even working part-time would be much better. You don't want to feel stressed right before the big day because you felt that you didn't get to study enough. Sacrifice a few weeks off (if you can), and I think things will go much more smoothly.