Test Date: Opinions

[Surf92]

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I'm planning on taking my MCAT next year and applying that cycle. However, I am unsure as to when an optimal time would be to actually sit for the exam. Is it better to take it in March/April (attempt to line it up with spring break maybe?) and have my apps ready to go on day 1 or to take it a few weeks after finals (May/June) and submit later. Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JoshuaGuit]

I just took it today. If I could do it over again, I would have taken it in March or April if I had finished all of the prereqs and was able to study for it. I need to submit my application this week, but now I have the added stress of not knowing how I did on it to gauge which schools I should apply to.

 

[BABSstudent]

I took it in like May 22nd last year (finals ended the first week of May). I tried to study during the semester and it just did not work for me. Definitely didn't help that I left to study abroad the next day.

This year, I knew I needed more time to prepare. I signed up for the June test. Finals ended first week of May again. I made sure I had my primary application ready before the first day to submit. I just had to copy and paste my essays and check some boxes. I then put my effort into two months of studying (intensely) and took the June 21st test. I got my scores back on Tuesday, after already filling out 8 secondaries, and then got 3 more that day.

I recommend the second one, just because I felt like I had more time to prepare for the test and I didn't have to balance school and MCAT studying. I am proud of my scores and I am sure I will get in with them.