September 13th MCAT????

[DAKAZA]

Hello, I need to take some summer classes before taking the MCAT. They won't be over until the very end of August. Therefore, I'm planning on taking the latest MCAT on September 13th so I have some time to review after. I noticed that this is much later than normal but is it too late? The AMCAS deadline is December 15th so can't I finish up my application in October/November and be in good shape? I wish I had a good premed advisor. Thanks.

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[iA-MD2013]

Hello, I need to take some summer classes before taking the MCAT. They won't be over until the very end of August. Therefore, I'm planning on taking the latest MCAT on September 13th so I have some time to review after. I noticed that this is much later than normal but is it too late? The AMCAS deadline is December 15th so can't I finish up my application in October/November and be in good shape? I wish I had a good premed advisor. Thanks.

That is way too late. I think the absolute latest to take the MCAT is in August so that you get your scores back in sept.

 

[DAKAZA]

Thanks for your reply. I realize this is a lot later than normal but one of the main schools I want to apply to told me that they have no problem with applications filed in December (Wayne State). Most other schools seem to have similar deadlines so I don't understand why this is too late since it only takes about a month to get the score. Please forgive my ignorance.

 

[iA-MD2013]

The problem is that most med schools have rolling admissions. The earlier you are in applying, the better your chances are. Being complete at schools in october is late...too late in my opinion. You're losing the chance of being accepted to a school you may be qualified for because the med schools already filled their seats. Even august is a little late... But, the consensus on SDN is that it's very important to apply early.

 

[J ROD]

There is no problem with doing it per se.

You just have to have a very strong application because like the above poster said you have less chances because of the rolling admissions.

But, you have to take the MCAT when you think you are ready.


Personally, I would take it in August to give yourself a better chance this year or just apply next year.

I guess it depends on how confident you are on your chances...

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Thanks for your reply. I realize this is a lot later than normal but one of the main schools I want to apply to told me that they have no problem with applications filed in December (Wayne State). Most other schools seem to have similar deadlines so I don't understand why this is too late since it only takes about a month to get the score. Please forgive my ignorance.

The issue arises, that "yes they take that late of an app" but the later you apply the stronger your app needs to be. Whereas if you were fully complete by Mid June with say a 32 MCAT and a 3.7 GPA, you would need probably around a 37 MCAT and a 3.9GPA if you weren't fully complete until December...at least this seems to be the common trend.

If you feel you need until September to be ready I would take it in September and then just apply the the following year as early as possible, but that is just me.

 

[feedme]

I'm going to mooch off this person's post because the answers that I want answered seem to be answered here. What if you're a very weak applicant like a 3.27 GPA and a 2.98 BCPM GPA (I plan on applying to mostly DO schools). When should we take the test assuming we have all summer to study for it? And if I start my application in June but don't submit my score till September, will I probably be completely discounted?

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I'm going to mooch off this person's post because the answers that I want answered seem to be answered here. What if you're a very weak applicant like a 3.27 GPA and a 2.98 BCPM GPA (I plan on applying to mostly DO schools). When should we take the test assuming we have all summer to study for it? And if I start my application in June but don't submit my score till September, will I probably be completely discounted?

I'm a fan of taking it when you feel like you can do your best. Studying all summer and taking it in late July/early August should be fine for most people, unless you're like the op and have significant responsibilities in the summer. And submitting in September really isn't that late. It's not SDN-ideal, but it's not horrible. Submitting in December is a little more concerning to me, but yeah, you can always apply again if it doesn't work out, and it's really not an issue at some school.

Now if you are going to submit a little later, you need to be on the ball with everything else in your application. The hardest part to control is letters, so get on that now. I'd vote for having everything in before you the MCAT scores are up.