Taking MCAT during leave of absence??

[june_sp]

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[Jillianrae]

I need some advice.

I took a leave of absence from school 2 years ago for financial reasons, planned on returning this year, but it seems like I will have to take another year off since I still don't have enough money to pay for the tuition. 🙁 I'm feeling apprehensive of the fact that I am taking 3 years off, and I feel like I'm slowly drifting away from the academia..So in order for me to stay the course, I thought maybe I should prepare for MCAT now and take it while I'm away from school (probably in April of next year). This way I would force myself to study, and it would help me adjust to the academic life once I go back to school. Does this sound like a good idea? Am I even allowed to take an MCAT even if I am not in school?? 😕

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Yes, you are allowed to take the MCAT even if you're not in school (that's what a lot of non-trads have to do. Whether or not you should take the MCAT during an absence from school depends on whether or not you've had the biology, chemistry, and physics (and of course remember enough that you feel comfortable). If you're having financial difficulties it might be hard for you to take a review course such as Kaplan or Princeton Review. There are lots of people who study on their own and don't do the review courses, but it really depends on you. Taking it when you don't have classes to worry about may help your stress level. I know that I had a pretty heavy course load when I took the MCAT, and my friends thought I was going to crack by the end of it.

I guess what I'm saying is that it depends on what you're comfortable with. You always have the option of retaking the MCAT if you're unhappy with your score.