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Registration confusion!
- Thread starter 700003
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My advise is to register as early as possible becuase slots fill up pretty quickly. The way it works is you just select a day/time that you want to take the MCAT (time meaning 8 in the morning or 1 or 2 in the afternooon). it will have slots for many exam times probably through the summer or so.
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I would play it safe and try to sign up as early as possible. I live in California, and registering for a testing center close to home was hell. I tried to register maybe 2-3 days after it opened and the closest testing centers ended up being at least 1-2 hours away from where I lived. Maybe it's a California thing, but if you can sign up early, do it!
The sooner the better, especially if you are in a state with very few testing sites.
In my case, I waited a couple of weeks and ended up having to go out of state to take my exam (though it was only a couple hour drive thankfully). It wasn't a disaster, but definitely was an extra stress I did not need.
I agree with registering as early as possible. I live in a big city and actually registered for a location in a suburb about an hour away - best decision ever. I didn't have to deal with traffic and parking typical of a big city. My testing location was quiet and easy to get to. Best of luck to you.
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AAMC is being obnoxious about the timing, though. I don't know whether they're trying to avoid a rush or whether they're just disorganized, but there's no reason for them to avoid announcing the opening time. It's especially frustrating if you're not on the East coast, so their vague 'morning' time is either late late at night or early early in the morning, with no real way to predict which.
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Site's up.
So, I know your ID has to match your registration exactly. I just signed up and mine has got my address on there twice (stupid automatic form-filling always back-enters the second 'address' line with my address after I enter my email in). That won't be an issue, will it? My name is correct and everything, it just looks like:
mehc012
AAMC ID 123456789
555 SDN Road, ID
555 SDN Road, ID
That shouldn't matter, right, because they only specify that your FIRST and LAST name must exactly match the ID. I'm pretty sure a passport doesn't even have an address anyway!
Anyway, good luck all!
So, I know your ID has to match your registration exactly. I just signed up and mine has got my address on there twice (stupid automatic form-filling always back-enters the second 'address' line with my address after I enter my email in). That won't be an issue, will it? My name is correct and everything, it just looks like:
mehc012
AAMC ID 123456789
555 SDN Road, ID
555 SDN Road, ID
That shouldn't matter, right, because they only specify that your FIRST and LAST name must exactly match the ID. I'm pretty sure a passport doesn't even have an address anyway!
Anyway, good luck all!
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Ok thanks I'm going to do it asap! Quick questions though: I want to take my mcat in September (right after the summer, so I will have dedicated time to study for it) My school ends May 12 and I think Fall semester starts on ~August 26th. I am planning to sign up for a September mcat (either 4, 6, 10, 12, 18) but I don't when would be the best day to take it! Any suggestions?
Also, I was wondering when I would do the prep course? How long are the prep courses anyway? is there a prep course i can take that will leave me some "alone" time to study over the summer?
Lastly, i need to take the mcat at such a date that I can get my scores back in time to decide if i need to retake the mcat in january. Would a September mcat help accomplish this? how long does it take to get my scores back?
I'm sorry for all the questions but I am SOOO confused 🙁 Can someone help me figure this out?
Also, I was wondering when I would do the prep course? How long are the prep courses anyway? is there a prep course i can take that will leave me some "alone" time to study over the summer?
Lastly, i need to take the mcat at such a date that I can get my scores back in time to decide if i need to retake the mcat in january. Would a September mcat help accomplish this? how long does it take to get my scores back?
I'm sorry for all the questions but I am SOOO confused 🙁 Can someone help me figure this out?
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I would suggest taking it on one of the earlier dates, just so MCAT studying doesn't interfere with studying for all your other classes at school. Usually the first few weeks of classes are lowkey, so you can focus on the MCAT and take it either the 4th or the 6th.
Do the prep-course over the summer. Usually they are about 10 weeks I think (someone correct me if I am wrong). Some companies offer the course online, if you prefer that. If you dedicate your entire summer to studying, I think that would be sufficien enough. Ofcourse, the course will cover material for about two hours, so you will have the rest of the day dedicated to studying "alone". If you are working a fulltime job, you might want to consider starting test-prep a little earlier.
If you take the early september MCAT, your scores will come back within a month, around the first or second week of October. I think registration for the January MCAT starts in October.
Hope this helps!
Do the prep-course over the summer. Usually they are about 10 weeks I think (someone correct me if I am wrong). Some companies offer the course online, if you prefer that. If you dedicate your entire summer to studying, I think that would be sufficien enough. Ofcourse, the course will cover material for about two hours, so you will have the rest of the day dedicated to studying "alone". If you are working a fulltime job, you might want to consider starting test-prep a little earlier.
If you take the early september MCAT, your scores will come back within a month, around the first or second week of October. I think registration for the January MCAT starts in October.
Hope this helps!
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Take it August 27... the extra 8 days are not going to make or break you, and you will likely do far better finishing it before class begins than trying to add in new things and getting distracted RIGHT when crunch time hits (last week before your exam).
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Wait but isn't that too soon? I feel like I have a very short time to study for the mcat...even though it's an entire summer. I can't start studying this semester because class work is too much. Why would say that the extra week won't help? I could do like 5 practice tests...
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I spent a summer studying for it and took it in August right before the semester began. It was plenty of time to prepare. That extra week won't do much
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The 8 days, as I said above, will not make or break you.
Last minute stress and distraction (eg starting 4 new classes 1wk before your exam) will absolutely have an impact. It's always better to hit the ground running in your classes - first impressions DO count - and it's best not to have any big changes in the last few days leading up to your test. Why cram them together for a little bit of extra, stressful, time? Once your school obligations start it will be harder to take the time you need for final prep and then a day or so of brain-rest before the exam. Plus, if you have to travel at all for the test it'd be nice to still have a clear schedule. If your classes start the 26th the Aug27 exam is perfect timing for you, imo.
