Studying for the MCAT while working full-time (40+ hrs/wk)

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BlondeBabe915

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Hello SDNites!

I am a recent graduate from college and decided to take a gap year before applying in order to save money for the application process and get more exposure to the medical field. I currently work full-time as a Research Specialist in a laboratory and will begin studying for the MCAT next week 4-5 hrs/day 5 days/wk study schedule for a Dec test date.

Anyone have any advice for those that are working full-time while attempting to study?

Thank you in advance!

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I did it... what i did was wake up early for the 4 months before my exam and study for 2-3 hours in the morning before going into work. I found that I was too exhausted to get any good studying done after work, so it worked better for me to wake up early (even though it was very very painful lol). Just find out what works best for you, most study schedules work for 2-3 hours per day plus a full length on the weekend. You'll want to take some time off before your exam to put in full days of studying- that's what I did and it helped me immensely (definitely felt like my last couple weeks of 8-10 hours/day was essential for me). Just find when you do your best studying and force yourself to keep to your schedule. I didn't have much of a social life, but it was just temporary. Also, download chemistry apps on your phone. I had one for amino acids and another for functional groups and when I had downtime/lunch breaks at work I would use those apps.
 
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I did it... what i did was wake up early for the 4 months before my exam and study for 2-3 hours in the morning before going into work. I found that I was too exhausted to get any good studying done after work, so it worked better for me to wake up early (even though it was very very painful lol). Just find out what works best for you, most study schedules work for 2-3 hours per day plus a full length on the weekend. You'll want to take some time off before your exam to put in full days of studying- that's what I did and it helped me immensely (definitely felt like my last couple weeks of 8-10 hours/day was essential for me). Just find when you do your best studying and force yourself to keep to your schedule. I didn't have much of a social life, but it was just temporary. Also, download chemistry apps on your phone. I had one for amino acids and another for functional groups and when I had downtime/lunch breaks at work I would use those apps.
That does not sound too rough, especially because I am more of a morning person than evening. I was planning on waking up early to study because when I get home I am pretty mentally tired since my position required a lot of critical thinking. The app tip is a great one since I sometimes have downtime during assays. Thanks for the tips!
 
This is essentially what I did, I would suggest starting your studying much earlier than people who study full time for 3 months (I studied for 7-8 months) so you can still get equivalent hours in. Also, studies have shown that retention is better when you space your studying over a longer period of time.
 
You can do it! As others have mentioned, it's possible, just never let your determination falter! Be fully aware burn out can happen tho, and try to take a break when you it.
 
Hello SDNites!

I am a recent graduate from college and decided to take a gap year before applying in order to save money for the application process and get more exposure to the medical field. I currently work full-time as a Research Specialist in a laboratory and will begin studying for the MCAT next week 4-5 hrs/day 5 days/wk study schedule for a Dec test date.

Anyone have any advice for those that are working full-time while attempting to study?

Thank you in advance!
Hey is there even a December test date? I may be wrong but I think the closest test date to December is late Jan
 
There are no December test dates. You will be taking late January, anyhow; yes it is possible to study for the MCAT while working full time and many others have done it (as you can see here). However, the MCAT is a marathon and has the potential to burn you out. So be prepared to make changes along the way if you feel like you need it (cut down your hours). Also, this depends on how familiar you are with the content, if you're fresh out of college and did well in your science classes then you should be fine. I graduated in May and planned to study for the exam until July but didn't seem to have enough time so I had to postpone mine. What I'm trying to say is that everyone is different and just because some people say you can study for the MCAT while working full time doesn't mean that everyone else can.


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I did it with a toddler and a newborn. Working 36-60 hrs a week, day shift on 12 hr shifts. Was never optional-wife works part-time.

It kinda really sucks but I think it was an intro of what I need to expect for medical school. Was either in the library by 0800 until 1700 or locked in my room (desk in there).

You absolutely have to respect the hell out of this test. People are found out every test period when they didn't really commit and thought it'd be okay.

I remember my son at the door asking me to come play. It killed me but I made myself earn that personal time.

Basically, working, you will have full days and half focused days. Try to learn anki. Would make cards right after an EK chapter, send to my phone and use those cards for when i had downtime at work or when I am doing things with family.

Get a big calender and plan ahead of time. Plan for breaks. Plan mock test days of what you will eat. Account for everytning.

It will be tough. I definitely didnt hit my full mental capacity for test material, but, with work i hit my exhaustive capacity and had to trust I had done all I could handle. My scored AAMC 1 week out was a 506 and i made a balanced 508 on the real deal.

I used MCATJelly's plan and just adapted to my schedule. Stretched it out to ~ 4 months. You have plenty of time to plan this out and be successful. Seems like you are already on top of things thinking about this ahead of time. Good luck. Send me a PM if I could help somehow.

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Totally doable. I'm also a researcher and I found that breaks during experiments were perfect for doing flashcard or single topic review (lol running so many gels). Just save your serious content review for when you have longer uninterrupted amounts of time so you don't lose your focus. (nothing worse than someone asking you a question while you're trying to wrap your mind around a complex topic). Also be aware that some days you're going to come home so exhausted from work that you just can't bring yourself to study. Don't beat yourself up about it, just make sure you have extra slack built into your schedule to accommodate it. I studied for 3 months, ended up probably getting more like 2.5 months study out of it. Ended up doing well (524) but going in I wished I'd had just a little more time.
 
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