Scheduling Problems (MCAT/AMCAS)

[mwall003]

Hey guys-

I was hoping yall could help me with some scheduling problems. I'm trying to figure out what MCAT date I should register for in order to have my AMCAS complete sometime in June. I'm taking 13 credits next semester while studying for the MCAT. These are the test dates I'm looking at:

Saturday, May 7, 2011 Release Date: June 7th
Friday, May 20, 2011 Release Date: June 21st
Saturday, May 21, 2011 Release Date: June 21st
Thursday, May 26, 2011 Release Date: June 28th

I'd like to be complete and ready to go ASAP since the AMCAS comes out June 1st. Ideally I'd like to register for the May 7th date so I'd receive my scores by June 7th, however that is the week right after my finals. If I did take the May 7th exam when do you all think i'd be 100% complete with AMCAS and would I be receiving secondaries come early July? What about if I took the May 20th or 21st test date? Thanks so much for all your help.

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[Barcu]

Hey guys-

I was hoping yall could help me with some scheduling problems. I'm trying to figure out what MCAT date I should register for in order to have my AMCAS complete sometime in June. I'm taking 13 credits next semester while studying for the MCAT. These are the test dates I'm looking at:

Saturday, May 7, 2011 Release Date: June 7th
Friday, May 20, 2011 Release Date: June 21st
Saturday, May 21, 2011 Release Date: June 21st
Thursday, May 26, 2011 Release Date: June 28th

I'd like to be complete and ready to go ASAP since the AMCAS comes out June 1st. Ideally I'd like to register for the May 7th date so I'd receive my scores by June 7th, however that is the week right after my finals. If I did take the May 7th exam when do you all think i'd be 100% complete with AMCAS and would I be receiving secondaries come early July? What about if I took the May 20th or 21st test date? Thanks so much for all your help.

Being as early as possible helps.

Having said that, it's better to make sure your MCAT goes well the first time.

I don't think doing the later test dates would hurt you at all.

Some schools send secondaries whether they have read your app or not (you get them even if your primary hasn't been processed) so you will probably have some early July secondaries no matter what.

And if you really want to be on the ball, you can prewrite your secondaries. That would probably more than make up for a late June submission.

 

[loua0731]

Hey guys-

I was hoping yall could help me with some scheduling problems. I'm trying to figure out what MCAT date I should register for in order to have my AMCAS complete sometime in June. I'm taking 13 credits next semester while studying for the MCAT. These are the test dates I'm looking at:

Saturday, May 7, 2011 Release Date: June 7th
Friday, May 20, 2011 Release Date: June 21st
Saturday, May 21, 2011 Release Date: June 21st
Thursday, May 26, 2011 Release Date: June 28th

I'd like to be complete and ready to go ASAP since the AMCAS comes out June 1st. Ideally I'd like to register for the May 7th date so I'd receive my scores by June 7th, however that is the week right after my finals. If I did take the May 7th exam when do you all think i'd be 100% complete with AMCAS and would I be receiving secondaries come early July? What about if I took the May 20th or 21st test date? Thanks so much for all your help.

You could start getting secondaries in early July even if you took the May 26 MCAT. I took mine on May 27, submitted my AMCAS June 20, and received my scores June 29. I don't think AMCAS submits your app to schools until the end of June (around the 24th or 25th) anyway, so the soonest that schools will get your app is around then.

I started receiving secondaries at the end of June/start of July and was submitting/complete at several schools by mid-July. Definitely pre-write some if you can--that's what I did, and I was able to get a bunch of apps out quickly.

But like the above poster said, take the MCAT when you're ready. I have a friend who didn't take her test until June (got her scores in July) and she's gotten interviews at Harvard, JHU, UChicago, UMich, and a few other great schools. I think as long as your apps are COMPLETE by August, you'll be in good shape.

 

[mwall003]

Being as early as possible helps.

Having said that, it's better to make sure your MCAT goes well the first time.

I don't think doing the later test dates would hurt you at all.

Some schools send secondaries whether they have read your app or not (you get them even if your primary hasn't been processed) so you will probably have some early July secondaries no matter what.

And if you really want to be on the ball, you can prewrite your secondaries. That would probably more than make up for a late June submission.

Sorry to sound like a newb, but what do you mean I can "prewrite" some of my secondaries? Do you mean research the previous year's essay questions and prewrite them? Thanks again so much, you all are very helpful.

 

[CougarMD]

Yes, that is what they mean by pre-writing. Or, if the secondaries have already been released but you haven't gotten them yet, the prompts are usually up on SDN.

The other thing to remember is that even though your app is not "complete" at schools without the MCAT score, you can still SUBMIT your AMCAS on June 1st and get it verified and ready to go out to schools the moment the MCAT scores are in. If you do this, and it gets sent to schools at the end of June (June 25th ish last year) then you literally have lost NO time compared to someone who had their MCAT score already and submitted June 1st.

As long as you submit the app early in June to get it verified, you are not losing any time.

Also...check out a few pages back in the Class of 2016 thread for the answers to a lot of questions like these.

 

[mosesmalone]

This might be a stupid question but do you get all your secondaries online?

I might be out of the country in July so I was worried about getting secondaries in the mail and not being able to get to them for a few weeks.

 

[Barcu]

This might be a stupid question but do you get all your secondaries online?

I might be out of the country in July so I was worried about getting secondaries in the mail and not being able to get to them for a few weeks.

I have yet to hear of a secondary that you receive in the mail.

The vast majority of mine were online and were completed online.

For some, you access it online, fill it out, print it, and then mail it in. So, good chance you may have to do that, but it is easily done from abroad.

You should be fine.