When do you usually apply for med school and take mcats?

[missrv]

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I know i have a very long road ahead of me. but i was wondering, if I plan to graduate spring 2018 and hope to enter med school fall 2018, should i take the mcat spring 2017 and do my med school applications summer 2o17? so something like this

spring 2017: MCAT
summer 2017: amcas application
Spring 2018: Graduate
Fall 2018: Start Med school>?

 

[parachichi]

I know i have a very long road ahead of me. but i was wondering, if I plan to graduate spring 2018 and hope to enter med school fall 2018, should i take the mcat spring 2017 and do my med school applications summer 2o17? so something like this

spring 2017: MCAT
summer 2017: amcas application
Spring 2018: Graduate
Fall 2018: Start Med school>?

Yes, that timeline is possible, but it's not the only way to do it. Mine was:
Spring 2014: Graduate
Winter 2015: MCAT
Summer 2015: AMCAS
Summer/Fall 2016: Start med school
And if I didn't get in this year, that timeline would be even longer. Just depends on your level of readiness - apply when your application is at its strongest!

 

[7331poas]

MCAT is singular.

 

[notofimportance143]

That's similar to my plan. I am going to take the mcat in January though.

 

[parachichi]

That's similar to my plan. I am going to take the mcat in January though.

I took it in January. Gives you more time to study and retake if necessary.

 

[notofimportance143]

I took it in January. Gives you more time to study and retake if necessary.

That was my plan! Hopefully I only have to take it once though.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Your plan looks similar to mine when I applied. I did take my MCAT earlier though, I wanted to be sure I had time to retake if I needed.

 

[bwc]

Your plan works. I know people who took the MCAT the summer after their sophomore year and then applied the summer after their junior year. If you are planning to take a gap year, then that will make things a bit more flexible. MCAT scores are generally valid for three years.

 

[Dral]

MCAT is singular.

Unless OP is predicting they are going to need retakes. 🙂

 

[missrv]

Your plan looks similar to mine when I applied. I did take my MCAT earlier though, I wanted to be sure I had time to retake if I needed.

what it look bad if i were to take it twice?

 

[bwc]

what it look bad if i were to take it twice?

Depends on whether or not you improved significantly. If you improved significantly, it won't look bad. Otherwise, it doesn't reflect positively. Keep in mind that medical schools see all MCAT scores. Unlike the SAT/ACT, you don't have the option to select which scores you want to send.

 

[parachichi]

Plus, after doing it once, you don't want to have to do it again.

 

[gyngyn]

what it look bad if i were to take it twice?

It is always preferable to take the MCAT once, well.
There is no way to predict how multiple scores will be viewed. The odds that it won't be viewed better than a single strong score is high.