is it too late to take mcat in august? should I send my application in June without mcat score?

[tabush]

My mcat diagnostic test score is 487. I'm planning to take my mcat on aug 1.
I have 3.77 gpa, 2000 hours of research, 4 research poster presentation (1 was presented at national ACS meeting), 1 research pub as a second author, 150 hr in community service, 380 hr in leadership, 100 hour clinical, 35 shadowing, 1000 hr from 4 different teaching assistant position, 600 sports, and strong LOR.
Awards: dean list every semester, grants for research, and several scholarship
I am first generation immigrant student and also identify as disadvantage student. Should I apply now without mcat scores? Or should I take mcat this year an apply next year.

I am applying to 9 DO school and 17 MD schools.
Edit: I took NS diagnostic.

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[KnightDoc]

Where did 9 and 17 come from? How can you know where to apply without knowing what your score is?

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

My mcat diagnostic test score is 487. I'm planning to take my mcat on aug 1.
I have 3.77 gpa, 2000 hours of research, 4 research poster presentation (1 was presented at national ACS meeting), 1 research pub as a second author, 150 hr in community service, 380 hr in leadership, 100 hour clinical, 35 shadowing, 1000 hr from 4 different teaching assistant position, 600 sports, and strong LOR.
Awards: dean list every semester, grants for research, and several scholarship
I am first generation immigrant student and also identify as disadvantage student. Should I apply now without mcat scores? Or should I take mcat this year an apply next year.

I am applying to 9 DO school and 17 MD schools

If you take the MCAT in August, you have roughly 2 months to prepare. Are you sure you'll be ready by then? Also, if you take the MCAT August, you'll get your score in September which is kinda late for MD schools.

 

[tabush]

Where did 9 and 17 come from? How can you know where to apply without knowing what your score is?

I am applying closer to my hometown and based on my gpa. That's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure. Should I apply to just 1 school for the application verification and wait until I get my scores for the remaining?

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

I am applying closer to my hometown and based on my gpa. That's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure. Should I apply to just 1 school for the application verification and wait until I get my scores for the remaining?

Even if you get verified early, you're still going to be late for MD schools because of the time you'll be submitting secondaries.

 

[m1redsox]

A September score report is too late for MD schools, and 2 months is not enough time for a 20-30 point MCAT jump. If you want to apply this cycle, you may be settling for DO programs.

 

[Med Ed]

My mcat diagnostic test score is 487. I'm planning to take my mcat on aug 1.
I have 3.77 gpa, 2000 hours of research, 4 research poster presentation (1 was presented at national ACS meeting), 1 research pub as a second author, 150 hr in community service, 380 hr in leadership, 100 hour clinical, 35 shadowing, 1000 hr from 4 different teaching assistant position, 600 sports, and strong LOR.
Awards: dean list every semester, grants for research, and several scholarship
I am first generation immigrant student and also identify as disadvantage student. Should I apply now without mcat scores? Or should I take mcat this year an apply next year.

I am applying to 9 DO school and 17 MD schools

You should take the MCAT when your practice scores indicate that you will do well on the exam, which is about 25 points higher than your diagnostic. Then you build your school list and apply.

MCAT scores do no go away. A bad one becomes a permanent blemish on your application, one more thing to be overcome in the hunt for an acceptance.

I have seen the sad tale of the late-cycle MCAT a thousand times. It's a good way to waste money and end up a reapplicant.

 

[tabush]

A September score report is too late for MD schools, and 2 months is not enough time for a 20-30 point MCAT jump. If you want to apply this cycle, you may be settling for DO programs.

Thanks for your response.

 

[tabush]

You should take the MCAT when your practice scores indicate that you will do well on the exam, which is about 25 points higher than your diagnostic. Then you build your school list and apply.

MCAT scores do no go away. A bad one becomes a permanent blemish on your application, one more thing to be overcome in the hunt for an acceptance.

I have seen the sad tale of the late-cycle MCAT a thousand times. It's a good way to waste money and end up a reapplicant.

Should I only apply to 1 school then for verification purposes?

 

[Goro]

Should I only apply to 1 school then for verification purposes?

No. Reread Med Ed's response. We can't tell you what you want to hear

 

[ciestar]

No. Reread Med Ed's response. We can't tell you what you want to hear

Basically, apply next year

 

[KnightDoc]

I am applying closer to my hometown and based on my gpa. That's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure. Should I apply to just 1 school for the application verification and wait until I get my scores for the remaining?

As everyone else has been saying, first submitting secondaries in September is going to be on the late side for MD, although it will probably be okay for DO, which tend to have a somewhat later cycle. You might be okay submitting to one DO school on AACOMAS for verification if you think you might want to give up on MD, which might or might not make sense depending on your score.

The good news if that you don't need to decide today. Why not wait a few weeks and see how MCAT prep is going?

If it looks like you might be competitive for MD, you can then decide whether or not to wait a year or just go for DO now. If not, the decision will be made for you, and you'll know whether to shoot for DO only or whether you are not even competitive for DO with your current scores. At that point. maybe a month from now, you can submit to one DO school if that makes sense, and then do the rest after you see your score. Good luck!!!

 

[Med Ed]

Should I only apply to 1 school then for verification purposes?

As noted above, the answer is no.

Long, long ago the MCAT was a pencil-and-paper exam offered twice a year: April and August. April examinees got their scores in plenty of time for the cycle. August examinees were late, and therefore disadvantaged, but could still get in. In spite of the MCAT now being computer-based and offered many more times a year, in my opinion April remains a good cutoff for a given application cycle. In other words, you have up to 10 months to get your house in order and post a solid MCAT score for the 2022-2023 cycle. Do that and you will be well positioned to get accepted to a solid institution.

Be patient and smart and you will be rewarded. Cut corners and you may end up in a fallback specialty in an undesirable location with a truckload of debt.

 

[tabush]

As noted above, the answer is no.

Long, long ago the MCAT was a pencil-and-paper exam offered twice a year: April and August. April examinees got their scores in plenty of time for the cycle. August examinees were late, and therefore disadvantaged, but could still get in. In spite of the MCAT now being computer-based and offered many more times a year, in my opinion April remains a good cutoff for a given application cycle. In other words, you have up to 10 months to get your house in order and post a solid MCAT score for the 2022-2023 cycle. Do that and you will be well positioned to get accepted to a solid institution.

Be patient and smart and you will be rewarded. Cut corners and you may end up in a fallback specialty in an undesirable location with a truckload of debt.

I already took 1 year off for the same reason. I was supposed to take my mcat this April. But due to my sister's chronic health condition, I had to delay my mcat date. I am primary care taker for my sister. She was on ventilator for more than 2 months and spend her last year most of it in ICU. I am afraid one year will turn into 2 and 2 into three. Should I consider applying this year still?

 

[candbgirl]

I already took 1 year off for the same reason. I was supposed to take my mcat this April. But due to my sister's chronic health condition, I had to delay my mcat date. I am primary care taker for my sister. She was on ventilator for more than 2 months and spend her last year most of it in ICU. I am afraid one year will turn into 2 and 2 into three. Should I consider applying this year still?

You’re a good person to take care of your sister. But your study time was devoted to her, as it should have been. Med schools will be there when you are ready.
We cannot make it any clearer. The answer is a resounding NO! You will need to be consistently scoring 25+ points higher for MD and 15+ points higher for DO on FL practice tests. Slow down and do it right. Take the test once when you are ready

 

[tabush]

As everyone else has been saying, first submitting secondaries in September is going to be on the late side for MD, although it will probably be okay for DO, which tend to have a somewhat later cycle. You might be okay submitting to one DO school on AACOMAS for verification if you think you might want to give up on MD, which might or might not make sense depending on your score.

The good news if that you don't need to decide today. Why not wait a few weeks and see how MCAT prep is going?

If it looks like you might be competitive for MD, you can then decide whether or not to wait a year or just go for DO now. If not, the decision will be made for you, and you'll know whether to shoot for DO only or whether you are not even competitive for DO with your current scores. At that point. maybe a month from now, you can submit to one DO school if that makes sense, and then do the rest after you see your score. Good luck!!!

Thanks for your suggestion. how about if I apply to multiple schools school and submit secondaries prior to my mcat?

 

[m1redsox]

Thanks for your suggestion. how about if I apply to multiple schools school and submit secondaries prior to my mcat?

Dude...

Your biggest problem is not even the timing of your application. It’s the fact that 2 months is not enough time to go from a 487 —> 512+, especially since you are wasting a bunch of time on SDN instead of studying haha. It might be enough time to go from 487—> 500-504 for DO schools, but the resounding answer is just delay your MCAT date until you can consistently score above the matriculant average on FLEs for your schools of choice.

If you come back in mid-July saying, “I am scoring a 512 on full-length exams,” then I might say, “hey, give it a shot. Apply to a lot of schools. Not just 17 MDs. It is too late to be picky”. Or with a 502, I’d say, “apply widely to 20 DO schools. Not just 9”.

But that is very unlikely. Take your time for MCAT prep and do it right. A date in November might be more appropriate. Applying this cycle with an Aug 1 MCAT date is practically just a donation to your programs.

If mid-July rolls around and you still haven’t scored above a 500, delay your MCAT and do not apply. No questions.

 

[KnightDoc]

Thanks for your suggestion. how about if I apply to multiple schools school and submit secondaries prior to my mcat?

That's dangerous because there is a stigma and a disadvantage to being a reapplicant, so you want to avoid being one if you can. As a result, you REALLY want to know what your MCAT score is before applying to a school. You submit to one school (a throwaway school, aka a school you DON'T want to go to) to accelerate the verification process, but you don't submit to any school you care about until you know whether your score makes you competitive for that school.

Also, in your OP, you said you scored 487 on your diagnostic, but you didn't say what company wrote that diagnostic. I think everyone here is assuming it is AAMC. If not, you should know that pretty much all third party tests are deflated as compared to AAMC (because they are trying to scare you into buying prep materials or a course ), so it is VERY possible that you will, in fact, see a LOT of improvement after preparing and then taking AAMC FL exams. If this is the case, it is absolutely not out of the question for you to be able to score over 500 on the real deal in August.

 

[Moko]

I am first generation immigrant student and also identify as disadvantage student. Should I apply now without mcat scores? Or should I take mcat this year an apply next year.

I am applying closer to my hometown and based on my gpa.. Should I apply to just 1 school for the application verification and wait until I get my scores for the remaining?

Should I only apply to 1 school then for verification purposes?

I am afraid one year will turn into 2 and 2 into three. Should I consider applying this year still?

how about if I apply to multiple schools school and submit secondaries prior to my mcat?

I understand your desire to apply this year, but you are now just fishing for the response you're hoping to hear. Your 487 diagnostic score suggests that you have severe deficiencies in your understanding of the material. To have a successful MD cycle, you will likely need to make a 25+ point jump in two months, followed by the timely submission of a polished primary application and numerous secondary applications. Even then, with an August MCAT, you are looking at a late September and October submission. Can you anecdotally find people who were in your situation and succeeded despite a rushed (and late) cycle? Maybe, but this is statistically highly unlikely. Confirmation bias can lead one to make foolish and rash decisions..

Putting together a competitive application is not something you can do at the last minute (like what you are attempting to do now). The more likely scenario is that in your hurry to apply this year, you will end up with a subpar MCAT score, rushed and poorly-written essays, and money + time wasted on a failed cycle. Your MCAT score will stay with you for all future applications, so take your time to get it right on your first try. Just my thoughts and best of luck.

 

[tabush]

That's dangerous because there is a stigma and a disadvantage to being a reapplicant, so you want to avoid being one if you can. As a result, you REALLY want to know what your MCAT score is before applying to a school. You submit to one school (a throwaway school, aka a school you DON'T want to go to) to accelerate the verification process, but you don't submit to any school you care about until you know whether your score makes you competitive for that school.

Also, in your OP, you said you scored 487 on your diagnostic, but you didn't say what company wrote that diagnostic. I think everyone here is assuming it is AAMC. If not, you should know that pretty much all third party tests are deflated as compared to AAMC (because they are trying to scare you into buying prep materials or a course ), so it is VERY possible that you will, in fact, see a LOT of improvement after preparing and then taking AAMC FL exams. If this is the case, it is absolutely not out of the question for you to be able to score over 500 on the real deal in August.

I took next step exam.

 

[tabush]

Dude...

Your biggest problem is not even the timing of your application. It’s the fact that 2 months is not enough time to go from a 487 —> 512+, especially since you are wasting a bunch of time on SDN instead of studying haha. It might be enough time to go from 487—> 500-504 for DO schools, but the resounding answer is just delay your MCAT date until you can consistently score above the matriculant average on FLEs for your schools of choice.

If you come back in mid-July saying, “I am scoring a 512 on full-length exams,” then I might say, “hey, give it a shot. Apply to a lot of schools. Not just 17 MDs. It is too late to be picky”. Or with a 502, I’d say, “apply widely to 20 DO schools. Not just 9”.

But that is very unlikely. Take your time for MCAT prep and do it right. A date in November might be more appropriate. Applying this cycle with an Aug 1 MCAT date is practically just a donation to your programs.

If mid-July rolls around and you still haven’t scored above a 500, delay your MCAT and do not apply. No questions.

Thank you so much for your suggestion. I'm now thinking about delaying my application till next year. I graduated from undergraduate in 2020, will it look bad if I apply in 2022. Also will I have to take new pre-req in 2022 cycle? My first chem and bio classes are from from 2017.

 

[Med Ed]

I graduated from undergraduate in 2020, will it look bad if I apply in 2022.

No. The average age of applicants is now 24-25, meaning multiple gap years is the rule (not the exception). The process only cares that you arrive with a competitive application.

Also will I have to take new pre-req in 2022 cycle? My first chem and bio classes are from from 2017.

You are fine until 2027.

 

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for your suggestion. I'm now thinking about delaying my application till next year. I graduated from undergraduate in 2020, will it look bad if I apply in 2022. Also will I have to take new pre-req in 2022 cycle? My first chem and bio classes are from from 2017.

You seem to have a great lack of knowledge regarding the whole application process. Now that you have decided to push back your application until next cycle spend time reviewing AMCAS documents, reading WAMC thread here on SDN and get a better idea of what is expected.
Of course all of this is after you study for the MCAT. U less you are pushing that back too. And that just might be an excellent idea.

 

[Goro]

Thank you so much for your suggestion. I'm now thinking about delaying my application till next year. I graduated from undergraduate in 2020, will it look bad if I apply in 2022. Also will I have to take new pre-req in 2022 cycle? My first chem and bio classes are from from 2017.

Read this:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition by Walter Hartwig
ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

 

[tabush]

No. The average age of applicants is now 24-25, meaning multiple gap years is the rule (not the exception). The process only cares that you arrive with a competitive application.


You are fine until 2027.

Thank you so much I thought pre-req classes should be taken within 5 years.