MCAT Tip of the Week - Time Management

Hello all! First let me state, the purpose of this blog is not to make pre-med students quiver in their boots. I'm just sharing stuff I've learned or experienced with the outside world. I know pre-med societies at schools tend to exist to make your life miserable beyond comprehension and they attempt to make you fear the process of getting into medical school. While getting into medical school is definitely formidable, it is nothing to be feared, but rather, enjoyed (this is something I never internalized, I was always walking around in fear of failing or not doing enough). So, alas, breathe, and just take the journey where it may lead you, work hard, and aim high.

That being said, I am going to try and present some little piece of information that I learned about the MCAT or something I learned while studying for the MCAT in these tip of the week posts. These may or may not be weekly, but hey, Tip of the Week sounds better than month, year or whatever it may actually be. This weeks tip involves time management (not while taking the test, but studying for the test).

When I began studying for the MCAT, I thought it would just be about 10 weeks of monotonous, mundane studying of information that I had already learned that needed to be remembered for the four hour long exam. I was terribly wrong. Yes the studying was monotonous. Yes the studying was indeed mundane, but it was also very intense. Thinking that it was going to be monotonous, I decided I would study for the MCAT during winter term (10 weeks) and take it before spring break. I also decided to take a rather full class schedule. To me, this seemed like it would be a piece of cake, I just had to buckle down and purposefully set aside time to study. Well, included in this class schedule were probably the most difficult classes the Microbiology department has to offer at Oregon State. Needless to say, the test was pushed back until late spring, BUT once again I had difficult classes. After all of this, I didn't do as well on the test as I should have.

So knowing this, I want to tell you, the reader, to manage your time well. The MCAT is a beast of a test. It deserves respect, and you should give it respect. If you know you will have hard classes don't try to study for the test at the same time. The MCAT requires dedication, at least 3 hours a day, every day to master the info. If you can't devote that, study for it at a time that you can.

Time management is key. Most of us have busy lives. We have to be able to function in these busy lives. We can't just ignore everything else and focus on this one test. While it seems like a good idea, you don't want the other areas of your life to suffer. If you have to take the MCAT during the summer, do so. It isn't worth the stress and fret to try and balance it with other equally difficult things in life. As I have said, you need to be dedicated to set aside time every day to study...Once a week isn't enough.

Okay, so I guess that is it for now! Adios