When should I take the MCAT?

[thestrokes14]

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Hi everyone.

I understand that taking the MCAT early has its benefits when it comes to rolling interviews at certain places. But for me, I would prefer to do well over taking it early (unless you may advise otherwise), but still taking the MCAT in time to apply next Fall 2010 (i.e. I need take it sometime this summer). So, I could use May and June to study, and possibly July. I have done some previous studying, but I still need some solid time to sit down and get to work. So, maybe after what date is it advisable not to take the MCAT given you are applying the following fall? I should note, I do have pretty good complimentary stats (3.77 GPA Engineering/ivy league, heavy research experience, and many ECs)

 

[NickNaylor]

Depending on your specific details, applying ASAP may not be much of an advantage for you (i.e., it sounds like you have a pretty solid app otherwise). You have to find the balance between applying early and not getting shut out and giving yourself enough time to prepare. FYI, the last date you can take the test and receive your scores by the time you can submit your app (June 1) is May 1. Perhaps keep that in mind and choose your test date accordingly.

I think you would want to have your application submitted by the end of August at the absolute latest; early August would probably be much better though. That would require a test date at the beginning of July.

 

[thestrokes14]

Thanks! I think I will shoot for early July Testing.

 

[DrSmooth]

I think late June is the last best time to take the MCAT. By the time your June 1 AMCAS app is certified and your MCAT scores are electronically submitted, you will only be 2-3 weeks behind the earliest applicants, which you can make up by being quick with your secondaries. After that, there will be a trade-off between your prep time/score and timeliness of your application. You have to determine the sweet spot for you (i.e. how low you are willing to score vs how late you are willing to be.) Good luck!