When should I take the MCAT?

[raginfly]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm planning on applying for medical school in 2010. I was originally planning on taking the MCAT in June, but I was made aware that taking it in April might be a big advantage. That way I could be among the first people to apply in June. I was originally signed up to take a Kaplan class that ends in June, but I could switch into a course that ends in March. If I take it in April, my school year has not ended yet, so I won't be able to completely focus on the MCAT. Also, I won't be done with Physics 2 at that time either.
Will the advantage of taking it in April be worth it for me?

Thank you.

 

[DRIN]

I'm planning on applying for medical school in 2010. I was originally planning on taking the MCAT in June, but I was made aware that taking it in April might be a big advantage. That way I could be among the first people to apply in June. I was originally signed up to take a Kaplan class that ends in June, but I could switch into a course that ends in March. If I take it in April, my school year has not ended yet, so I won't be able to completely focus on the MCAT. Also, I won't be done with Physics 2 at that time either.
Will the advantage of taking it in April be worth it for me?

Thank you.

Take it when you're ready to take it (speaking from experience). If you take it in June, your application will be ready to go in July. Since AMCAS doesn't even send your application to your designated schools until the end of June, this might not be a bad idea. You'll still get all your automatic secondaries at the same time everyone else who submitted when you did. The only disadvantage of taking in June would be if you don't score high enough and you need to retake. This would really hurt the timing of your application if you have to retake. So yes, I would advise taking it in April. If you start studying now, you should be more than ready to take it in April if you have had all the pre-req courses. Good luck!

 

[raginfly]

What do you mean by AMCAS sending your application to your school. Can you explain this process to me a little bit?

 

[JJMrK]

Yes, take it in April. It takes a month to get your scores back, and you want to submit your AMCAS (and have it verified) as early as possible (fill it out, click submit). Depending on when you submit, it can take up to 6 weeks for them to verify your grades, so earlier is better.

 

[J ROD]

It is fine if you want to wait until June. You can submit AMCAS and schools will get your MCAT in July.

Most schools dont even touch that cycle until Aug when the current cycle starts classes.

I would not rush taking the MCAT.....

 

[raginfly]

So I can submit my AMCAS then send my MCAT? That way I don't have to wait for the six week delay period that Jimmer speaks of?

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

So I can submit my AMCAS then send my MCAT? That way I don't have to wait for the six week delay period that Jimmer speaks of?

Yes, you can submit your AMCAS while waiting for MCAT scores so you won't have to delay when the schools receive your info.

Take the MCAT when you are ready. Take some practice tests, try to gauge your understanding of the material and if you are doing well then take it. Don't rush it, so you can avoid having to retake it. But the earlier the better so you can get the application cycle started early and get those coveted early notifications and early interviews

 

[J ROD]

So I can submit my AMCAS then send my MCAT? That way I don't have to wait for the six week delay period that Jimmer speaks of?

yes...just get it there by Aug. I think having those extra months in summer are really helpful without classes....

 

[riverjib]

I deferred my application for a year because despite how much I looked into the process, I was naive about the importance of applying early. Midway through last year, I watched as classmates who applied in August and September either get last-minute interviews or get flat-out rejected. I know students with equally impressive stats (3.9 GPA /35+ MCAT) who had entirely different experiences, based upon when they applied. I was planning to take the MCAT in July after starting Kaplan in March, and I discovered that it wasn't a risk I could afford to take. I planned to instead to apply late and maximize my chances at getting interviews. So I'm hoping to be ready by March at the latest. That way, I can try to improve my score and re-take it in May if it's necessary.

That said, plenty of people get in at the end of the admissions process, even the less ideal candidates. A friend of mine was invited for an interview at Einstein at the end of April. Her packet was fantastic, but her MCAT was a 29, and she assumed she'd have to re-take it and scheduled it for May just in case. She was interviewed at the last possible moment because her research mentor pulled some strings, and got into our university's med school. She accepted the offer before she even heard back from Einstein. There are plenty of stories like this. I'd still prefer to apply early.

 

[Usernamed]

Early, early, early. Unless you really look like your avatar, in which case you can take it whenever because you're that hardcore.

Seriously, though, I was perusing some other threads recently on next year's matriculates and noticed that a large percentage of the ones accepted with less-than average GPA's and/or MCAT scores applied as soon as they possibly could. That said, I'd never take it before I was ready.

 

[raginfly]

Early, early, early. Unless you really look like your avatar, in which case you can take it whenever because you're that hardcore.

Seriously, though, I was perusing some other threads recently on next year's matriculates and noticed that a large percentage of the ones accepted with less-than average GPA's and/or MCAT scores applied as soon as they possibly could. That said, I'd never take it before I was ready.

hahaha
no i am not that hardcore... just a computer game (diablo 3) i am dying to play.
I guess I just need to see how ready I am and decide then. Any idea how late I can register for MCAT and still get a seat?
I'll probably change my Kaplan course to one that ends at an earlier time.
Thank you guys for all your input! This forum has been very helpful.

 

[pelu]

From experience, take it anytime before mid May. I took it the first week of May this year so that gave me plenty of time to prepare (I took the MCAT course in Jan; ended in March) and for the month of April I was doing 2-3 practice exams per week. You should get it down to a routine the last few weeks for your MCAT so you don't waste time on the actual test. It was a hellish month, but I'm happy with my score, which was released the first of June. Once my scores were out a day before the AMCAS opened, I completed my application (that is, had been working on it the week before open submission) and sent it the very first day. APPLY EARLY like I did. It has made a world of a difference and have gotten more interviews that I expected.

As for secondaries, I pretty much gave myself a week deadline after receiving them to send them in. That way, they didn't pile up and I kept on top of things. I also gave my LOR recommders a strict deadline (with plenty of time in advance) to have my letters in. I was complete by the end of July and it has most definitely paid off. My first interview was in mid September and it's been non-stop since then 😉.

Good luck!