How to Avoid MCAT Burnout

MCAT Adventure: Pathlight

Journey Goal

How to Avoid Burnout Goal

Explore the image to find out more about this MCAT journey...

Sight. Sound. Touch. Smell. Taste.

You are familiar with your five senses, yet have likely only associated "appetite" with the last one.
Now, imagine each day - you "eat" within each of said five senses. Without proper spacing, reflection, and attitude; you can easily give way to gluttony and have a food coma. Don't let emotions dictate your study habits: but listen to your body.

If you don't plan to avoid burnout - your career could light on fire.

How to Avoid Burnout
Rest and Prayer BlanketVisual IsolationSound Isolation

Rest and Prayer Blanket

MCAT Adventurer Shield Blanket

A blanket is an essential study tool.

Why?

Because it not only can fold up into a prayer mat: it can doubly serve as an MCAT burnout shield.
Check out step 8 to see how it can become your greatest defense against burnout.

Get your special sherpa fleece blanket here.

Visual Isolation

OPTIMAL Sleep Kit: MCAT Adventure

If you haven't travelled recently (writing this in 2020...not many people have) than I highly recommend this affordable sleeping kit.
Burnout is often a sign of information overload.
Blocking out light is one of the most powerful study habits: because it forces you to create the imagery associated topics you just covered. Sometimes sight can make us blind

Get your kit here.

Sound Isolation

STANDARD Sleep Buds: MCAT Adventure

Noise isolation is especially important: given it is the quickest sense to be processed.

While we promote Sony headphones as ideal for study situations; they are not the best to lie down with.

Hence: we highly recommend a container of bullet ear plugs: sound isolators you can sleep with.
TIP: paring them with noise-cancelling headphones makes the ultimate noise seal while studying.

Get yours here.

① CREATE a recharge environment

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Done

WHY?

 

MCAT burnout is real. You will get exhausted. You are human. Create your fail-safe before you fail.

MCAT Adventure: How to Set Up an MCAT Recharge Station

NEVER

*Compromise studying for fun
(i.e. build a “decharge” environment).
*Go to your phone.

ALWAYS

*Be realistic about your propensity to focus.

TIPS

*Sing uplifting songs.
*Learn Japanese
*Relax to some nice piano.
*Learn to stitch.
*Brush your teeth with the other hand.
*Try something new every day.

② SPICE UP how you study

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Done

WHY?


The MCAT has a variety of material:
leverage this when facing MCAT burnout.
Some material is best studied on a walk.
Others – C/P – are better studied like high-octane video game levels with an MCAT testing tablet.

MCAT Adventure:  MCAT Burnout

NEVER

*Be afraid to be strange.

ALWAYS

*Understand the inevitability
of having to take the real MCAT.

TIPS

*Be utterly ridiculous!
(Look at how strange this website is!) 
The stranger – the more memorable.

③ ADHERE strictly to timetables

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Done

WHY?

 

Treat time like a train schedule.
Learn to drop things,
and learn when your engrossed attention
might actually pay off.

NEVER

*Forego common sense for militant punctualism
(this will backfire into MCAT burnout)

ALWAYS

*Be prepared to drop and move on.

TIPS

*Find freedom within the time.
*Be more relaxed early on
and start getting more rigid
as Test Day approaches.

④ FOCUS on the fruit

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Done

WHY?

Time is a canvas, not a boundary.
“What did I get done today?” is a far more effective question than “When did I do what I should have done?”

MCAT Adventure: Avoid MCAT Burnout

NEVER

*Completely abandon a high-yield topic.

ALWAYS

*Be honest about what you know and don’t.

TIPS

*The purpose of farming is the crops:
the fruit of the tree.

⑤ MIND the next practice exam

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Done

WHY?


Increasing your AAMC content score
is the main goal:
thus, it needs to always be
an arm’s reach away.
MCAT Adventure: Avoid MCAT Burnout

NEVER

*Use this as an excuse to skip sleep.

ALWAYS

*Understand the inevitability of having to
take the real MCAT

TIPS

*Announce your exam date to family.
*If you cheat it,
you are only cheating yourself.

⑥ SOCIALIZE with loved ones

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Done

WHY?

 

If you have created a open study calendar,
block out time to be with family.
Within limited time, thoroughly enjoy yourself:
there is no excuse.
preferably laughing or bonding.

MCAT Adventure: Avoid MCAT Burnout

NEVER

*Place trust in the wrong people.

ALWAYS

*Be communicative.
*Adhere to facts over feelings.

TIPS

*People weren’t made to be alone.
*Talk about what you are learning
with God, with family, and with friends.

CONTEMPLATE more habit stations

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Done

WHY?

 

You need rest, water, and food.
In that order. Building endurance is not
exhausting yourself to death.

MCAT Adventure: How to Set Up an MCAT Study Environment: Create Testing Signs

NEVER

*Be ambitious with your habits.

ALWAYS

*Try to reflect and write honestly.

TIPS

*Analyze your habits without delusion.

⑧ LIE DOWN and think

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Done

WHY?

 

This is one of the most relaxing
 study habits,
EVER.
Why? It destroys the concept
that studying can’t be relaxing.
Go to bed an hour before usual,
lie down and think.

NEVER

*Be near your phone.

ALWAYS

*Subvocalize articulately.

TIPS

*Think clearly.
Block out all senses, face the void,
and hear yourself think.
*MCAT burnout might be your body’s
cry to digest the knowledge you
just obtained

⑨ SLEEP

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Done

WHY?

 

If you don’t slow life down,
life will slow you down.
A great sleeping schedule is not only
the foundation to a good score:
but to surviving as a doctor.
Great doctors are efficient,
to the point where they make time for family and sleep.

MCAT Adventure: Avoid MCAT Burnout

NEVER

*Miss out on the chance to reinforce
yesterday’s material in the morning.

ALWAYS

*Treat sleep like a study opportunity.

TIPS

*Sleep on your back.
Arms back or crossed.
*MCAT burnout has more to do
with sleep quality than quantity

⑩ THANK God

%

Done

WHY?

This is the only surefire way to overcome
MCAT burnout:
God is good.
Good is God.
Both are one and the same.
There is one God of this world. Thank Him. Gratitude is the opposite of cynicism, sarcasm, and complaining. Now more than ever, people need to see the glass half full.

MCAT Adventure: Avoid MCAT Burnout

NEVER

*Think yourself bigger than Him.

ALWAYS

  *Know there is no problem bigger than God.

TIPS

*Face the Creator of all the Cosmos,
outside time and able to listen
to all your thoughts.
Thank Him and articulate what you
are thanking Him for.

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This comes at no cost to you.

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Please email [email protected]
if you have any further concerns.

 

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