Should I quit my job to focus on the MCAT?
I just got my 5/30/26 MCAT back (493). I had everything ready: I submitted my application to AMCAS, prepared to submit to aacomas, and all of my letters of recommendation were ready to go, but I've withdrawn my app and decided to take another gap year because of my MCAT. On my last three FLs, I scored above 500, so I thought I was in the clear, but I think I now have a false sense of my progress since I was retaking the AAMC FLs. I felt so good about the actual test, too, and left the testing center feeling amazing.
For context, the first time I took the MCAT was back in Jan 2025 (497). I studied full time in the summer but pushed back to Jan because I didn't have a solid study plan. During that fall, I studied part-time because of college, and I don't think I was able to give it my all, and that contributed to my score.
For my 5/30/26 date, I was also studying part-time and working a full-time job. Every day after work I would study (anki, upoop, and aamc materials, though I did not finish either of them). I even got a tutor in the last few months of my studies who would help me with subjects I wanted to tackle.
I'm not sure what to do next; I'm thinking about getting a different tutor this time around, someone who can help me stay accountable and work with me step by step instead of the "à la carte" tutoring I was doing.
I have two concerns about my next round of studying:
I think it would be too hard to study and work a ft job at the same time. It was brutal the first time.
It's been a long time since I've worked with patients. I was a phlebotomist in college and still retain my license. I work in a blood cancer diagnostic lab and enjoy it, especially the benefits, which fully paid for my MCAT prep. I'm not sure whether to quit and focus on my MCAT by getting some sort of course (heavily considering the Blueprint Self-Paced Course) or tutor, set up a meeting with my supervisor to discuss moving down to part time or taking some time off for the retake, or quit and get another patient-facing job, something like shift work, so that I could still work while studying, and gain more clinical experience in the meantime.
I'm looking for advice on what to do next, maybe talk to some people who have been in the same boat or are in it. Please be kind <3