MCAT retake for new cycle timeline question

[AHopefulApplicant]

Hello all, hope everyone’s cycle is going well! I’m on 2 WL and have to start prepping for MCAT retake. I did well in MCAT but that was Sep 2020, and will expire for half of the schools in the coming cycle. I’m planning to retake late June - early July, and score will come out late July - early August.

I know the strategy of applying to throwaway schools to get verified early. That does not apply if you have an existing MCAT score, even though it is expired right? When I submit new AMCAS, which one of the following make sense?

1. Apply to all the schools I want to go to, even if my MCAT is expired. I’ll indicate I have upcoming retake.
2. Submit primary only to those that I’m not expired for, add the others once new score is released.

Last cycle I was mostly complete in August, and I want to be earlier this time around.

Thank you for your insights.

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[gyngyn]

The purpose of a throwaway school is twofold. It starts the verification of transcripts and allows the applicant to target schools consistent with the MCAT outcome. You can always pre-write secondary responses to the places where you hope to be a match.
An "expired" score is still visible and no school is required to wait for a pending score.

Apply to a single school. It should be a school where you do not care about the outcome. Therefore, it does not matter whether your MCAT is expired or not. When you know your outcome, add the appropriate schools. Once the transcript is verified, the additions will upload in a single business day.

 

[AHopefulApplicant]

The purpose of a throwaway school is twofold. It starts the verification of transcripts and allows the applicant to target schools consistent with the MCAT outcome. You can always pre-write secondary responses to the places where you hope to be a match.
An "expired" score is still visible and no school is required to wait for a pending score.

Apply to a single school. It should be a school where you do not care about the outcome. Therefore, it does not matter whether your MCAT is expired or not.

Thank you so much for your reply.

So to clarify, I should apply to a single throwaway to be verified, and then wait until new MCAT score is released before adding the actual schools I care about. I think that makes sense, and if I pre-write enough I’ll be marked complete soon after MCAT score release in early August. Not ideal but definitely not late.

I really appreciate your help!