MCAT Expiration?

[brandonite]

OK, for those of you who have been following my endless saga, I have one more question...

I have been accepted into a really cool PhD program, with a $27K stipend a year. So, I was thinking about maybe doing that and then applying to MD programs - sorta making up my own MD/PhD...

Anyway, is there a consistent rule as to how long MCAT scores are valid?? I've seen some schools that say 4 years, others say 3, and others yet don't say anything...

Any help? Thanks!

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[Incendiary]

Depends on the school. Most are 3 years, I think. I think I might be able to get my hands on a list that my school's career services office compiled. If you list specific schools, I can tell you, after I get the sheet, what their policies are.

Best thing to do would be to get the info directly from the schools themselves, though. (websites, calling, etc.)

 

[kutastha]

I had to retake mine. Not only will your scores be too old, after five years of a PhD program, they'll want to see how you rank now, not then.

 

[Jalby]

I was actually the latest this year. Every program I applied to (and I applied to a lot) sai that I had to have taken the Spril 99 test, which I had, or later. So if you can finish your PHD in a year, then your MCAT's will still be good.

 

[brandonite]

The particular PhD program I will be entering is generally a four year program, but it can be done in three. My stipend actually stipulates that I cannot do any teacher assisting or research assisting - I have to work on my own research. So, I think I have a fighting chance of doing it in 3.

I don't want to retake them. Given the choice, I would probably rather do the dual degree program.

The specific programs I am interested in are:

Yale (which says 4 years)
Harvard (3 years)
Cornell (3 years)

and these other schools which don't really say at all:

NWern
Stanford
Duke
WashU
PritzkerColumbia

I will have to do some more research, and talk to each of them, I suppose...

 

[sandflea]

i took it in april 1999 too, and that was the very earliest date i could have taken the test at all of the schools i applied to. i researched this pretty thoroughly when i was choosing schools to apply to because i was afraid i would have to take the damn test over again, and at most schools, the oldest your scores can be is 3 years--meaning, three years from the year you take the test to the year you matriculate, not the year you apply. so i couldn't have reapplied this summer, to matriculate in 2003, with these current scores, as they would be considered to be 4 years old even though they are only 3 right now. does this make sense? most schools list their '3 year' rule as being through the year you actually matriculate, but some don't (tulane didn't), so be sure to ask. what this all means is that considering you took the MCAT in 2001 (right?), your scores would be invalid if you reapplied after finishing your PhD, even if you finished in only 3 years and applied during your last year of grad school, because that would make your scores 4 years old.

 

[brandonite]

Well, Harvard definitely says that earliest you could have written it was April of 1999. Yale says tests written in 1998 are fine, and Duke says that tests within "4 years at the time of application" are fine. Cornell says tests written within '3 years at time of application' are fine, so that's OK. Stanford and WashU say nothing on the subject.

Now, Columbia and NWern both say tests administered "within the past three years". I don't know if that means 3 until application, or three years until matriculation. My guess would be application, if only because they are both discussed under the 'application procedures' section of their websites. But that is just a guess, obviously...

 

[appomattox]

Hi,

The definitive source on this is the AAMC Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR). The one for 2003 matriculants just came out, so I would check that one. Be wary of waiting too long, though, as many schools are in the process of changing the number of years they consider the scores to be good, after a recent AAMC study

A

 

[Jessica]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by brandonite:
•.... earliest you could have written it .... tests written in 1998 are fine.•••••You silly Canadians

"writing" tests.... <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

You know I <img border="0" alt="[Lovey]" title="" src="graemlins/lovey.gif" /> you Brandonite, but I still think that writing a test sounds funny

 

[Hero]

Would I be able to apply to schools the next application cycle (2003)? i took the mcat august 1999

I remember many of the UC's say that the test cant' be take over 3 years ago. If someone can please tell me where I can find the specifics of schools and the individual expirations for specific schools, that'll be a lot of help. Thank you!!

 

[brandonite]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Jessica:
•You silly Canadians

"writing" tests.... <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

You know I <img border="0" alt="[Lovey]" title="" src="graemlins/lovey.gif" /> you Brandonite, but I still think that writing a test sounds funny •••••Oh, be quiet, you... Like I said before, what actual 'taking' is involved in a test? I guess you take a booklet at the beginning, but after that, it's all writing!! It makes sense to me...

Wow, now I have a third forum to monitor, just for this little post... :wink: