I am curious to hear how those that are taking pre-req while working, volunteering and/or completing research study for your courses.
Do you have a set schedule? Are you weekend study person? What advice do you for successfully balancing everything?
Also, for those that do well on standardized tests, do you have any advice for improving test taking skills (not specifically for the MCAT, just any course in general)?
Look forward to hearing from you.
What I learned at the very end of ochem, is that weekend studying alone is akin to cramming. After switching my schedule up to:
8 hours Sat
8 hours Sun
1 hour M - F
I got an A- on the final, whereas before, I was battling B+ and B’s.
My life is very unbalanced so I cannot speak to how that works; I just make it work to the best of my ability, and drink lots of diet coke while eating a great amount of chocolate.
Chocolate is the great leveler, imo.
Hm … balancing everything? That’s tough indeed. I’m going to school full time so I don’t have a regular day job, but then again, school is now my “job.”
In terms of a schedule, I don’t really have a set one, because the amount of work for each week and my exam schedule is pretty variable. That said, I try to spend a good bit of weekend time studying, as well as weekday. I agree with Adoc2be - if you just study on the weekends, it’s like cramming. I find that one of the most helpful things for me is having a set place to study - for me, it’s my “office,” aka the big room in my apartment where I have all my textbooks, my desk, and my dry erase board (for doing orgo problems and learning biochemistry molecules). For some people, it’s a coffee shop, but I find those places too distracting. I also find it distracting to study at school, because I always run into a friend and then start talking. So my apartment it is. But the best strategy, I think, is finding what works for you.
My ex-husband, who is in graduate school, has a different strategy which works for him (but not so much for me), but I will share it because everyone is different. He maps out what he needs to do in his iCal (you could also use Google’s online calendar, etc.). Example: he blocks off 2 hours for reading a certain book, then a 30 minute break, then 1 hour working on a paper, etc. That keeps him on track. Just an idea, in case you work well with a more regimented schedule.
I’ve also acknowledged that I’m a morning person (and most definitely NOT a night person), so I do some of my best work in the wee hours before the sun is up. Often around 4 a.m. In other words, know thyself. I’m so exhausted when I come back from school that I just have to take a break, too - if I don’t, I start to feel the dreaded burnout coming on. And that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Another thing I think is important is breaks. I can’t study for 6 hours straight. With the nice weather coming on (it’s been in the 70s in Chicago the last week!), I often will go out on my balcony and drink a glass of juice or something, maybe have a little snack, and just chill, surf the web. Maybe make a short phone call to a friend so I get some social contact (another important thing in this long and often lonely journey!).
Something that I’m not so good with is exercise, although I’m trying to be better. I know that’s key to keeping up your health, both physical and mental. So consider incorporating that, too.
As for standardized exams, I (fortunately) tend to do very well on them. So I will try to share some of my strategies. One, specifically for the MCAT, is PRACTICE. You need to do a lot of practice questions, and the practice exams (not just the free AAMC 3) to do well. I am using Examkracker’s 1001 Questions series, which seems to be working well for me. They offer it in all the tested subject areas - physics, biology, chemistry, and orgo. There is also a 101 passages in verbal reasoning (which I haven’t done yet, because verbal is actually a very strong subject for me, given my background in journalism).
Another strategy that really helps me is pacing myself. Figure out how many questions there are on the exam, how much time I have total, and approximately how much time I should be spending on each problem. If I find myself struggling on one, I skip it. The nice thing about the computerized MCAT is that you can annotate the questions you skip, and then automatically go back to them (without having to scroll through all of the pages of the exam). That’s a big time saver. I also annotate questions that I’m unsure of, and if I have time at the end, go back to those and review them. (Although I’m careful to not change my answer at the last minute, in general, because of a rushed thought.) Another nice feature of the computerized MCAT is that you can strike through (i.e., cross out) answer selections that you believe are incorrect. I find that eliminating the answers that I know are wrong is a good strategy to help me figure out which ones are right. Or at least, have a better chance at getting the right answer.
An additional thing that I think is really important is looking for key words (such as “not”) and figuring out what the question is really asking. That might seem obvious, but I’ve gotten some MCAT practice questions wrong because I misread the question and literally answered the opposite of what they were asking. So that’s really important, I think. Take that extra 5 seconds. It’s worth it if you get the question right instead of wrong.
Anyway, I know that was a long-winded answer, but I hope it helps! 
I find that small chunks of time throughout the day and the weeks builds a stronger retention. I’ve been using Anki to build flashcards and I can view them on my phone whenever I have a few minutes. I learned long ago that cramming may get me through the test, but after the test is over, information goes POOF! Small chunks of time also builds confidence in your knowledge so that you can walk into your test knowing that you know it rather than wondering if you’ll be able to regurgitate it for the test.
You guys are awesome!!!
I think I’m going to adopt pieces from all of you. I study better in the evenings and weekend afternoons. I completely agree that retention is key especially for exams and the MCAT. Therefore, I think I’ll definitely be studying one to two hours during the weekday and six to eight hours on the weekend.
I’m not good with long study sessions right now, so I typically have to take a 5-10 minute break every 45 minutes. I start falling asleep if I am reading or working on numerous practice problems for an extended amount of time.
As for testing taking skills, I will definitely be doing a number of practice problems and taking old exams where I can find them. This has helped me while I prepare to take Physics in the Fall. It’s by far my worst subject, but reading the chapters, watching lectures on Khan Academy, and completing practice problems has really boosted my confidence.
Anyone know where I can find old physics exams online (NOT calculus based)?
I really thank you guys for your input. If you have any more suggestions for test taking. Please share. Thanks.
Find out what time you are most alert, and try studying then. While in post-bacc, I did most of my studying in the very early mornings, then sleep, and then go to class or volunteer or work: typically 3-5 hours per day in blocks, with 8-10 hours on the weekend.
For the MCAT, I am doing a similar schedule, but studying in 30 minute blocks, 25 minutes of material + 5 minute review. And then another 25+5 block, etc. I vary the topic every few hours. If I get distracted, I leave the study area, so that only positive feelings are associated with the study area. I try to study where I do not sleep, and in a similar, if not, same environment each time. I am also using a spaced repetition approach to reinforce the knowledge.
I actually had to learn how to study in college (never really cared much about school or grades in HS)
I found that studying in chunks of time and taking good 15min breaks helps retain knowledge. Study in different places (I found this effective after listening to a report on NPR)
Throw away your highlighter. Actively writing down notes and questions in the textbook and your lecture notes is far more effective than any highlighter.
Think of studying as an actual job. You clock in, do your work, and clock out. Exercise a lot but in small blocks (ex. 20min jog or 1/2 hour strength exercises)
I work weekend nights (Fri-Sun) so I go to school Mon-Thurs. Unfortunately, the majority of my study time is done on the weekdays. One thing I learned was to never rush myself with learning something. If I do, I end up forgetting it anyway.
Study as if you’re trying to teach it to a 5th grader. Simplicity is key, remember Occam’s Razor…
A textbook with a solution’s manual is worth its weight in gold. There’s something amazing about simply working a problem backwards from a solution to the question that just makes it click!
These are just a few of the things that I do to keep my grades up and keep from losing my mind 
Hope it helps,
Cheers!
Just wanted to say that this is really helpful stuff. In the fall I’ll be taking things to the next level by taking my Chem’s and Physics at the University level on top of a non-science major. I hope to hold onto a nice high GPA by applying your strategies. Thanks and keep them coming!