Is an expired MCAT score an absolute dealbreaker?

[Gauss44]

I am wondering if any medical schools accept applicants with expired MCAT scores (or MCAT scores that are older than their policy allows) pending a successful retake?

I ask this question with those in mind who have an excellent MCAT score that is either going to expire or has expired at most schools. I say "most schools" since there are different cutoffs. Although AAMC says 3 years, schools have different amounts of time they accept and different interpretations of when the 3 year mark is over.

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[njtrimed]

I am wondering if any medical schools accept applicants with expired MCAT scores (or MCAT scores that are older than their policy allows) pending a successful retake?

I ask this question with those in mind who have an excellent MCAT score that is either going to expire or has expired at most schools. I say "most schools" since there are different cutoffs. Although AAMC says 3 years, schools have different amounts of time they accept and different interpretations of when the 3 year mark is over.

A lot of schools stopped accepting anything on the old scale already, so I'm guessing it'll be hard to find schools that will take scores older than 3 years at this point. I suppose you could call any of the schools listed here as accepting both and see what they say about older scores:

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...7b32/16-108_mcat_2016_policies___may_2017.pdf

 

[kraskadva]

I am wondering if any medical schools accept applicants with expired MCAT scores (or MCAT scores that are older than their policy allows) pending a successful retake?

I ask this question with those in mind who have an excellent MCAT score that is either going to expire or has expired at most schools. I say "most schools" since there are different cutoffs. Although AAMC says 3 years, schools have different amounts of time they accept and different interpretations of when the 3 year mark is over.

No. They won't. Schools won't even review your file without a current MCAT score - whatever current is in their book.
So it's not like you can get to the interview or acceptance phase and then be told to retake. Either you go ahead and do it or they won't look at you.

This past cycle I had 2 schools that said they accepted 2014 MCATs turn me away pre-secondary because my 2014 MCAT was 3 months too old for them. They did give me the option to retake it (and would only review after the new score was in and my file was complete) or drop my app.
I chose to drop because I already had 29 other schools on my list who were willing to take my score and I didn't want to retake. But this year the number of schools still accepting 2014 MCAT is much more limited and next year there will be almost none.

So your choices are to either limit your school selection to the ones that will accept your score AND would be a good fit, or retake and only have to worry about fit.

 

[backside_attack]

expired = expired.