I planned on giving myself a little while to devote completely to the MCAT this summer before i take it. I have been studying lightly now during the semester but plan to take the actual test late June or early July. Hopefully that means i could be complete by the end of August. Any opinions on whether you would consider that to be late or early?
Application Completion Date-- Early or late??
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It's certainly not early, but I don't think that August is late enough to diminish your chances (even slightly).
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Speaking as someone who was complete by mid-late August (many were done in July to be fair), I would have liked to be completed sooner looking back.
The sooner you are complete the better your application looks to the ad coms. A 3.7 gpa and 33 MCAT (not my stats) will look more impressive if the person reviewing your file hasn't seen it 400 times already.
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I'm not sure that I entirely agree with this logic. Many AdCom members have been on the committee for years and have read hundreds and hundreds of applications to the point where they get a feel for competitive applicants regardless of the timeline.
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Many, not all. I am sure there are new reviewers on the committee every year. Plus I'm sure the members get tired/bored after awhile, they are humans. You can only read The Great Gatsby so many times in a row before it becomes mundane.
I get the feeling that if you're a stellar stand out candidate then lateness has less of an effect than if you are a middle of the road/low end candidate. I was complete late August and do not have stellar stand out numbers, and despite the fact that I'm thankful to have a couple acceptances, I do wish I had been complete a little earlier. I do believe that you should take the MCAT when you feel prepared to take it, however. You're better off getting a 30+ in July or August versus a sub-30 in May.
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The first time I read that book I thought it was mundane; the second time I liked it. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
If you submit your AMCAS and all your secondaries before you receive your MCAT score, your file will be complete at all your schools as soon as your score is released. In this case, I think the July MCAT is fine.
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Best not to be the very first applicant then either. We aren't talking about reading it twice either. Try a few hundred times in a row.
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Earlier is generally better, and that's the big question when you choose between a June/july date. Let's say that taking the MCAT in June allows you to get in an earlier application, and let's just say that's worth one point on your MCAT (since the dates aren't THAT serious). Can you use the extra 20 days to raise the score more than a point?
Conversely, if you took it in June, would you be unprepared? If that's the case, then it's a no brainer that you have to wait. I would say being fully prepared to do your best on the MCAT is much more important than having your app in just one month late.
I know this is a gross oversimplification, but it's important to think about the tradeoffs.
Conversely, if you took it in June, would you be unprepared? If that's the case, then it's a no brainer that you have to wait. I would say being fully prepared to do your best on the MCAT is much more important than having your app in just one month late.
I know this is a gross oversimplification, but it's important to think about the tradeoffs.
I completely agree with this. I didn't feel prepared for my June MCAT date, so I postponed, took a late July MCAT, and did very well--but that meant I was complete everywhere late August/very early September. On the one hand, I'm glad I took the extra study time; on the other hand, perhaps I'd be having a better/less-stressful cycle if I were complete earlier.
I really think it depends on how your practice test scores are looking. If a few extra weeks to study means the difference between a 29 and a 32 or a 32 and a 35, go for it. If it means the difference between a 35 and a 37, it may not be worth the later completion date.
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I completely agree with this. I didn't feel prepared for my June MCAT date, so I postponed, took a late July MCAT, and did very well--but that meant I was complete everywhere late August/very early September. On the one hand, I'm glad I took the extra study time; on the other hand, perhaps I'd be having a better/less-stressful cycle if I were complete earlier.
I really think it depends on how your practice test scores are looking. If a few extra weeks to study means the difference between a 29 and a 32 or a 32 and a 35, go for it. If it means the difference between a 35 and a 37, it may not be worth the later completion date.
Unless there is a fundamental problem with the way you take the test or a large chunk of material you have yet to review a few weeks will not make a huge difference. Time can be your enemy while studying for this test too. People do it too long and get burnt out.
