Retaking the MCAT while on waitlist

[MrJohnW]

Hi all. I took my MCAT not feeling 100% prepared and got a 506. I'm a non-trad with a 3.95 GPA and 6 years of experience as an occupational therapist. I have ongoing volunteer experiences with 2 organizations dating back to April 2020 and an ongoing shadowing experience. I had an interview 3 weeks ago with a high priority school and got put on their waitlist. I feel my MCAT score is a weak point of my application and considering retaking it. Would it benefit my current application if I were to retake the MCAT around May 2021? Has anyone had a late MCAT retake bump them off a waitlist? If it won't benefit me this cycle, I will still retake and reapply next cycle if I am not accepted at my high priority schools.

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

There are a few things to consider here that you did not specify:
1) What is your MCAT score breakdown by section?
2) What is the average MCAT score of the school you are waitlisted at?

A May 2021 MCAT is FAR too late in the cycle to be considered by any school. MD schools stopped considering any MCAT past the September 2020 MCAT dates and DO schools are only considering January 2021 MCAT scores for the current cycle. So no, a May 2021 retake will not avail you for the current cycle.

 

[KnightDoc]

There are a few things to consider here that you did not specify:
1) What is your MCAT score breakdown by section?
2) What is the average MCAT score of the school you are waitlisted at?

A May 2021 MCAT is FAR too late in the cycle to be considered by any school. MD schools stopped considering any MCAT past the September 2020 MCAT dates and DO schools are only considering January 2021 MCAT scores for the current cycle. So no, a May 2021 retake will not avail you for the current cycle.

This^^^^. All schools publish the date of the last MCAT that will considered. No school deviates from it and risks giving an unfair advantage to anyone. While @GoPenguinsGo is absolutely right about September being the general cutoff for MD schools, a very few schools did extend that this cycle to January 2021 due to the issues with scheduling tests this past spring and summer. If you could be ready to take it next month, it would be prudent to check with any school you would want to look at it to see if they are willing to do so.

 

[stridermmxxv]

There are a few things to consider here that you did not specify:
1) What is your MCAT score breakdown by section?
2) What is the average MCAT score of the school you are waitlisted at?

A May 2021 MCAT is FAR too late in the cycle to be considered by any school. MD schools stopped considering any MCAT past the September 2020 MCAT dates and DO schools are only considering January 2021 MCAT scores for the current cycle. So no, a May 2021 retake will not avail you for the current cycle.

Do medical schools that you have applied to this cycle still get to see the updated MCAT score even if it is outside their deadline? Even though they officially don't take MCAT scores past September 2020, it would be kind of hard to "unsee" a score that went from 506 to, say, 515.

 

[gyngyn]

Do medical schools that you have applied to this cycle still get to see the updated MCAT score even if it is outside their deadline? Even though they officially don't take MCAT scores past September 2020, it would be kind of hard to "unsee" a score that went from 506 to, say, 515.

Your MCAT updates automatically in AMCAS, but there is rarely reason to review it late in the cycle.