Hi, I was not able to schedule for the MCAT on the date I need to - basically the latest date I should write. Is it true that spots will come up? What if they don't? How often do they come up? Will I be forced to forgo the MCAT and not apply for schools? The thought of studying for a test on a date I might not end up writing on is quite unsettling. Thanks in advance for any experiential insights.
Exactly what date are you looking for? AAMC is staggering registrations this year due to the disaster than ensued when they opened up registration last May after the first shut down (thousands of people jamming their servers, causing all kinds of issues and multi-hour waits to get into the system). It is entirely possible that the date you are looking for has not opened yet -- they have only opened so far for dates through June.
If you are, in fact, looking for a date before July, my advice would be to pick an alternate location on the date you want, or take the test a week or two later or earlier than you planned, so you can know you will at least be testing for this cycle. Believe me, if you can't swing a date any earlier than you were planning, a week or two beyond whatever you think is "basically the latest date you should write" is not going to determine your application outcome.
Since AAMC is waiving all change and cancellation fees this year, I'd also keep checking to see if a spot opens in your first choice date and location, and make the change if you are able to do so. You can sign up for up to 5 notifications if closed out locations open up, but doing so doesn't guarantee anything, because an unlimited number people can be on the list to be notified for each date and location, and an open spot will be available to anyone on the list.
A little flexibility is key here. I did this myself several times last year after my first two test dates were cancelled by AAMC. I ultimately tested a week earlier than I wanted to in order to grab a location one hour closer to my house than two other locations I previously grabbed just to know I was going to be able to take the test. I wasn't even on the notification list for this date and location -- it just popped up one day when I was looking, and I made the change.
Not having to worry about possible issues traveling two hours to the test center was ultimately worth losing the last 6 days of prep/worrying. Honestly, by that point, a few days shouldn't be the difference between success and failure. If you feel that it is, then you might not be ready. I was nervous that I wasn't able to finish all the third party FLs I bought due to losing the week, but I ended up doing just fine. In hindsight, I doubt the extra few FLs would have done anything for my score, but, believe me, at the time I was pissed that I couldn't have the 6 days I was planning on.
YMMV, in which case you can choose to travel further in order to get the exact date you want.
There is no reason to have to skip a cycle over this -- you just have to accept that you might not get your first choice of date and/or location. They are offering the exam on 13 separate dates covering 11 separate weeks between April and June!
