- Studying for the MCAT while working a full-time job
can seem like a difficult challenge.
However, many students with full-time jobs
or full-time class schedules managed to achieve a high score
and succeed on the MCAT.
Welcome back to the
Shemmassian Academic Consulting YouTube channel.
My name is Vikram Shaw,
and today, we'll be discussing four important tips
to keep in mind if you're planning on studying for the MCAT
while also working at a full-time job.
(upbeat electronic music)
To build a successful study schedule,
there are a few key considerations we wanna keep in mind.
These points will also apply to students
who are studying for the MCAT
without working a full-time job.
However, we've adapted these specific timelines
for those who are working a full-time job
while studying for the MCAT.
One reason that studying for the MCAT
while working a full-time job might seem daunting
is the sheer amount of time it takes to read
and learn all of the content that can be presented.
While you may not have the luxury
of dedicating eight to 10 hours a day
to studying for the MCAT,
you can still fit your studying in
with smaller chunks of time.
Over the next few minutes,
we'll discuss strategies you can use
to maximize your efficiency
while still maintaining your work quality.
While it's, by no means, an easy task,
the skills you will develop now
will serve you well throughout medical school
and the rest of your life.
Tip number one, complete smaller tasks throughout the day.
Many times, when students sit down to study,
they have the mindset
that they need to study for several hours
without getting distracted at all
and really just be perfect
over the course of those several hours
while they're studying.
While it's true that studying uninterrupted for a few hours
can help you score well on the MCAT,
it's not absolutely necessary.
Performing small tasks throughout the day
can also be extremely valuable study time
despite what you may think.
For instance, covering one
or two hours of content every night
may allow you to take the MCAT in much less than a year.
When planning your study schedule,
it's important not to let perfect be the enemy of good.
For instance, while taking a full-length practice
Psychology and Sociology section might be ideal,
doing five or 10 problems at a time
is much better than doing nothing at all.
Again, don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Completing small tasks consistently
will help move the needle in the right direction over time,
even though you might not be conventionally studying
for the MCAT by putting in many hours a day.
Other small tasks may be built
into your daily living routine,
such as using flashcards to review
and memorize vocabulary on your daily commute
or doing a practice CARS passage
as soon as you wake up in the morning.
The key to making this approach to study and work
is being able to build consistency in your schedule.
Studying for an hour or two every day for a few months
will indeed begin to add up.
However, studying an hour or two sporadically
for a few months
will lead to little or really no progress at all.
Another great mentality to keep
is that action leads to motivation.
Many of us, myself included,
often think that the more motivated we are to do something,
the more likely we are to do it.
However, motivation fades quickly.
A more sustainable approach
is to base your studying around action
instead of motivation.
Action leads to motivation,
which, in turn, leads to even more motivation.
As you see yourself make incremental progress
as a result of your action,
you're more motivated to keep on working
and keep on studying.
So, long story short,
if you keep on completing
that practice CARS passage every morning,
you're more likely to sustain your studying and motivation
for a longer period of time.
Tip number two, take plenty of practice full-length exams.
In addition to studying consistently
for small periods of time to cover your content knowledge
and start making a dent in your practice problems,
sitting down to regularly take full-length exams
is incredibly important.
Taking these practice exams will allow you to synthesize
the content knowledge you have reviewed,
assess your progress at points in time,
and develop the stamina to take an eight-hour exam.
When planning your study schedule,
be sure to plan to take at least five full-length exams.
One at the beginning of your studying
and at least four in the weeks leading up to your exam.
These may be best scheduled during weekends, holidays,
or strategically-scheduled vacation days.
As someone studying for the MCAT with a full-time job,
this phase of your preparation
will undoubtedly be the most difficult.
You'll find it challenging
to take a full length exam
after working a full week at your job.
With that being said,
there are some ways to work around this.
For example, if you know that you'll take
a full-length exam on Saturday,
be sure to get plenty of rest
when your work week finishes on Friday.
You can even pretend that you're going in
for another day at work on Saturday.
If fitting in a full-length exam is impossible
given your full-time job and life responsibilities,
try breaking up your full-length exams
into bite-sized pieces.
For example, you can take your Chem-Phys section
after work on Monday,
your CARS section after work on Tuesday,
your Biology and Biochemistry section
after work on Wednesday,
and your Psycho-Soc section after work on Thursday,
then take Friday completely off from your MCAT work,
and review your exam on Saturday and/or Sunday.
With the proper foresight and planning,
it's possible to fit in a substantial number
of full-length MCAT Practice Tests
even while you're working a full-time job.
Tip number three, plan for contingencies.
Despite all your best planning,
emergencies and unexpected situations may arise.
When planning your study schedule
and signing up for a test date,
don't forget to consider
personal and professional obligations in your life
that might end up consuming more time
than you initially expected.
These might include pressing work deadlines,
family holidays and gatherings, or even sick days.
Building an extra few weeks or even a month
into your study schedule
may allow you to catch up on any material
you may be behind on
at a much less frantic pace
while still being able to indulge
in the enjoyable aspects of your non-MCAT life.
There are two general approaches
to building flexibility into your study schedule.
The first approach is a weekly flex day.
The main goal of this day is to rest and recharge.
So, ideally, you won't schedule any MCAT work on this day.
We want you to approach that next week, reset,
and ready to attack your MCAT goals for that week.
With that being said, if you get behind during the week,
you can use this day as a time to catch up.
The second approach,
which is similar to what we mentioned before,
is to include an extra week up to an extra month
of extra time in your study prep
to account for unexpected life events
that may periodically interfere with your studying.
So, if a major life event comes up
that causes you to miss an entire week of studying,
it's not a problem as that simply eats
into that flex time you've built
at the end of your study schedule before your test day.
Tip number four, build a support community.
Finally to our fourth tip on studying for the MCAT
while working a full-time job.
Any difficult task is always easier
when you have a supportive community by your side.
Studying for the MCAT is no exception.
During this time, it can be incredibly important
to have a group of trusted friends
and family you can rely on for support.
These members of your support community
don't necessarily need to also be studying for the MCAT,
but they can still be your biggest cheerleaders.
You may ask them to do things
such as run small errands and chores for you,
spend time with you as you're studying,
or even check in with you and your study schedule every day
to make sure you're being held accountable.
(gentle electronic music)
(keyboard clacking)
Studying for the MCAT while working a full-time job
is difficult,
but it's far from impossible.
Throughout this video,
we've gone over a few tips
for building a successful study schedule
if you're working full-time while studying for the MCAT.
We really hope this video
has been a helpful resource for you in your MCAT studying.
If you'd like an MCAT question of the day
delivered to your inbox every single day,
click the link in our description below.
In addition, feel free to leave a comment
if there's an MCAT topic you'd like to see us cover.
Finally, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel
and like this video
if you'd like to see more videos like this.
We'll see you next time and best of luck studying.
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