There’s no single “right” timeline for getting to medical school. Some premeds take the MCAT while they’re still in college. Others take a gap year, change careers, complete military service, raise a family, or spend several years working before applying.
If you’re preparing for the MCAT while working full-time, your study plan is probably going to look different from someone whose primary responsibility is school—and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to force a traditional MCAT study schedule into an already busy life. It’s to build a plan that works with the time, energy, and responsibilities you actually have.
Here are a few ways to overcome the challenges that come with balancing MCAT prep and a job.
Challenge #1: You haven’t seen the course material in years
Luckily, the MCAT is a very different experience from the average college science course. So, this isn’t as big of a disadvantage as you might think!
However, we still recommend leaning toward an extended MCAT prep study plan (such as 4-5+ months instead of 3) so you can devote the first portion of your prep to content review. During this review, pay close attention to the fundamentals of each science subject, as these are essential to your understanding of more complex content.
The Blueprint MCAT Self-Paced Course was designed to help both non-trads and traditional pre-meds alike. You can personalize the course to fit your unique needs by testing out of content you already know so you can focus on the material you aren’t as familiar with anymore.
Further Reading
Challenge #2: Your job feels like a waste of valuable MCAT studying time
This is one major difference between taking classes full-time and working full-time for an MCAT student. College classes, you may think, are at least relevant to the MCAT, whereas your job might not be. But you can still get value out of your work hours!
If you work in a lab, pay attention to any techniques you may use that could appear in an MCAT passage, or quiz yourself on the units that you see day-to-day. If you work in a healthcare center, think about the aspects of your job that are relevant to MCAT biochemistry and physiology. And even if your job truly has nothing to do with science, take every opportunity to read critically or problem-solve, as those skills will also help you in your MCAT journey.
If you can, you could also try to sneak in some studying when you have downtime at work or during your commute.
Challenge #3: You are raising a family or caring for family members
When your calendar is already full, “I’ll study whenever I have time” can quickly turn into not having much time at all.
Instead, decide in advance which blocks of time are reserved for MCAT prep. Maybe that means an hour before work three mornings a week and a longer block on Sunday. Maybe weekdays are mostly off-limits and you do the majority of your studying on weekends.
Consistency may also look different from week to week for someone juggling a lot of responsibilities like you. Instead of measuring success by whether you followed every day of your schedule perfectly, pay attention to your progress over the course of each week. A sustainable plan will get you much further than an overly ambitious one that constantly needs to be abandoned.
Challenge #4: Financial concerns complicate your studying plans
Many students face hard choices between studying and working an extra shift or two. To avoid this, try to size up your situation as early as possible, ideally before you begin prep. If you can work extra hours before starting your prep in exchange for cutting back later, you’ll have extra time when you most need it without taking a financial hit. Even adjusting so you work slightly later or earlier in the day, leaving more productive hours for MCAT prep, can be enormously helpful. For example, if you know you’re best at retaining information when you read it in the morning, ask to work later in the day.
Of course, if adjusting your work schedule isn’t an option, that’s okay too. Your MCAT prep will be much more effective if you build a realistic plan around the time you actually have rather than forcing yourself into a schedule that leaves you exhausted or overwhelmed.
Final Thoughts
Working full-time while studying for the MCAT may mean your prep looks different from someone else’s, but that’s exactly why your plan should be built around your own schedule, responsibilities, and starting point.
Give yourself enough time, protect the study hours that matter most, and focus on consistency rather than trying to follow a “perfect” MCAT schedule.
And if you want extra structure along the way, Blueprint offers MCAT prep options for a range of schedules, from the flexible Online MCAT Course to our MCAT Live Course and 515+ Course and even private MCAT tutoring!
Start today with a Blueprint MCAT free trial and create your own study plan!
MCAT is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which is not affiliated with Blueprint.
