Potential application delay, advice needed!

[UncreativeGenius]

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Hey Guys,



So real quick background:

I'm a non-trad veteran, will be finishing the last of my pre-reqs this Spring and have been planning to submit for verification in early June, take the MCAT mid-June, and add all of my schools once my MCAT score comes back in mid-July.



Well, the 2019 Testing Calendar just came out and the only date in mid-June is on a Saturday and I observe Sabbath on Saturdays (Orthodox Jew), so I can't take the exam that date.

So essentially, that leaves me with 2 options: Take the exam on May 31, sacrifice two weeks of study time, but be able to complete my primary two weeks earlier than planned. Or take the exam on June 29, have an extra two weeks to study, but won't be able to finish my primary until the very end of July.

I'm going to start studying over Winter break, so in either case I will have 4-6 months of studying under my belt.



Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Fresc_0]

You have plenty of time to plan out your MCAT study schedule. Take it earlier, have that information at your disposal, and be in a position to submit everything early July.

 

[daw05]

To be clear, you can complete your primary for verification without having done your MCAT. You won't get secondaries from schools until that score is in, but you can be in the first wave for verification (submission the first week of June).

That said, I agree with above, take it in May.

 

[UncreativeGenius]

Thanks for the replies guys! Just noticed I had a typo. I can either take it May 31 or JUNE 29, not July. Either way, I'm sure your advice still stands and I appreciate it.

 

[DoctorPlzzz]

Take it in May. Submit as early as possible (send in transcripts immediately, there's always a delay in this for some reason year after year)

There is a delay in score reporting of 30-35 days, which will further push back you application submission. Schools review apps on a rolling basis and interview invites are sent out weeks in advanced for applicants to prep for travel. In your example, this would mean that you take your test on July 29th and the scores are not released until Aug 29th (-ish), you have to fill out secondaries as well. Say you app is noe "complete on Sept 1st. Schools already have hundreds of complete apps to review at this point and IIs are already sent out and spots are filled for Sept, meaning you potentially missed out on a month's worth on interview dates. At our institution, we filled our Sept and early Oct interview dates starting in Aug. Keep in mind, schools do not interview for Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

Please take it in May and submit early to maximize the interview dates available to you.

Good luck!

 

[candbgirl]

Do not apply without knowing your MCAT score. How will you know what schools you are competitive for? If you take the July exam you won’t have results until late August. You have plenty of time to develop a good study schedule for the Mayvdate. Good luck!

 

[UncreativeGenius]

Take it in May. Submit as early as possible (send in transcripts immediately, there's always a delay in this for some reason year after year)

There is a delay in score reporting of 30-35 days, which will further push back you application submission. Schools review apps on a rolling basis and interview invites are sent out weeks in advanced for applicants to prep for travel. In your example, this would mean that you take your test on July 29th and the scores are not released until Aug 29th (-ish), you have to fill out secondaries as well. Say you app is noe "complete on Sept 1st. Schools already have hundreds of complete apps to review at this point and IIs are already sent out and spots are filled for Sept, meaning you potentially missed out on a month's worth on interview dates. At our institution, we filled our Sept and early Oct interview dates starting in Aug. Keep in mind, schools do not interview for Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

Please take it in May and submit early to maximize the interview dates available to you.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for the informative response! So, given my typo, let's say I took it June 29th, got my score back around July 30th, pre-wrote secondaries, and submitted complete app to schools on August 1st. That would still put me at more of a disadvantage in regards to interview dates than if I submitted everything July 1st, right? Not as much as Sept 1st, but it would still be a disadvantage.

 

[BOAO523]

I think it would put you at a slight disadvantage although I'm not sure of its magnitude with early July versus early August completion. Perhaps it may be insignificant.

I'll use myself as an example. I was fully complete mid- to late-August (send your transcripts and your primary through AMCAS early!!). Some of my friends have received and attended multiple II's (but also some rejections), I'm hanging out with crickets. I think the true disadvantage is that I now get to be anxious for at least the next 3-4 months if not more while early birds get good (hopefully positive) closure nice and early.

Best advice: make sure your schedule is light in early 2019 so that you can study hard for and crush the MCAT!

 

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for the informative response! So, given my typo, let's say I took it June 29th, got my score back around July 30th, pre-wrote secondaries, and submitted complete app to schools on August 1st. That would still put me at more of a disadvantage in regards to interview dates than if I submitted everything July 1st, right? Not as much as Sept 1st, but it would still be a disadvantage.

Are you submitting your primary early June? If so you’ll be verified and your primary will be sent to schools in early July. But some (many/most?)schools may not send you a secondary until they receive your MCAT score. The might not even look at your application until they get the MCAT. So to think you can submit all of your prewritten secondaries o August 1 is probably not realistic. And even if you were able to follow that exact time line, schools won’t review your application that day. It might take weeks or months. That’s why we are all encouraging you to take the May test.

 

[DoctorPlzzz]

Thank you so much for the informative response! So, given my typo, let's say I took it June 29th, got my score back around July 30th, pre-wrote secondaries, and submitted complete app to schools on August 1st. That would still put me at more of a disadvantage in regards to interview dates than if I submitted everything July 1st, right? Not as much as Sept 1st, but it would still be a disadvantage.

I can only speak for how our institution reviews apps, but yes this would still put you at a disadvantage because the apps are screened (using baseline stats) and then reviewed on a rolling basis, which means yours would be later in the queue to even be reviewed. Most secondaries at schools are sent before your primary is reviewed and often to anyone who submits a primary (which I think is not the best practice, but that's for another thread lol) so this does not mean that your app will be reviewed right when you submit your secondary. Depending on how many people submitted early, your "complete" app may not be reviewed until mid- or late-Aug for an interview invite. Again, this would mean that Sept dates will be mostly filled for interviews.

I assume this is the same process for most medical schools.