Using Old MCAT Score?

[premed2024_123456]

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I took the MCAT in late July, 2023 after my sophomore year. Got a fine score (515, don’t know section specific off the top of my head but pretty balanced). I’m still hoping to get in this cycle but, if I don’t, will it look bad to use this score? It will still be under the accepted timeline for schools, but do they consider this worse than a newer score? I would rather invest my time into extracurricular than spending money to retake. Even though I think I could get >=518, I don’t know if it would be worth it.

 

[Goro]

Med schools see every school, and many will average them.

A 515 is a great score!! So, go for apps with it. So what if Yale is off the table. UCSF Mayo, Pitt will be!

 

[AJS59]

I took the MCAT in late July, 2023 after my sophomore year. Got a fine score (515, don’t know section specific off the top of my head but pretty balanced). I’m still hoping to get in this cycle but, if I don’t, will it look bad to use this score? It will still be under the accepted timeline for schools, but do they consider this worse than a newer score? I would rather invest my time into extracurricular than spending money to retake. Even though I think I could get >=518, I don’t know if it would be worth it.

At a 515 and above (and I might even argue as low as 510 and above) the marginal benefit of a higher score becomes out weighed by the increased risk of scoring worse. Take your score and run

 

[pedneuro6894]

I’m currently applying this cycle with a May 2022 MCAT. I have 9 II’s, with one of them being a top 5. Yes, there are a handful of schools you can’t apply to, but for the ones you can, they don’t care about when you took the MCAT as long as it passes their timeline threshold.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I took the MCAT in late July, 2023 after my sophomore year. Got a fine score (515, don’t know section specific off the top of my head but pretty balanced). I’m still hoping to get in this cycle but, if I don’t, will it look bad to use this score? It will still be under the accepted timeline for schools, but do they consider this worse than a newer score? I would rather invest my time into extracurricular than spending money to retake. Even though I think I could get >=518, I don’t know if it would be worth it.

As mentioned, as long as the score is within a school's valid period, you should be fine. Check the schools to make sure they will consider your 2023 score.

 

[premed2024_123456]

Awesome, thank you all so much!

 

[freddy_bop]

Med schools see every school, and many will average them.

A 515 is a great score!! So, go for apps with it. So what if Yale is off the table. UCSF Mayo, Pitt will be!

II from Yale with 516 🙂

 

[LindaAccepted]

I took the MCAT in late July, 2023 after my sophomore year. Got a fine score (515, don’t know section specific off the top of my head but pretty balanced). I’m still hoping to get in this cycle but, if I don’t, will it look bad to use this score? It will still be under the accepted timeline for schools, but do they consider this worse than a newer score? I would rather invest my time into extracurricular than spending money to retake. Even though I think I could get >=518, I don’t know if it would be worth it.

if it's valid, it's valid. if you're score is "expired" at specific schools, don't apply to those schools. Apply only to the ones where it is not expired.