Postponing MCAT, Finishing Prereqs, Transcript Confusion

[ahhhsomanyquestions]

Thanks in advance to anyone who is able to give me some guidance on these issues - here's what I have going on:

- My current scheduled test date for MCAT is June 27th. I posted another thread about how I've been studying for it and people have suggested that I should postpone to get the best score possible. Here is the link to that thread. June 12th is the last day that I can reschedule it.

- I am currently registered to take physics 2 w/lab (the last prereq I have left) and that starts on June 29th. I am taking it at a different school than the one I earned my bachelor's degree from, so it requires a separate transcript to be submitted to AMCAS. I have not taken any classes at this institution, so I will not have a transcript with them until I take this class.

- I currently work 50 hours a week at 2 different jobs, so the only time I have to study is after work and on the weekends, making it seem unwise to take a condensed physics class with lab AND study for the MCAT in the remaining hours I have during the week.

- I am moving at the end of July, which will take a few weeks of packing and unpacking.

So my options are:

1. Keep my MCAT test date on the 27th, keep cramming, and hope for the best. If I don't do as well as I had hoped, try to schedule another test date for August. Complete my physics course as planned over the 2nd half of the summer.

2. Move my physics class to fall, allowing me to move my MCAT date back by around a month. The only issue I see with this is the fact that I will not have a transcript to submit to AMCAS for this institution until I actually begin the class, because I have not taken any other courses at this institution. I am unable to take a physics class at the institution I graduated from because they do not allow non-degree seeking students to take physics. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this will delay my application from being fully submitted until mid-august because that would be the earliest I could send a transcript from this school.

3. Keep my physics class where it is for the sake of the transcript, but move my MCAT to mid-August, giving me time to study more after my physics class is over. Again, application couldn't be fully submitted until MCAT score is released and I wouldn't be able to gauge what schools to apply to without a good idea of my score, but with all of the COVID stuff happening, they are sending out secondaries without the MCAT scores so I could still complete my secondaries.

Any input on which of these options is the best idea is greatly appreciated. If anyone has any other suggestions, I am glad to hear those as well.

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[Rachapkis]

You should treat your MCAT like you would a marriage. It's something that you want to do only once and should avoid repeating if at all possible. If you think you will be anything other than prepared to the best of your ability, you should wait to take it.

 

[deleted859689]

I would suggest waiting another gap year. You want the highest score possible on the MCAT and only take it once you are scoring within your desired range on full lengths.

You also want to put your best foot forward for your application, wait until you are ready. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If you try and rush things, you may not make it to the finish line.

 

[M&L]

If you HAVE to take MCAT now, push physics to fall.
But better, - push MCAT for january (thats what i did). This way you will have a chance to retake it one more time before applying in May (i dont recommend retaking it, shoot for one attempt only, of course, but this way you have enough time to retake and still apply in the first cohort in May).