Does when I take the MCAT matter?

[JsPham]

Hey!

So the summer of 2016 I will have just finished all my pre-reqs and the pre-program of my major. (I'm gunna be a five year student.... but hell, Biomedical Science/Japanese Major which is like 160+ credits... and study abroad + Undergrad Research + a job + volunteering anything less is impossible. I think that's pretty good for five years even if I have to go summers...)

The following fall I will be in Japan and the spring after that is all clinical lab sciences/japanese advanced program stuff. Because I will have just finished my pre-med reqs by the summer of 2016 I was wondering if it was possible to take my MCAT then, even though I'll be applying for med school in the spring of 2018 (about a year later)

I know it's a bit ahead of myself but I have this bad habit of needing a schedule printed out on my wall... if I don't plan things like this I have issues...

Will med schools raise an eyebrow at why I took my MCATS in the Summer of 2016 and am applying in the spring of 2018? Will this reeeaaallly hurt any chances? Or is this just an "explain it to them and they should be fine."

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[khrisskhoras]

Hey!

So the summer of 2016 I will have just finished all my pre-reqs and the pre-program of my major. (I'm gunna be a five year student.... but hell, Biomedical Science/Japanese Major which is like 160+ credits... and study abroad + Undergrad Research + a job + volunteering anything less is impossible. I think that's pretty good for five years even if I have to go summers...)

The following fall I will be in Japan and the spring after that is all clinical lab sciences/japanese advanced program stuff. Because I will have just finished my pre-med reqs by the summer of 2016 I was wondering if it was possible to take my MCAT then, even though I'll be applying for med school in the spring of 2018 (about a year later)

I know it's a bit ahead of myself but I have this bad habit of needing a schedule printed out on my wall... if I don't plan things like this I have issues...

Will med schools raise an eyebrow at why I took my MCATS in the Summer of 2016 and am applying in the spring of 2018? Will this reeeaaallly hurt any chances? Or is this just an "explain it to them and they should be fine."

Is there any way to finish them before 2015? I'd try to avoid the mcat after 2015.

 

[JsPham]

Is that due to the addition of Social Sciences etc? (I have a pretty Social Science heavy curriculum and in high school was mostly a music/social science person.)


And unlikely. I take BioChem, Analytical Chem, and Calc in Spring 2016. Unless you think one would be able to handle taking the MCAT's without that. (I have my math spaced out so I take trig next year, stats the next year, then calc. It's the only way my hectic schedule could work its way out)


Also:

So it won't be looked down upon then to take my MCATS considerably before my graduation?

 

[Ismet]

Is that due to the addition of Social Sciences etc? (I have a pretty Social Science heavy curriculum and in high school was mostly a music/social science person.)


And unlikely. I take BioChem, Analytical Chem, and Calc in Spring 2016. Unless you think one would be able to handle taking the MCAT's without that. (I have my math spaced out so I take trig next year, stats the next year, then calc. It's the only way my hectic schedule could work its way out)


Also:

So it won't be looked down upon then to take my MCATS considerably before my graduation?

Biochem is helpful for the MCAT, but it's not absolutely necessary. Calc is not needed at all for the MCAT, and all you need for chemistry is Gen Chem and Organic Chem.

It is not looked down upon to take the MCAT considerably before graduating, but most schools do not accept MCAT scores older than 3 years, so you'll have to take that into account. If you're applying in 2018, it will not be feasible to take the current MCAT, you'll have to take the new MCAT. So yes, it would be fine to take the MCAT as soon as you're done with pre-reqs.