Choosing MCAT Date

[sbook2]

So I am deciding whether to take the MCAT in April or May.

The pro for taking it in May is that I will obviously have more prep time, but the con is that I won't be able to add my MCAT score to my AMCAS application until June 30.

We can start submitting our apps on June 2nd for verification. So if I take the May one, I will be 2 weeks behind in the verification queue, than if I were to take the April one, because I would get my score on June 16?

I know we can send our apps. to AMCAS without our MCAT score, but that will be an important part of my application so I don't want medical schools to see my app without it....

Any thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sxn123730]

I was worried about April vs. May, too. I talked to my university's pre-health advisers and they said:

1. Only take the MCAT when you're ready. If that's April, take April. If that's not May, don't take May.
2. You can submit your application without your score. If you submit everything else beforehand, your application can be processed without your MCAT score (i.e. grades are checked for accuracy, etc.). They will see the score as pending and will put it in the pile of pending applications. But either way, you want to be the top of that! Once your scores come in, then they'll look at you.
3. Two weeks difference actually is mid-cycle. It's not early, but it is not late, either.

I'm taking May because this test is longer and somewhat of a mystery, and I want to do my best. The pre-health advisers said that was much wiser than April.

Good luck!

 

[sbook2]

Thanks, it's always nice to hear other people in the same boat. I think the 5 extra weeks will be worth it. Now I just need to find a seat for May

 

[rfalrifa]

I actually had the same problem, but for me it was May vs. June. I ended up signing up for June because I know I need more peroration time than 3 months, especially with school, work and everything. But people told me not to submit my AMCAS application until I have my mcat score, because what if my mcat score is not great? Then I would have to withdraw my application, and that wouldn't look very good for the reapplication... I don't know if I'll take into this advice, because submitting in July is just too late, but that's just what I heard.

 

[bigreiski]

So I am deciding whether to take the MCAT in April or May.

The pro for taking it in May is that I will obviously have more prep time, but the con is that I won't be able to add my MCAT score to my AMCAS application until June 30.

We can start submitting our apps on June 2nd for verification. So if I take the May one, I will be 2 weeks behind in the verification queue, than if I were to take the April one, because I would get my score on June 16?

I know we can send our apps. to AMCAS without our MCAT score, but that will be an important part of my application so I don't want medical schools to see my app without it....

Any thoughts?

You can submit your application to AMCAS even without the score on June 2nd. It will be timestamped, just don't check any schools. It takes AMCAS about a month to process your application and verify it; AMCAS sends the apps to schools only starting in July. So if you get your score back June 30, you're in good shape, the score will update instantly on your app and you can submit it to whichever schools you want. The main thing is to have it AMCAS verified.