Aug MCAT pros-cons revisited

[Tex10]

How detrimental is it to take the Aug MCAT?

For someone who has already taken the MCAT and would only like to improve a few points / does the indication of taking the Aug MCAT hurt more then help, as our application would be put into a different pile until those new scores are in?

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[BigRedPingpong]

I'm an august MCATer. I took it THE SAME YEAR of my applications, not a year before, so I am a GENUINE August MCATer. Did it hinder my chances? There is no way to really find out because I would have to reapply with all my stuff complete at the same time as everyone else. That being said, I can say with certainty that I would have scored lower had I not taken the summer to study for the MCAT. I think my higher scores paid off in the end. My timeline was only a little bit off vs April MCATers. I was complete everywhere by Oct 16 which was the day we got scores back, and I got my first two interview invites a week later. My first interview was at U Pitt in November followed by UMDNJ a week later. I then interviewed at NYU in early december and got my first acceptance in early december also (from UMDNJ-NJMS). In January, in the first round of acceptances, I the got letter from NYU. In Feb I interviewed at Northwestern and in March I interviewed at MSSM. The MSSM interview was a tad late, and this put me at a severe disadvantage-the dean came out and said straight-out we we're all either going to be waitlisted or rejected (but in a nicer way). In between all of these interviews I had to turn down several invites from many good schools including Einstein, Temple, Drexel, Tulane, and NYMC. In retrospect, I would not have done anything differently. So, if you really believe that taking the August MCAT will give you a higher score (mid 30s at least) then by all means delay it.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
I was an August MCATer too. I just couldn't fit in the April exam as I was defending my dissertation. I went six for six in terms of acceptances. The only problem with the August MCAT is that you can't apply Early Decision but other than that, I can't see where the test is a negative if you are an otherwise strong candidate.

If you are a weaker candidate, getting your application in early is definitely better. The August MCAT will delay your application completion until around October 15th or so. For some people, this will make a significant difference so you have to decide for yourself if your application is strong enough to drop into the "later" pile.

Another compelling reason to delay your MCAT until August is that you are clearly not ready for the April exam. It is far better to take the August exam, do well and post a good score than to take the April test and bomb. If you are not ready, don't take this important exam. Taking the April test for practice and then taking the August test is not a good idea either.

If you have no other choice but to take the August test, by all means prepare for it and take it. You have to make the best of your situation. All things being equal and if you are a strong candidate (GPA, LORs, extracurrics) then the August test should not hurt your chances of acceptance.

Good luck!
njbmd

 

[bkmonkey]

I completely agree with the previous two posts. If you are a strong candidate (ie good LOR, EC, GPA, etc.), taking the August MCAT shouldn't hurt you too much. The only real disadvantage is that your file will not be complete until your scores come in. That said, it definitely sucks having to do late interviews. I was an August MCATer last year, and I still had interviews being offered for late April of this year. If I could do it over again, I would have taken the April MCAT (but I wasn't ready last year) just so that I could have an idea as to where I am going to school earlier.

 

[patzan]

Concensus: Strong applicant (MCAT>31, GPA>3.75) - won't hurt you.
Average to weaker applicant (<strong applicant #s) - probably puts you at a slight disadvantage.

 

[bkmonkey]

An additional note. Make sure to get your AMCAS in as early as possible. You should have already sent out your transcript requests. AMCAS can take a really long time getting your application verified even when it is complete. I know several people (myself included) who's transcripts went "missing" by AMCAS for a couple of weeks. Don't delay applying!!!

 

[mikedc813]

Ok getting in with a "noncompetitive" app is totally doable with an August score. My app was even worse cuz I took the April exam, bombed it with a 22 cuz I was sick and still took it, and brought my score up to a 29 which wasn't that great and pretty average. I have 4 years of coordinating a volunteer mentoring program at my university which was my main EC. 3.5 cum gpa too, which wasn't spectacular. So there is hope!