expiring MCATS

[MyOdyssey]

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I'm a little unclear on how MCAT scores are deemed expired.

1. Does a MCAT score have to be valid at the time an application is submitted by the particular applicant? Or is there a fixed date by which time the score has to still be valid?

2. Does the "clock" on the MCAT score begin running when it's taken or when the score is announced by AMCAS?

3. For those who took 2 or 3 gap years, when did you take the MCAT so as to avoid expiration issues?

Thanks!

 

[deleted972488]

1. It varies by school but generally has to be taken within 3 years of matriculation.

2. When it’s taken.

3. I took 7 gap years and took the MCAT a couple of months before the application opened for this cycle.

 

[Allosteopath]

May I ask exactly what matriculation is? Is it when you register for your classes, the first day of class, or something completely different?

 

[deleted972488]

May I ask exactly what matriculation is? Is it when you register for your classes, the first day of class, or something completely different?

~ First day of class.

 

[Allosteopath]

~ First day of class.

I like how you added the "approximately" in there. I found it difficult because I wrote my MCAT in July 2017 and because of this a lot of my school list is dancing around the date the MCAT is accepted. For example, PCOM will accept August 2017, but I wrote in late July 2017. Fortunately, at a lot of DO schools, they will still be valid as long as I apply before late July this year. (Cannot be older than 2 years at the time of application)

 

[MyOdyssey]

1. It varies by school but generally has to be taken within 3 years of matriculation.

2. When it’s taken.

3. I took 7 gap years and took the MCAT a couple of months before the application opened for this cycle.

3 years of matriculation? I'm surprised matriculation is the end point for computing MCAT score expiration.

Can you cite to an example of a medical school that does this?

 

[deleted972488]

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/24/77/24773aca-4d12-4560-8f93-5ef31ec9f761/oldest_mcat_accepted_2019.pdf

 

[deleted972488]

Looks like it varies pretty wildly.

 

[MyOdyssey]

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/24/77/24773aca-4d12-4560-8f93-5ef31ec9f761/oldest_mcat_accepted_2019.pdf

Thanks for posting this.

Where would you find the one for the 2019-2020 cycle?

 

[907914]

Thanks for posting this.

Where would you find the one for the 2019-2020 cycle?

On MSAR on each school’s page.

 

[notthrowingawaymyshot]

My friend is in a similar situation and took their MCAT August 2017, she went through each school she was interested in on MSAR and looked at the latest MCAT date accepted and narrowed her list down based on what schools accept her MCAT date still. Every school is different but she did get a good chunk from her original list (~20)! There were even a couple that accepted dates from 2015/2016 I think...(a few off the top of my head I remember were BU and Einstein)