Taking MCAT in June. Is this too late?

[THEFLYINGKUMAR]

I will be taking the MCAT on June 20th for the first time. I am a Junior currently and will be in between my junior and senior year when I take the test. This means that I will be getting my scores back on July 21st. Is this too late in the cycle as I have heard that one should apply in June.

My other alternative is to take the MCAT in April and risk less study time. The May date filled up on the first day of registration, which is the month I was hoping to take it. I am so confused on what I should do!

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[MDporfavor8888]

take the test when you feel ready

 

[EasternMer]

I will be taking the MCAT on June 20th for the first time. I am a Junior currently and will be in between my junior and senior year when I take the test. This means that I will be getting my scores back on July 21st. Is this too late in the cycle as I have heard that one should apply in June.

My other alternative is to take the MCAT in April and risk less study time. The May date filled up on the first day of registration, which is the month I was hoping to take it. I am so confused on what I should do!

1) Go take the test in British Columbia! lol no

take your time, do it in June, at most you'll be 3 weeks behind the first application submissions.

 

[frodo25]

Am wondering this too. Would we be at a significant disadvantage submitting in July?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Am wondering this too. Would we be at a significant disadvantage submitting in July?

You'll be okay. Submitting in July is not ideal, but it won't kill you either.

 

[Premixis]

I took the test last year, on June 21st, an entire day after you guys 😱. I still was accepted to multiple medical schools, I think you guys will be fine. Definitely gauge how well you're doing on practice tests and only take it when you feel ready enough. By all means, applying this late will not significantly harm your chances. Also, definitely submit your AMCAS application to ONE school prior to receiving your MCAT score so you can be verified by the time you get your test scores back.

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

Not too late, but as others have said, make sure you have enough time to prepare. How much time are you looking at?

 

[bionerd20]

I took it in June last year and had my application verified before my score came back in July. I had all my secondaries pre-written so when my score came back I was ready to go. I still got early interviews. Just make sure you take some practice tests before you submit your primary to make sure your scores are looking like they're where you want them to be.

 

[cHs88]

Also, definitely submit your AMCAS application to ONE school prior to receiving your MCAT score so you can be verified by the time you get your test scores back.

This! Get your app verified and ready to go before you take the test.

 

[Catalystik]

I took the test last year, on June 21st, an entire day after you guys 😱. I still was accepted to multiple medical schools, I think you guys will be fine. Definitely gauge how well you're doing on practice tests and only take it when you feel ready enough. By all means, applying this late will not significantly harm your chances. Also, definitely submit your AMCAS application to ONE school prior to receiving your MCAT score so you can be verified by the time you get your test scores back.

This is your best strategy.

I took it in June last year and had my application verified before my score came back in July. I had all my secondaries pre-written so when my score came back I was ready to go. I still got early interviews. Just make sure you take some practice tests before you submit your primary to make sure your scores are looking like they're where you want them to be.

Follow this advice as well. You will be able to access Secondary essay prompts in SDN's School Specific forum from last year (95% will be unchanged), and this year when they are posted.

 

[bluejay456]

Take the test when you're ready. For me, I took the MCAT for the second time mid July and am currently admitted to 5 schools, 3 top 20. I think the whole thing about submitting your app early, while important, is not as big of a deal as people usually make. I had my primary app submitted to all the schools I wanted to apply to a few days following the first day you could submit and it was confirmed as verified a few weeks later. A few of the schools I applied to sent me an email stating I was on hold until the MCAT score came back but they still sent me secondaries (they want to make money lol).

For someone who is in school, don't underestimate how hard it is to study for the MCAT while you're doing classes. I strongly recommend you take the test over the summer so you can dedicate all your attention to studying. Good luck!

 

[bruwin2011]

As a 3X applicant that has done things wrong and right, this is what i would suggest-

first of all.... ONLY TAKE THE MCAT WHEN YOU ARE READY!

If this is your second+ time taking the MCAT, taking a June MCAT is fine because your AMCAS can still be verified while you wait for your new score (probably the most important step based on the 2013 application cycle disaster of 8 weeks to verify). If you do this, this is what you need to do.:Turn in your primary the first day it opens so you get verified in a timely manner. Take your MCAT (Ideally I wouldn't take it any later than the end of July only if you have if you have great numbers and have a previous MCAT score). Write all of your secondaries, because schools will immediately get your MCAT score the day it is released (I got my MCAT score when I was filling out the BU secondary lol) and schools will hold your secondary until they get your new score.

If this is your first MCAT, taking a june date is a little risky because that means that your primary will not be considered complete and ready for verification until July. Generally there is a trend that the later you submit your primary, the longer it takes to get verified. This year and 2012 were normal, but last year the verification process was about 2 months if you submitted after June 10th. If you have any weakness in your application, it is essential that you turn in your apps as early as possible because it is rolling, and pre-meds are in general very type A and are pretty neurotic, so you can bet that most of the other 45K applications will be applying on time.

I would plan on studying for the May date, since you said that is the one you would like to take. I know that a lot of states are sold out right now, but what happens is that as you get closer to the actual test date people start to freak out, and will push their test back. Generally this happens about a month before the test. Last year I was signed up for for May 17th, but ended up freaking out around the end of April after 1 particularly horrible practice test, and canceled my test. I was able to sign up for June 13th at my first choice location in California (California sells out within the first day registration opens everyday).

I hope this helps! best of luck!

 

[jared_the_great]

I took mine in early July and still applied the same year. It worked out. 6 interviews out of 13 schools applied to. One acceptance so far. Several other decisions still pending.

Just do what others are suggesting. Do everything else as early as you can. Submit your primary early so it's verified before you get your score back. Pre-write your secondaries.