taking mcat in september is that too late?

[Katusha]

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I just graduated from my undergrad with a GPA of 3.34 and a sci GPA of 3.0. right now i am planning on studying for my mcat and taking it september 11, but had heard somewhere that by taking it so late i might not get in anywhere. please let me know if you have any experience with that matter and if you can give me any advice, should i try to take it at the end of august? will that make any difference?
maybe if i were to send in my application earlier and then send my mcat scores it would be better? or this makes no difference, and the committie does not look at the application without the scores?

thank you

 

[austinap]

Don't take it that late. If you take it that late, you honestly will have almost no chance. Rolling admissions are killer, and with your GPA you need to take advantage of every other edge you can get.

 

[Katusha]

Don't take it that late. If you take it that late, you honestly will have almost no chance. Rolling admissions are killer, and with your GPA you need to take advantage of every other edge you can get.

i still need to get ready would late august be better? and what if i send in my application without the scores very early in and then just send the scores later would that make a difference?

 

[UNMorBUST]

i still need to get ready would late august be better? and what if i send in my application without the scores very early in and then just send the scores later would that make a difference?

Postpone a year so you can apply as soon as amcas opens. With your gpa you need to optimize your chances. Plus it gives you more time to beef up your applications.

 

[addo]

Postpone a year so you can apply as soon as amcas opens. With your gpa you need to optimize your chances. Plus it gives you more time to beef up your applications.

plus, if you dont do so well in september or decide to void or any other disaster happens, you can take it next year around april, and youll be spot on to apply as early as you can.

 

[austinap]

i still need to get ready would late august be better? and what if i send in my application without the scores very early in and then just send the scores later would that make a difference?

Yeah, I'd postpone a year. Unfortunately, your sGPA is going to hurt you. If you absolutely must apply this year, I'd send in your AMCAS withour scores so that it gets verified by the time your scores are ready. However, even if you take it in late August, you won't have scores until late September, while is approaching the secondary deadline for a lot of school. You'll be at the bottom of the pile everywhere, and without a stellar application your app likely won't get a second glance.

Seriously, save yourself the money and frustration of the application cycle this year, and build your app / have fun for a year and apply as early as possible next year. As it stands, your sGPA is going to be in the bottom 5th percentile at every allopathic school in the US. Even a 40+ MCAT isn't going to help you out of that unless you take advantage of every other edge you can get.

 

[Katusha]

plus, if you dont do so well in september or decide to void or any other disaster happens, you can take it next year around april, and youll be spot on to apply as early as you can.

the peroblems with that is that i already took it once and didnt do good, i jsut didnt have time to study normally with classes and all so i am already postponing it a year so i would really hate to loose another year,
is it really that hopeless? maybe late august, and send in all the other documents much muxh earlier? would that help?

 

[austinap]

the peroblems with that is that i already took it once and didnt do good, i jsut didnt have time to study normally with classes and all so i am already postponing it a year so i would really hate to loose another year,
is it really that hopeless? maybe late august, and send in all the other documents much muxh earlier? would that help?

No. It wouldn't help. If you already took it once and didn't do well, you have even more ground to make up. Spend a solid ~4 months studying for it. You're going to need to break the mid 30s to have a chance at MD, or at least 30 for a chance at DO.

 

[addo]

the peroblems with that is that i already took it once and didnt do good, i jsut didnt have time to study normally with classes and all so i am already postponing it a year so i would really hate to loose another year,
is it really that hopeless? maybe late august, and send in all the other documents much muxh earlier? would that help?

How did you do the first time, if you dont mind me asking? You might want to complete your application soon, specify that you are taking the mcat in september and submit. Most schools dont review your application until the expected mcat score are in though, so that might not accomplish anything.

Another thing you can do is submit your application with your current mcat score and see what happens? Really, just about as good option as being reviewed sometime in October with new mcat scores.

 

[osumc2014]

Take a year off and really study and own it, would be stupid to apply late and rush to study for the MCAT, the process is not fun and you would waste a ton of money if it didn't work out

 

[Katusha]

How did you do the first time, if you dont mind me asking? You might want to complete your application soon, specify that you are taking the mcat in september and submit. Most schools dont review your application until the expected mcat score are in though, so that might not accomplish anything.

Another thing you can do is submit your application with your current mcat score and see what happens? Really, just about as good option as being reviewed sometime in October with new mcat scores.

the first score was horrible, so there is no question in that that i would not be sending it in, the first time i took it i got a 17 =(

 

[link2swim06]

If you got a 17 what was your practice average?


IMHO you are not ready for the real deal until you can continually score 30 or greater on practice tests.

 

[mdbound1987]

I know it sucks to hear this from everyone, but you really shouldn't apply this year. If you had a 3.8+ sgpa and cgpa, then you could get away with applying so late. You would be wasting a lot of money. Plus, when you are a reapplicant, it is tougher to get accepted. Do yourself a favor and wait until next year. With your gpa, you need to apply when AMCAS first opens.

 

[addo]

the first score was horrible, so there is no question in that that i would not be sending it in, the first time i took it i got a 17 =(

Thats tough. You really want to take your time in preparing for the mcat this time, so you score in the 30s- if not MD might be out of the question altogether, whether this cycle or next.
By the way we dont get to choose which scores are reported to AMCAS, they are all automatically uploaded. All the more reason to really do well on your next one.

 

[SoulinNeed]

Yeah, your GPAs aren't high enough for MD or DO really, and this late will drastically hurt you no matter what your GPA was. So, honestly, either postpone for another year, or think about another well paying health profession.

 

[osumc2014]

Thats tough. You really want to take your time in preparing for the mcat this time, so you score in the 30s- if not MD might be out of the question altogether, whether this cycle or next.
By the way we dont get to choose which scores are reported to AMCAS, they are all automatically uploaded. All the more reason to really do well on your next one.

well if he does well on the second one (30+), they may think the first time was a fluke or he/she was sick or somethig

 

[mdbound1987]

well if he does well on the second one (30+), they may think the first time was a fluke or he/she was sick or somethig

That is true. I'm not sure if you are implying that if OP gets a good mcat score, then OP should apply this year, but if you are, OP def shouldn't. That gpa is still way too low to risk applying that late in the season.

 

[link2swim06]

Did not see your science GPA....you have no realistic chance, imho with that GPA. Ideally you will want to send your application (whatever year you do) by August with 3.4+ in overall and science. Also you will want to have at least a 30 to have a decent shot.

Could you get in with less.....yes.....but can you win the lottery.......yes....your chance are just low.


If you can't get all these numbers up consider other health programs.

 

[osumc2014]

That is true. I'm not sure if you are implying that if OP gets a good mcat score, then OP should apply this year, but if you are, OP def shouldn't. That gpa is still way too low to risk applying that late in the season.

No I agree with you...In fact, I would recommend the OP to really consider if medicine is what he wants to go into, with the state of healthcare etc...I recommend taking the year off, do a lot of shadowing and study hardcore for MCAT. If that is realistic of course, some people cannot afford to take year off

 

[zwitter]

I took september mcat and got into 3 top 10 schools. However my gpa and Ec's were quite unique I imagine. I would echo the sentiments of my fellow sdn'rs and take a year to study. Late MCAT's are stressful, but being in the last interview group means not waiting as long for waitlist answers! Stay thirsty my friend.

 

[LebLlama]

i know a few people that took it in september and got into good schools last year. no worries.

 

[JJMrK]

i know a few people that took it in september and got into good schools last year. no worries.

Sure it is possible, but you are really stacking the cards against yourself. From what I've seen, applying early is very often the difference between 7-8 interviews and 0-2 (for individuals with competitive numbers). OP, I would very much suggest waiting a year. Take the MCAT in January-April. Take your time and do it right.

 

[mdbound1987]

i know a few people that took it in september and got into good schools last year. no worries.

Yeah but I'm sure they had a stellar application. OP's gpa is not high enough to get accepted that late unless he/she gets a 38+ mcat and the rest of his/her app is more unique/impressive than any other app they encounter. What are the chances of that happening though. There are always exceptions to the rule...like your chances at winning the lottery if you buy one ticket.

 

[UNMorBUST]

i know a few people that took it in september and got into good schools last year. no worries.

😕 With a 3.4 cgpa and a 3.0 sgpa?