July 21st MCAT too late?

[student_5678]

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[mariposas905]

I don't think it's too late as you can still be complete by Labor Day. My friend who got a 520 on her late July MCAT last year got 10+ interviews (and she wasn't complete until late September). I guess it's all about how good your application is more than the timing, but the general advice on SDN is to be complete by Labor Day (which you will be).

 

[@Hazel-rah]

Hey guys! I know there are a few threads about this, but just wanted to present my case. I have already submitted my AMCAS app June 11. I'm registered to take the MCAT on June 30th but think I could do a lot with a little extra time (currently sitting around a 513-515 with PR tests and the mistakes I made can easily be worked on to get me to the 518-520 range, just need the extra practice). If I have everything ready to go, secondaries and all, and am able to hit submit on August 22nd when we get our scores, do you think I'm putting myself at a significantly greater disadvantage applying late for the chance of a score bump? Or should I just suck it up and hope for the best next week? I'm aiming for MD so I know the earlier the better. A little background if it helps, I'm a non-trad FL resident and finished my SMP last year with a 3.85, uGPA 3.3, sGPA 3.2 (w/o SMP), good research and extra currics, and good LORs. Because my undergrad GPA wasn't great, I could use the stellar MCAT. Any thoughts would really help! Thanks a bunch!

I was in a similar situation and decided not to retake after seriously considering how much work it would take to improve my score and how little time I have to do that this summer, because I'm scheduled to work ~80h/week---to help pay for apps... I took a month off the month before my first MCAT, but can't afford to do that again.

I'm sorry that doesn't actually answer your question. I think you'll get mixed reviews. A third option is to submit it all then update your app with the new score.... There are a ton of threads with different variations of this issue, and everyone seemed to have chosen different paths. Good luck with yours!

What's your first MCAT and breakdown?

 

[@Hazel-rah]

Oh, I'm sorry, I understood incorrectly that you were retaking it. So you're looking at two choices:
3 weeks sooner and lower percentile
3 weeks later and higher percentile.

Once you're in the 518 and above range, any higher doesn't make that much difference in percentile. Depending on where your gunning to go, I'd base my decision on what score you need to be competitive. Good luck!

 

[@Hazel-rah]

It's a good question...... @gyngyn @gonnif may be able to shed light....
Good luck to you both!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Hey guys! I know there are a few threads about this, but just wanted to present my case. I have already submitted my AMCAS app June 11. I'm registered to take the MCAT on June 30th but think I could do a lot with a little extra time (currently sitting around a 513-515 with PR tests and the mistakes I made can easily be worked on to get me to the 518-520 range, just need the extra practice). If I have everything ready to go, secondaries and all, and am able to hit submit on August 22nd when we get our scores, do you think I'm putting myself at a significantly greater disadvantage applying late for the chance of a score bump? Or should I just suck it up and hope for the best next week? I'm aiming for MD so I know the earlier the better. A little background if it helps, I'm a non-trad FL resident and finished my SMP last year with a 3.85, uGPA 3.3, sGPA 3.2 (w/o SMP), good research and extra currics, and good LORs. Because my undergrad GPA wasn't great, I could use the stellar MCAT. Any thoughts would really help! Thanks a bunch!

OP, its certainly not an optimal test date, but you won't be late. One point I want to bring up is applying late vs. applying altogether. If your stats aren't there after you get your MCAT score back, its far better to wait, retake, and apply next June (so 2018) even if that means a gap year. You should aim to apply only once and with the strongest application. Applying for the f*ck of it with low numbers and a weak application will only burn yourself bigtime in the future.