How to Study PEBC EE while having full time
Not gonna lie, when I started prepping I had this dread that I was going to be at a permanent disadvantage vs people who could study full time. No shade to them but like… some of us have rent and bills and can’t just quit and grind Pharmachieve 8 hours a day.
I work full time (not even in a pharmacy, retail management) and still managed to build a study system that got me through. Writing this for anyone doom-scrolling this sub on their lunch break wondering how they’re supposed to fit this exam into an already full life.
The biggest mindset shift: stop trying to find “more time.” You don’t have more time. You have the same 2-3 hours a day everyone else with a job has. The difference is what you do with them.
What actually worked for me:
I stopped doing marathon weekend study sessions and switched to short, focused daily blocks. Consistency beat volume every time — my scores moved more from doing 45 focused mins daily than from a single 6 hour Saturday cram.
Built a tracker so every session had ONE job (fix weakest topic) instead of vague “review everything” sessions that go nowhere after a 10 hour shift.
Some weeks were brutal, I got sick for over a week during prep and watched my scores crater from 60% down to 40%
Learned to study “tired but functional” instead of waiting for the mythical perfect focused mental state that never comes when you also have a job.
I also summarized all high yield topics into a congested pdf so I can read it during work and on my break times, I focused on first line tx, s/e, special populations, c/i.
The stuff that’s specific to working + studying:
Commute time, breaks, even the walk to your car, all usable in small doses if you have the right format of material (I’ll explain what worked in comments if useful)
You will NOT have time to reread everything twice. You have to be ruthless about identifying weak topics early and living there instead of “being thorough.”
If anyone’s in the same boat, working full time, trying to find hours that don’t exist, drop your schedule in the comments and I’ll tell you honestly what I’d cut or change. Been exactly where you are.