MCAT on July 10th or 18th? Please Help!

[JeepMD]

Hey everyone!

I am getting ready to register for the MCAT in July (my Kaplan class ends the beginning of July) and I was hoping I could receive some input as far as which test date might be better? I am leaning to either the 10th or the 18th... however the score release dates are projected as August 12th or 19th, respectively. Being that I am going to be on vacation the entire week of June 28th-July 5th, I would certainly love another full week before taking the MCAT on July 18th. However, receiving my scores a week earlier in August would certainly give me more time to get secondaries filled out.

What would you do in this case? Take it a week later for an extra week of studying to rock out? Or take it a week earlier (thinking that in the scheme of things, one week will not make much of a difference) and hope to get the primary completed a week earlier and thus allowing more time for secondaries?

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[dwc929]

I would say the July 18 MCAT. I feel a week more of studying > a week earlier for secondaries. But I am in the same boat as you so I'm interested to hear what other ppl have to say.

 

[Doc Henry]

GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME AFTER KAPLAN ENDS!!!!!!!!!! I can't stress this enough. The kaplan class goes so fast there is no way you will be totally caught up when it ends. You don't even start practice tests until 2/3 of the way throug kaplan, and by the time it ends you will have taken 3 max. You need a good few weeks (at least 2) to keep doing practice tests before your real thing IMHO

 

[JeepMD]

Thanks so far for the replies... It looks like I will most likely be doing the July 18th MCAT as of now. I guess what good is having an extra week for the applications if the MCAT score is possibly a few points lower because of it? My biggest concern was that I want to get my application in as quickly as possible so as to be consistent with the SDN dictum "broadly and early".

I am super paranoid/scrupulous about this application cycle because I am a reapplicant who is admittedly very much on the border. (3.32 BCPM GPA, 31S MCAT) Although my MCAT score is without a ton of studying... and so I am optimistic that the Kaplan course combined with diligent studying will bump up my MCAT at least 3-4 points (again, optimistic).

Additionally, if I fill out the AMCAS in June and submit it, however I indicate that I am awaiting a future MCAT test date, should I submit it and send it in June? Or should I fill out everything, send transcripts, and then the day the July score is released should I submit it and send it? If my stats are competitive for some of the schools I send my primary to, will they invite me to fill out a secondary before I receive the next MCAT score? Or do they automatically hold off on it until the expected MCAT score is received? Thanks again for any/all input!