The cycle lasts for around a year, give or take, and your score will be received 12 days later. What do you think?Hello, I’m applying this cycle (already submitted app with throwaway school) and have my mcat scheduled on 7/23. A new spot opened up on 8/1 that is at a more convenient location for me. Would I be at a greater disadvantage this cycle if I took this later date?
The cycle lasts for around a year, give or take, and your score will be received 12 days later. What do you think?
Nah.. you're fine. It's 12 days. Take a look at school specific threads from last year. Everyone obsesses on when they are complete, and when they receive IIs, and when they receive decisions. Everyone seems to think there should be a chronological rhyme or reason to explain when things happen, and there never is. Read some of the posts from the adcom experts who explain how applications are stratified and reviewed. Chronology before Labor Day means nothing. After that, interview spots begin to fill, and even though an application submitted by the end of September is still "on time," it is better to have one in by Labor Day if possible, although even that timeline is being called into question this year due to the COVID situation.I'm assuming it shouldn't make a difference, but just want to confirm with the forum members.
So would a late August test date be detrimental for MD?Nah.. you're fine. It's 12 days. Take a look at school specific threads from last year. Everyone obsesses on when they are complete, and when they receive IIs, and when they receive decisions. Everyone seems to think there should be a chronological rhyme or reason to explain when things happen, and there never is. Read some of the posts from the adcom experts who explain how applications are stratified and reviewed. Chronology before Labor Day means nothing. After that, interview spots begin to fill, and even though an application submitted by the end of September is still "on time," it is better to have one in by Labor Day if possible, although even that timeline is being called into question this year due to the COVID situation.
12 days is insignificant in a process that will be winding down next May-June. Do whatever is best for you without worrying about 12 days from early to mid August.
Depends on how you define "detrimental." You can definitely do it, and because timelines are being extended because of the crisis, you will probably be fine, but late August is pushing it. If you do that, you won't have scores until mid September, and then you still have to get secondaries in.So would a late August test date be detrimental for MD?
Okay that makes sense. So an August 1st or 7th test date would be ideal then. Would an August 14th test date be fine given I start presenting secondaries the day I finish my MCAT?Depends on how you define "detrimental." You can definitely do it, and because timelines are being extended because of the crisis, you will probably be fine, but late August is pushing it. If you do that, you won't have scores until mid September, and then you still have to get secondaries in.
So now you are submitting secondaries in October, which would definitely be late in a regular year, but might be okay this year. The only problem with this is that there will be a ton of people in before you. I would definitely do this rather than take the test before I was ready, but, if you have a choice, it would be better to take the test by the beginning of August in order to have a shot to get secondaries in by around Labor Day.
You can pre-write secondaries, if that's what you meant, but you can't submit secondaries until after you receive them, which won't happen until sometime after you submit primaries. You cannot control the timing of when schools will send you secondaries. Some will send them immediately after receiving your primary, others might wait weeks, or even months.Okay that makes sense. So an August 1st or 7th test date would be ideal then. Would an August 14th test date be fine given I start presenting secondaries the day I finish my MCAT?
Okay makes sense. I have already submitted and got my primary verified to a throwaway school. Sorry for the confusion, I meant to put prewrite instead of presenting. My scores have not been bad on the qpacks and stuff, but I feel that I need more time to increase my C/P section score as physics is killing me. I got a 128 and 129 on B/B and P/S for AAMC FL 1 so I feel confident on those sections, but got a 124 on C/P. I will take AAMC FL 2 next week and then decide from there if I want to push it back any later. I just do not want to destroy my chances at MD by taking a later MCAT. Thank you!You can pre-write secondaries, if that's what you meant, but you can't submit secondaries until after you receive them, which won't happen until sometime after you submit primaries. You cannot control the timing of when schools will send you secondaries. Some will send them immediately after receiving your primary, others might wait weeks, or even months.
If you are doing what you should be doing, you won't submit primaries without knowing your score (other than to a throwaway school to get yourself verified), so waiting until September 1 (when August 14th scores will be reported) to first submit primaries is kind of pushing it, but is definitely still doable, especially this year.
The bottom line is that two weeks are not going to make or break an application one way or the other, but, at some point, two weeks on top of two weeks on top of two weeks starts to add up. That some point is probably right around mid to end of September. Remember, the absolute last date to take the test is 9/28, and those folks will definitely be very late for at least some MD schools (although probably still okay for DO), so the question is, is it better to be a full two months ahead of that, or only six weeks? Again, earlier is better than later, but taking the test before you are ready is definitely worse than waiting.
"Ideal" was in March before the shutdown! The question is, what's best now? And the answer is, the earliest date on which you can perform at the level you are targeting.
