When is the latest in a cycle you can take the MCAT without it affecting your chances?

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Future_Bone_Docta

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So as far as MCAT prep goes I am currently in the middle of my senior year. This winter break I am doing all the content review with my kaplan set of books. Then this semester I will be taking sociology, Organic 2, and Biochemistry. Then my plan is to get an MCAT course and basically do practice problems and tests for the first portion of summer. My question was what is the latest I could take the MCAT and still apply this cycle? Thanks!
 
Take it by late May at latest if possible....June is potentially okay too. DO schools/Canadian schools have different timelines.
so TAKING it by the middle to end to June would be okay? and then by the time I get my scores back it would not be detrimental to me? Because by the time the semester ends (May 16thish) I will have all the content review done, and all the Pre reqs done. So what do you think sufficient time for practice tests and passage review would be?
 
Taking it at the end of June means your MCAT scores will be in near the end of July. That gives everyone else vying for the same spots in medical school a two-month head start on you at the primary stage. Because of the lag time in having your transcript verified, you'll be a little farther behind than eight weeks. That gap gets larger and larger with each stage, as many applicants will have sent their secondaries and been invited for interviews before schools are looking at your primary. You will need to be a significantly better applicant to get a spot, because they will start filling their class with qualified candidates beginning in mid-October.

With your late June MCAT timeline, you will be lucky to get interviews in November. With record numbers of applicants, why not give yourself the best possible chance? If you decide to take a mid-June MCAT after all, then do yourself a favor and get your primary in the day after you take your MCAT. Apply to only a few schools, as you will not know how you did on the test to make a fully informed decision on where to apply. At least get your primary in the hopper with a few schools. When you get your scores in July, you can always add more schools.

If you decide to take the MCAT in late June or July, you better do amazing on it to offset any disadvantage you may have created by being in the last third of primary applicants for the year.
 
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Just want to throw this in there, if you register for the March 29th MCAT, the scores come back on May 1st, the day that the application opens up. If you don't do well on that first one, you are still open for the late May exam dates as your re-take instead of your primary.

However, as @MCATKINGS has alluded to, if you are unable to properly study while class is still going on or do not feel well prepared for a test in 3 months and a week, then do a slightly later one.
 
I have edited three of my above messages here to hopefully be more helpful. I agree with @BerkReviewTeach and @samualjhatfield 's comments and remarks fully as well.
Awesome! Thank you all for all your help! I will try to get done what I can over winter break and during the semester, and will plan on applying for the early May MCAT and then will play it by ear as to where I stand as I approach the date, and may potentially switch to the end of may date if it is not feasible and I feel ill prepared.
 
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