August/September MCAT for DO schools

[de_mon_vivant]

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Hello everyone,

I would like to ask a question regarding taking the MCAT in August/September for applying this cycle. I graduated this Spring, and have been studying for the MCAT since February. I am not a great test taker, and my practice test scores have not been improving a lot. I took AAMC FL1 in late April, and got a 502. I took it again last week and got a 507. AAMC FL2 that I took three days ago was 502.

I was wondering if I could take the MCAT in August or September and apply this cycle without a big disadvantage.
My stats are: cGPA 3.72, sGPA 3.65
~1,500 hours in research with one poster session and one symposium presentation
~150 hours of volunteering (both clinical and nonclinical combined)
~35 hours of shadowing

I think by the time I take the MCAT, my scores won't improve a lot from the 502-505 range, as I will be working full-time starting next week while doing volunteering.

I also want to stay close to my family, so my school list is quite limited -- Western (CA and OR) and PNWU.

I am not dead set on applying this cycle, but I would much prefer to take one gap year. Will I still be able to apply to those schools with around 502-505 MCAT scores to those two schools? Thank in advance for your time!

 

[zurc2014]

So are you only applying to 3 schools? If so, it doesn't matter when you apply, you will be disadvantaged.

 

[toedrag]

500+ is competitive for most DO schools. 505+ would put you in a great position, especially with your GPA and extra curriculars

 

[Coltuna]

So are you only applying to 3 schools? If so, it doesn't matter when you apply, you will be disadvantaged.

Though this might come off as harsh to someone new on SDN, I agree with comment quoted.