MCAT score and releasing it

[Winston Smith]

after I take the August test, can I choose to disregard my score if I don't like it so that nobody will ever know about it? and then take it again and ONLY have the score known? thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[none]

The MCAT is designed to be taken once and only once. It is not like the SAT where you are encouraged to try, try again. If you take the MCAT and do not release your score, schools will still know that you sat for the exam and that you withheld the scores. Be assured they will assume the worst. Take the test when you are completely confident in your abilities, not before.

 

[Spiderman [RNA Ladder 2003]]

I wish it was like that. You have to make your choice whether to release your scores or not during the exam. however you can choose not to release your scores and when you are satisfied with it, you can release it. Many schools however, will see that there is an unreleased MCAT and that will make them suspicious.

 

[dr kevin40]

many schoools consider it academically dishonest not to release scores.

however, if you VOID your scores DURING THE EXAM, i don't think that any med school will know you took the test. only do this if you STRAIGHT OUT BOMB tho

 

[Bikini Princess]

I had a friend who circled her answers in her test booklet, then transferred then to the grid because she thought it was faster. But, day of the test she realized she only had a few minutes left and still hadn't bubbled in any answers for that section, so she voided it.
(This is serves as an example of when to void your test)

 

[Mr. H]

It is actually faster to circle them and then transfer the anwers ine section at a time.

 

[mws99]

If you void the test you will never know the score. That would drive me crazy wondering what I got.

 

[dot]

ok, i think i'm a little bit confused about this score release. how does releasing your score AFTER after taking the MCAT a bad thing? why does it matter WHEN you release your score? i took the mcat in april, but didn't release my score to aamc or any school b/c i hadn't decided on which med school i'm applying to next year. i just figured i'd release my score only to the particular school if i decide to apply there later. so by doing that, i actually put myself at a disadvantage? couldn't i just release my score when i fill out my amcas?? i didn't even realize the problem until i read this thread, and now i'm a little worried. if you know anything about this score release, please post your insight. thanx so much.

 

[Smoke This]

I took the MCAT one August but didn't apply until the following summer. Needless to say, I didn't release the scores to any schools but I think I did release them to the AAMC. I had no problems, and I doubt you will either.

I think it's tough releasing your scores when you apply through AMCAS. If I'm not mistaken, at this point you have to release the scores to AMCAS in writing, and with their notorious slipshod, you should do this sooner rather than later to give them time to deal with it. I don't know if you can release MCAT scores through the online application; that option wasn't available last year. Good luck.

 

[SMW]

If you don't ask to have your scores withheld when you take the test, then your scores are automatically released to any school you designate on your primary AMCAS application. (You can designate a certain number of non-AMCAS schools at the time you take the exam for free, but if you want to send scores to non-AMCAS schools later, you have to pay a fee.) Schools know if you've withheld scores, and the general opinion seems to be that they don't like it. If you withhold your scores and then later release them, you cannot designate which schools they're relased to, except, again, for non-AMCAS schools. Released means released, and they're automatically sent to any school you designate on your primary. To release the scores, you have to fill out a special AMCAS form; you can't do it on your AMCAS application. Anyone's who's applying this year, and has not released their scores yet had better do it ASAP because of AMCAS notorious propensity to screw up anything they can screw up.

 

[none]

Also, remember that scores are NOT released only to schools you designate! If you release your scores during the test, then all AMCAS schools will have access to them. This is why many of you will get advertisements for particular medical schools. They liked your score.

 

[DarkChild]

you can release MCAT score online now - I released mine a couple weeks ago - all you have to do is designate AMCAS.
As for the sentiment that schools look negatively at an unreleased score... I'm not so sure about that: I had interviews last year at Penn and WashU (didnt get Harvard or JHU though...)
so I dont really think that they do. After all, what does the fact that someone has an unreleased score tell them. And honestly I dont think they have time to care. Some intern is probably running the computer program that weights GPA and MCATs - that poor kid is probably just looking for whatever is the correct number - not trying to decipher what misdeeds the candidate was hiding by not surrendering the score.
And why should AdComs care anyway???