Should I take the September MCAT as planned or wait until January?

[lovepediatrics]

Background information: I would take the September 8 MCAT instead of September 10 because no areas r close to my house on that date. Also, I would have a little under 2 months to study for the exam since I started studying July 1. I took an MCAT course from may to end of june but didnt actually study then...I'm not applying to schools this year.. and my last day to reschedule/cancel registration is tonight because I was originally signed up for the July 28 MCAT and have yet to reschedule to September. Also, I've never taken the MCAT before.

So, should I wait until January to take my exam? I wouldn't study much in the school year-- maybe 5 weeks tops until December with extensive studying during the 3-4 week school break...

Any help is greatly appreciated!

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[MShopes]

Background information: I would take the September 8 MCAT instead of September 10 because no areas r close to my house on that date. Also, I would have a little under 2 months to study for the exam since I started studying July 1. I took an MCAT course from may to end of june but didnt actually study then...I'm not applying to schools this year.. and my last day to reschedule/cancel registration is tonight because I was originally signed up for the July 28 MCAT and have yet to reschedule to September. Also, I've never taken the MCAT before.

So, should I wait until January to take my exam? I wouldn't study much in the school year-- maybe 5 weeks tops until December with extensive studying during the 3-4 week school break...

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I'm in the same boat as you, not applying this year. But I decided to take off from work this summer and decided to study for the MCAT and get rid of it so that I can work on my other stuff such as letters of recommendations, personal statement...etc. I registered for the Aug 23 MCAT and I started studying around June 20th. However, I might postpone until september 10 because I need to give this test all my time and need to take as many practice passages and full length exams as possible. I have about 1 more week to finish content review and then will do practice for at least a month and half. I wouldn't be ashame of myself for giving myself more than 2 months for this exam and thinking that other people took it with less time studying than me. Every one is different.

My advice to you is that you should take it this summer but at the very end of the summer like September. No matter how hard you study during the semester, you won't retain as much because of other courses that you need to study for. Summer would be the best time for you to kill this beast. You will even feel a lot relieved going into the school year with something important done in your life. To each his opinion, but always think why would there be a September 10 MCAT date and why would people choose this date. Most of them wouldn't try applying this year I'm sure.

Good luck!

 

[NickNaylor]

Don't mean to be rude here, but no matter when you take the test you're not going to do well if you don't make studying a priority (which you don't seem to be doing). Why would you waste your time and money attending a prep course and not study while you're taking it? You say that you're not going to study during the year, so by delaying you would just put yourself in an even worse position (two months to study now vs. five weeks in the winter).

Find a time that will allow you to devote REAL time to studying, otherwise it's just a fruitless endeavor.

 

[lovepediatrics]

Thanks for that reality check. I really wasn't dedicating much time to studying and your post made me realize that's what I need to be doing. Wish me luck in staying focused and doing well. Thanks to both of you for your responses!