When to take MCAT?

[icebrat001]

What is the best time to take the MCAT, will taking it the summer after Sophmore year be better than say taking it April of Junior year or take it the Summer after your Junior year?

Wouldn't it be better to get Biochem, genetics and physiology out of the way prior to the test?

All input is welcome and appreciated.

Note: All Bio, Chem, Ochem, Physics, and Calc will be complete at the end of Spring Semester Sophmore year.

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[erin682]

Don't take the aug. MCAT after your junior year if you can at all help it. You don't get your scores back until the admissions process is already well under way. It will put you behind and at a disadvantage. I know people want to have the summer to study but its not worth how far behind it puts you.

 

[tacrum43]

Definitely do not take in in August of you Junior year (like I did). I don't know about you guys, but I hadn't had all of my O-chem yet after my sophomore year, so I couldn't take it then. I would say April of your Junior year if at all possible.

 

[icebrat001]

Anyone else have any comments to add?

 

[AsianDoc816]

I don't think that having upper-division classes necessarily makes THAT much of a difference. The test is more reasoning-based as opposed to knowledge-based. Therefore, take it as early as you can, and see how you do. I wouldn't advise taking it with too many difficult classes, as you won't have enought time to prepare (i.e., April of junior year). And, as others have mentioned, the August after your junior year is too late....

 

[ndi_amaka]

I took mine in August of my senior year. It was either put alot of all my summr effort into preparing for the exam or take it in April of my junior year and risk not doing as well. I wasn't willing to risk that. So I spent my entire summer studying my ass off, did great, and got into med school.

Was I scared I wouldn't get in? Hell yea.....

 

[sdnUser500]

I think you should take it the summer after soph year. With all your prereqs done, the material will be fresh (esp ochem and gen chem). While the upper level courses do help a bit (biochem particularly helped me), I still think it's better to focus and study over the summer instead of the semester. And, if you don't do as great as you wanted to, you still have plenty of time to re-take it in April.

 

[liverotcod]

Take it August after your junior year and then apply senior year, planning on a glide year before med school. For one thing, the application process is really painful, and is worth focusing on. For another, why would anyone want to go straight from college into med school without living a little in between. No offense to those who choose that route, though. But why not take your time? I'm told that a majority of matriculants these days are a year or more out from graduation.

 

[icebrat001]

Take it August after your junior year and then apply senior year, planning on a glide year before med school. For one thing, the application process is really painful, and is worth focusing on. For another, why would anyone want to go straight from college into med school without living a little in between. No offense to those who choose that route, though. But why not take your time? I'm told that a majority of matriculants these days are a year or more out from graduation.

For me, I don't want nor need to live a little in between. By the time I enter med school i'll be 25. I've had enough bumps and breaks on the way to trying to get an education due to financial problems. While 25 is the average age of med students, I can't justify taking more time off.

But I see your perspective and if I were younger, I probably would like a break in between.

 

[kamal2toys]

For a college student and preferably a science major, I’ll highly recommend taking the MCAT the summer right after your junior year. This gives you more time to prepare and the needed maturity. Taking the August MCAT, you have 60 days to complete your application all schools you are applying to, and the school will wait for your mcat that come out by mid October. People will say that the august MCAT puts u way back in the application pull, but this is a damn lie. Most schools focus on the early decision applicant cos they have an obligation to make a decision on the early decision applicant by October 1st. Using myself as an example, I took the August MCAT, got my results on the 13th of October, Had my 1st interview on the 16th of November, and my first acceptance on the 28th of November. I applied to 9 schools, interviewed at five, got accepted at 4, and rejected at 2 and I cancelled one of my applications. Cut the long story short, August MCAT does not put you at any disadvantage.

 

[MWillie]

For a college student and preferably a science major, I’ll highly recommend taking the MCAT the summer right after your junior year. This gives you more time to prepare and the needed maturity. Taking the August MCAT, you have 60 days to complete your application all schools you are applying to, and the school will wait for your mcat that come out by mid October. People will say that the august MCAT puts u way back in the application pull, but this is a damn lie. Most schools focus on the early decision applicant cos they have an obligation to make a decision on the early decision applicant by October 1st. Using myself as an example, I took the August MCAT, got my results on the 13th of October, Had my 1st interview on the 16th of November, and my first acceptance on the 28th of November. I applied to 9 schools, interviewed at five, got accepted at 4, and rejected at 2 and I cancelled one of my applications. Cut the long story short, August MCAT does not put you at any disadvantage.

Wow anecdotal evidence, I am so convinced.
My advice: summer after sophomore year is ideal. All you need are the prereqs, advanced courses just dilute your knowledge.

 

[musiclink213]

i'm taking it this april, junior year. but if i could've, i would've taken it in august of soph. year. but i didn't have physics done, and i went to paris that summer. but it's good to have the summer to prep for it, and really focus on it. i've taken a bunch of upper level chem classes, and i'm finding that it makes me think a question is more complicated than it really is. so you might have an edge over people like me with way too many chem classes. also, if you don't do as well as you like, you could retake in april junior year and not be behind in the admissions process.

 

[LauraMac]

definitely DON'T take it august after junior year. if you feel prepared, take it august after sophomore year so that you can retake if necessary and study without having classes at the same time. otherwise, april junior year is just fine.

 

[45408]

Some of you guys need to read the OP a little more thoroughly.

If you are finished with all of your classes after your sophomore year, like I was, then by all means TAKE IT THEN! Upper-division classes won't help that much (I'm taking these "upper-level" classes now), and you will forget plenty. You'll thank me later! I wouldn't trade what I did for anything in the world, because I have a solid score, and there's not a snowball's chance in hell that I would be able to take the MCAT this April with my work schedule and my financial situation.

People will say that the august MCAT puts u way back in the application pull, but this is a damn lie.

The only damn lie is the one you just posted. I was told in absolutely certain terms by a med school admissions director that taking the August MCAT the year before you plan to matriculate will put you at a substantial disadvantage.

 

[andexterouss]

The only damn lie is the one you just posted. I was told in absolutely certain terms by a med school admissions director that taking the August MCAT the year before you plan to matriculate will put you at a substantial disadvantage.

And i was also told in ABSOLUTE terms by the Adcoms at Stony Brook University that taking the MCAT in August doesn't not put you in any disadvantage. Ever heard of rolling admissions? You should look into it sometime.
In terms of acceptances, your chances are the same whether or not you that take the Mcat in April or August. It all boils down to how good your stuff is.

 

[dr.z]

I would take April one first. If you aren't satisfied, you can retake it in August.

 

[MWillie]

And i was also told in ABSOLUTE terms by the Adcoms at Stony Brook University that taking the MCAT in August doesn't not put you in any disadvantage. Ever heard of rolling admissions? You should look into it sometime.
In terms of acceptances, your chances are the same whether or not you that take the Mcat in April or August. It all boils down to how good your stuff is.

Is that a double negative, what are you trying to say? Rolling admissions favors early applicants.

Taking the MCAT in August after sophomore year or April of junior year offers many many advantages over taking it August while applying. You'll know where your application stands so you dont waste money on schools you don't have a shot at, you can spend your summer working on secondary essays instead of studying for MCAT and cramming secondaries into the semester, you can retake later if you aren't satisfied with your score, you can be accepted at a school by October and cruise cruise cruise.

I had an acceptance the week August MCATers just got their scores back, that by itself is worth taking it early already.

 

[tacrum43]

For a college student and preferably a science major, I’ll highly recommend taking the MCAT the summer right after your junior year. This gives you more time to prepare and the needed maturity. Taking the August MCAT, you have 60 days to complete your application all schools you are applying to, and the school will wait for your mcat that come out by mid October. People will say that the august MCAT puts u way back in the application pull, but this is a damn lie. Most schools focus on the early decision applicant cos they have an obligation to make a decision on the early decision applicant by October 1st. Using myself as an example, I took the August MCAT, got my results on the 13th of October, Had my 1st interview on the 16th of November, and my first acceptance on the 28th of November. I applied to 9 schools, interviewed at five, got accepted at 4, and rejected at 2 and I cancelled one of my applications. Cut the long story short, August MCAT does not put you at any disadvantage.

I smell bull$hit! Some schools basically tell you, take it in April or don't bother applying this year. To quote Northwestern in the MSAR "Candidates are expected to take the Spring MCAT." Some others say similar things. It may not be as much of an issue if you have a high GPA and good ECs, volunteering and research and then do well on the MCAT, but it still puts you at a disadvantage. How could it not at "rolling schools", the point is they accept as they go until the class is full. Earlier = greater chance of acceptance. Hopefully I didn't spend these past 3 minutes writing a response for a troll.

 

[icebrat001]

Thanks for all the post!

I will plan to take the test the summer of sophmore year and if I do not do a well as expected retake again the april of Junior year. I don't think it's a good idea to take it after junior year, wouldn't want to deal with the stress.