MCAT and AMCAS timing ...help please

[CoasterForce]

Hi all,

I took the April 2010 test and did way below my AAMC averages for some reason, hitting a 9 in PS, 9 in BS and a 6 in Verbal (ouch), for a 24P total. I have rescheduled for the next available test on July 31st (though I will keep my eye out to see if any spots near me open for an earlier date in July).

I did a search through the forums and a few said that a 25 is the cutoff for many schools to send secondaries back. So with a 24 I'm just below that. One poster suggested that with a score below a 25, one should submit their AMCAS application to a school they don't care about / know they won't get in to, to get verified. This way when the test scores come out in August I can just submit everything to all other schools I am applying to.

So I was wondering 2 things:
(1) is this reasoning valid? and (2) will july 30th be too late? i haven't really found a clear answer either by searching or looking through AMCAS stuff.

Thank you SO MUCH in advance to those who can help, I owe you greatly!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[hono]

Hi there! I actually called AMCAS today about this. They said that you can submit an application as soon as you want to get verified, by checking the box for only one school. When you get your retake scores back you can check the boxes for your selected schools (no limit to how many you can add at that time) and your scores will be sent automatically to them. As for getting your scores back August 31st (as you would if you were to take the July 31st test), from what I have heard that is a little late to apply, but it's up to you. If you have a strong application I'm sure you will be fine.

 

[NickNaylor]

Not sure about the reasoning, but July 30th is pretty late. You won't get your scores until the end of August, so if you're really on top of things you won't be submitting secondaries until the beginning of September. At some schools, applicants may have already had interviews at that point, maybe even been accepted. Applying after that will put you at a disadvantage. That said, I knew someone from my institution that got accepted to Texas schools (as a resident) after taking her MCAT in August. It's possible, but if you're scoring low and don't have an otherwise strong application, it might be a good idea to simply wait.

 

[CoasterForce]

Thank you very much for your input guys. An opening came up for the July 16th test so I took that. I hope it will make at least a little difference.