MCAT is good for "3 years" - what does that really mean?

[rekcufyssup]

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So I took the MCAT September 2010, right before my 3rd year of undergrad. Would I be able to take a 2 year gap between undergrad and med school without having to retake the MCAT?

September 2010 - took MCAT, start 3rd year undergrad
September 2011 - start 4th year undergrad, time elapsed: 1 year
September 2012 - started 1st year gap year, time elapsed: 2 years
June 2013 - submit primaries to medical school, time elapsed: 2 years and 9 months
July/August - start filling out secondaries, time elapsed: 2 years and 10/11 months
September 2013 - started 2nd year gap year, finishing up secondaries, time elapsed: 3 years
March 2014 - finish hearing back from schools, time elapsed: 3 years and 6 months
September 2014 - start medical school?

 

[omgyou8myrice]

It means your score is good for 3 years.. not sure how much clearer it can get than that.

Also, might as well direct you here for any future questions you may have:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=781767

 

[rekcufyssup]

It means your score is good for 3 years.. not sure how much clearer it can get than that.

Also, might as well direct you here for any future questions you may have:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=781767

It seems you completely missed what I am unsure about yet went ahead and posted a response that you must have known wouldn't be very helpful.

I guess I need to rephrase my question so it's more easily understandable:
Does my score need to be valid throughout the entire application process or just while they review my primary application? My score is set to expire soon after I submit my secondaries ~2.7 years from now, so I am not sure whether it would be acceptable to apply with a score set to expire before I interview.

 

[RookTookIt]

You're fine.

During the application process, schools will tell you (down to the month) the oldest MCAT that they accept. I applied this cycle and schools took MCAT scores through January 2008 (which is more than 3 years from when I could potentially be interviewing).

 

[Catalystik]

Keep in mind that some schools only accept MCAT scores that are two years old. Other schools take scores for 4-10 years. The MSAR can tell you which is which.