I agree with the previous posters. I was in your exact situation last year. I took the August MCAT, but I submitted the AMCAS application within a week of it becoming available (early June). Most of the secondaries rolled in over the summer while I was studying for the MCAT. I filled out most of the secondaries over the summer, but was careful not to get so distracted by them that it took time away from studying. As the previous poster said, your goal should be for your MCAT scores to be the last thing schools are waiting on. This means... (1) submit the AMCAS application (and required transcripts) as early as possible, (2) send in all secondaries and letters of recommendation over the summer and early fall (as time permits - don't let this become a distraction, your #1 priority is doing well on the MCAT); all of the secondaries should be in by the time your scores arrive, (3) before your scores arrive, call all the schools you submitted secondaries to and make sure that your application is complete (with the exception of your scores, of course).
I know this feels like a gamble. It certainly did for me. I was shelling out larges sums of money for the initial application, then for 20 secondaries... all before I had received my scores. I kept thinking - what if I bomb the MCAT?, then I've shelled out all this money for nothing... but you will be in fine shape if you apply early and end up doing well on the MCAT. I received my first acceptance in December and the rest came in Jan, Feb and March. Be forewarned - it's a long haul from start (AMCAS) to finish (getting in), and you have to be patient. I'm not saying that you can't get in to medical school if you take the August MCAT and submit the AMCAS application once you get your scores... but I know a lot of people who were very qualified who did this and ended up with late interviews and a lot of waitlists or rejections becauses classes were already filled. Good luck!
