Retake MCAT during app cycle

[whoadude]

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[johnnytest]

im not sure if they will know that you are taking it... although amcas sends all scores.. they won't consider it for admission for that app cycle but idk how they would look at it for the current app. I am considering doing the same but I would probably take the January one. New MCAT will be brutal.

 

[whoadude]

Bump! 🙂

 

[deleted632431]

I am in the same shoes as you. If I need to apply again, the biggest thing that I need to improve on is my MCAT. I am taking the MCAT on October 21 because I'd rather not take the new MCAT in 2015.

Med. schools will not know about your signed up MCAT date unless you tell them, so it's not really a red flag. My advisor told me to update the schools about my new MCAT score once it comes in. And maybe, it'll just show the med. school admission committee that you are committed and realize that you want to improve yourself.

 

[road2md]

Hypothetical scenario I guess. I applied this year but let's say I don't have any acceptances by November or December. If I had to reapply next year, one of the things I'd probably look into doing is retaking the MCAT. However, I'd probably try to take the old version in January. If I took the MCAT in January during my current app cycle, would that be a red flag to the schools where I was still being evaluated (not rejected or interviewed)? Would it be better to wait until April or May and take the 2015 MCAT instead (also when the current cycle will be mostly over)?

whoadude -- I would definitely take the older version. How much time would you need to prepare for it? You should have a rough idea of your chances of getting in based on the number of interviews by mid-November. Maybe this way you won't have to waste time.

I am in the same shoes as you. If I need to apply again, the biggest thing that I need to improve on is my MCAT. I am taking the MCAT on October 21 because I'd rather not take the new MCAT in 2015.

Med. schools will not know about your signed up MCAT date unless you tell them, so it's not really a red flag. My advisor told me to update the schools about my new MCAT score once it comes in. And maybe, it'll just show the med. school admission committee that you are committed and realize that you want to improve yourself.

It also depends on how many times you've taken the MCAT and how much your score improved. I've seen some applicants take it three times. Hopefully the third is much better than the first two. If it's only a point better, some (but not all) may wonder if that time could have been better served elsewhere.

As for seeing big improvement in your MCAT score... I'm sure you've heard it enough. Practice, practice, practice. When I was studying for the MCAT, I had a decent grasp of PS, but I wasn't super confident, and I didn't finish early enough to be able to double check some of my answers. I dedicated a few weeks to doing some representative questions out of a physics textbook (and some from a gen chem book too) and my PS score jumped 3 points. A few of the most painful weeks as a premed... but totally worth it 🙂

Re-applying is so tough, but you'll eventually get in, so keep your head up and don't give up! I have seen some applicants finally make it through the third time, and it's totally worth it.

 

[ricecakeMD]

I am in the same shoes as you. If I need to apply again, the biggest thing that I need to improve on is my MCAT. I am taking the MCAT on October 21 because I'd rather not take the new MCAT in 2015.

Med. schools will not know about your signed up MCAT date unless you tell them, so it's not really a red flag. My advisor told me to update the schools about my new MCAT score once it comes in. And maybe, it'll just show the med. school admission committee that you are committed and realize that you want to improve yourself.

This is not true! I thought it was like this but it's not. AMCAS automatically updated my application to YES when I registered for my MCAT. I'm not going to change it back to no because that would be lying. I have been marked complete or under review at most schools however and got some II. Other schools (actually I only check MCW but may be more) now changed my status to incomplete. I get my scores today so hopefully my application won't be too late at that/those schools. Good luck! 🙂

 

[deleted632431]

I only applied to one AMCAS school, and I checked my status for that school and it says I'm complete. What should I do?

 

[ridethecliche]

Party.