I am a 2nd-year-postbac taking science classes for the first time and about to take the MCAT in April, maybe…I took my first diagnostic test before taking ANY physics or o-chem so, of course, my score was as low as could be expected. I’ll have taken the core classes by Aril, but with a big load this semester I’m thinking about waiting till August to take it. Besides getting my applications out later than a lot of applicants is it really that bad to take it in August as opposed to April? I figure that I’ve waited this long to apply to med school. I might as well not rush now.
Also, I know that this is a very common question, and could probably find a thread (or several) if I searched hard enough…Any response would be appreciated though.
Thanks,
Jake
Yep, you can search for more information on this as it’s been discussed lots, but the short answer is you can take the August MCAT; if it were impossible to get in at that point, why do they schedule it?
The other thing is, you do NOT have to wait to do your applications. Non-screening schools may even send you secondaries while your MCAT score is pending. The more of the other application work you can do during the summer before the august MCAT, the better off you’ll be at making that timeline work for you. Good luck!
Mary
While it’s probably not a problem for most schools, I personally know that in the case of TX schools, Aug is likely too late, at least it was last year. I happened to be in contact with an administrator at the TMDSAS during that time and was asking the same question, and she noted that there were a lot of people “out in the cold” who did not get their scores into TMDSAS that year in time before the cutoff, which is 10/15 or 10/1, can’t remember which. Not sure if that was an anomaly due to slow turnaround last year for some odd reason or what, but I decided I would not risk it and am taking my MCAT this spring to keep that from happening, as TX is where I am most wanting to go to med school (whether osteopathic or allopathic).
Sam
If you are really ready to take the Spring MCAT, then that’s great, but if not, I wouldn’t take it just because you think August is too late. I am a Texan and I am going to take the August test. Some institutions in our state have never realized that the civil war and reconstruction have ended and our state medical schools are one of them. Our politics is another. For some reason, Texans think they know better than everyone else (hence the fact that UT schools won’t accept the Amcas when everyone else (almost) does. Of the 6 schools that won’t take Amcas, 4 are in Texas! How stupid is that?
And remember, that UT only stopped requiring LATIN as a pre-req a few years ago. If you like Texas, don’t forget to apply to Baylor, which is private and isn’t full of 18th century thinking.
But, as many here have said far better than I, don’t take the test until you are ready.
Blessings,
Jeff C.
LOL, that made me laugh, Jeff. I fully agree with you on every point, too. I am actually a Coloradan, but my wife is from San Antonio (we met down there when I was in the military, about 15 years ago). She wants to be back where the weather is warmer, and I have to say there are many things I do love about TX (especially the land itself)…but many things that I hate as well.
Speaking of Baylor though, on the TMDSAS system I noticed that Baylor is only listed under dental schools for application, not under medical schools. It is a medical school though as well, right? Not sure if that’s just a glitch in their oh-so-modern website (laugh) or there is a separate way to apply to Baylor med school. I think every single school in TX has to be applied to through their own system though (TMDSAS), regardless, even Baylor? Do you have any better info on this than what I may currently be assuming? You mention 4 schools, but there are more than that in TX I think aren’t there? Or perhaps a few of them are just branches of the same school. There’s Houston, Galveston, Dallas Ft. Worth (D.O.), San Antonio, Baylor, Lubbock and College Station. I think Dallas and Galveston are both UT, and College Station/Lubbock are both Texas A & M though(?)
Sam
Never mind my last post about Baylor. I see they are on the AMCAS registration system. Maybe only for the dental school one has to go through the TX system though.
There is another option that you may want to consider if you don’t mind waiting another year: take the test this August, and apply NEXT year instead of this year. That is what I did: I took the test in Aug. 2004, then applied in June 2005 to start Aug. 2006. This has the advantage that you will be the EARLIEST applicant instead of the latest. (I submitted my AMCAS on June 1 and had all my transcripts and LORs in and ready to go. My AMCAS was verified before the April 2005 test-takers even got their scores back.) I truly do think that applying early is important to maximize your chances of getting accepted and getting good financial aid as well. Taking the Aug. MCAT in the year you want to apply does mean that you have fewer opportunities to be considered for seats and grants/scholarships, especially at rolling schools. Just thought I’d throw this idea out there for everyone to consider. I mean, my feeling is that you’re already a non-trad anyway, so what is one more year in the whole scheme of things?
Baylor school of medicine should be listed - it is, from what I hear, a terrific school. The other schools are mostly UT, and you had them right.
My advisor and pal, Dr. Greg Pepper, who is from Arizona, but practices here in Houston loves to joke about the UT schools.
My wife is also from San Antonio and would love to go back there. I have tried unsuccessfully to sell San Antonio back to Mexico, but each time the closing documents are reviewed, they see that I don’t have the title to the city and walk out. (I hate San Antonio).
Texas does have some things going for it though. Physician pay here is higher per capita than anywhere else in the country. Also, our new medical malpractice laws have helped lower some of the costs of malpractice insurance, especially for some of the specialists. But, it sure would be nice to be on the same page as everyone else.
I noticed something else too, which may be particular to Texas? - other science professionals (PhD’s) here absolutely hate MDs. My Physics prof bashes MD’s every chance he gets , and so did my bio prof. Both are from Africa, so maybe they just don’t like American doctors?
jeffc
Now that my brain has reengaged, did you say that persons who took the MCAT in August hadn’t received their results by October?
Is there not an attorney in the house? How on earth could a professional testing institution take 2 months to return scores on a test?
Maybe I spent too much time in the business world and not enough time in academia, but is there really a possibility that if I take the August test, I won’t have scores in time to apply before October?
Sorry for the relayed reaction - I had a physics lab today and I can’t get translational motion out of my mind.
Jeffc
That is right…the scores take about two months to come back hence the August takers get them back in October which is not late IF you have EVERYTHING turned in BEFORE that. Meaning, do AMCAS ASAP and yes this will be going out on a limb bc you will not know your MCAT scores…the problem with August comes IF you wait until you see MCAT scores to THEN submit AMCAs…
The school in Lubbock is Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. A new medical school will open in El Paso for the incoming class of 2008 (Texas Tech El Paso).
Thanks for the clarification. BTW, I asked the MCAT people about this and here is what they said,
“Jeff,
MCAT score reports are sent by first class mail approximately 60 days after each exam date. AAMC recommends that you take the exam about 18 months before entering medical school.”
18 months? How whacked out is that? What this says to me is, “We really aren’t in a hurry to get your results back and because we told you 18 months, we can take our sweet time and if you don’t like it - tough”.
Does anyone else have a bad experience with an August MCAT, regarding reporting? I plan on having everything in before the April test, but I was going to wait until August because I will have finished Physics II and Ochem, and I thought it might help?
jeffc
Well, 18 months is about what the April to matriculation timeline would be. The folks who’ve taken MCAT the last few years should be able to comment on this - the MCAT scores are ONLINE on a certain date and I am pretty sure it’s a little less than 60 days. Back in the old days when I took it, they said they’d mail them out at 60 days but in fact usually started mailing a few days before that.
There is a lot of data massaging that goes on to come up with these scores - I actually used to work in testing and knew psychometrics a little, but it has all left my head at this point. Bottom line is that they look carefully for “bad performing” questions - e.g., only people whose overall performance was lousy got the question right - and questions get thrown out. The MCAT people will NOT tell you this but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happening. Then they have to standardize among different versions of the exam. Plus there’s the damnable writing sample which AFAIK is scored by hand. All in all, it’s a whole lotta bandwidth devoted to coming up with those itty bitty (hopefully) double digit scores. So don’t get all bent outta shape about it, 'cause that’s just the way it’s going to be - and like efex says, if you’ve got EVERYthing else set up, you’re certainly OK w/ AMCAS schools. TMDSAS is an entity unto itself and those with knowledge about it will hopefully relate their experiences.
I was completing the second semesters of Phys and OChem when I took the MCAT in April, and felt that was OK. Some might not, though - and in fact one of my classmates bailed on the April MCAT because she didn’t feel like she’d “gotten” the OChem and Physics to stick in her head yet. Completing the classes and then solidifying the information through studying is certainly a good way to approach it.
Mary
Mary,
Did you feel that being in the Physics and Ochem courses helped you in your MCAT “study” - or rather I should ask how did you use that to your advantage for review?
Thanks!
Good question! Basically I figured that I should work my a$$ off in my classes and make sure that I did really, really well and understood all the concepts - not just “studying for the test.” I put most of my energy on this, and really didn’t do THAT much “review” per se for the MCAT. In my case I went to the Kaplan review sessions, completed the workbooks, and took all the full-length exams they offered plus a few on my own. Most of my “MCAT prep” was in taking old exams, when I think about it… but in fact I was always aware that my class performance was an essential part of “MCAT prep” as well.
if this hadn’t looked like a good strategy, e.g. if I’d gotten really crappy practice test scores, I would’ve bailed on the April MCAT and taken it later. As I’ve said before, you only have one chance to get the A but you can always take the MCAT on a different date - or, God forbid, a second time. In fact I have a vague recollection of getting MUCH more relaxed about the impending MCAT when I was able to internalize the thought, “The worst thing that can happen is I take it again.” While that would’ve sucked, getting a lower grade would’ve sucked way worse.
Hope that helps!
Mary
I didn’t realize they were talking about matriculation, I thought they were talking about application. (Right now, I am going ahhhhh).
So, are people who take the MCAT dorked? Some on this forum have said they took the August test (the month not the nature of the test) and were in med school the following year.
Is everything really so subjective? One would think, Medicine = defined plan = organization that everyone can follow. Hello!!!
I’m not complaining, just finding an excuse not to study right now. 
Yeah, that helps. I will be in that situation, so I wondered how you did it. O-chem will probably be the hardest of the big 4 subjects, so I’m glad I’ll be taking the MCAT right after the sequence. I’m still worried how I’ll find time to study for the MCAT, study for Physics/Orgo, and work. I’m sure I’ll figure it out!
Thanks again!
IMO, if you have taken all of your pre-reqs recently (i.e. finishing orgo and physics while prepping for the MCAT), you don’t need to spend as much time reviewing subject matter as you do taking practice tests and getting used to the format and style of the questions and timing issues. For most traditional students, there is a two year lapse between the end of some of their pre-reqs and the test, so they need to review the material. A lot of college juniors have been done with the bio, gen chem, orgo and physics for over a year prior to taking the test.
Now - this is not a post advocating that you don’t study subject matter if your pre-reqs are really recent. Like Mary said, consider learning and doing well in the pre-reqs your are currently taking as part of your prep, because it really is.
I know what you mean. I’m reviewing my bio and gen chem casually so I don’t forget about key concepts. Maybe this coming fall/winter I will go into hard study mode. I decided to take an A&P course this spring and summer to refresh my memory mostly on body systems. I figure it will help in the long run.
Quote:
Thanks for the clarification. BTW, I asked the MCAT people about this and here is what they said,
“Jeff,
MCAT score reports are sent by first class mail approximately 60 days after each exam date. AAMC recommends that you take the exam about 18 months before entering medical school.”
18 months? How whacked out is that? What this says to me is, “We really aren’t in a hurry to get your results back and because we told you 18 months, we can take our sweet time and if you don’t like it - tough”.
Does anyone else have a bad experience with an August MCAT, regarding reporting? I plan on having everything in before the April test, but I was going to wait until August because I will have finished Physics II and Ochem, and I thought it might help?
jeffc
Hi there,
I took the August MCAT because I had only one shot at the test and it was in August. My scores were reported to my schools by October 15th. This is going to change with the new computerized MCAT because there will be more dates for taking this exam. I do not think that having my scores reported out in October was a significant problem. It just meant that I was interviewing from November to February. The time that you interview does not make much difference as long as you get the acceptance anyway. All my acceptance letters were in by the first week of March.
You should not wait for your August MCAT scores to get your AMCAS application completed and certified. You can submit everything as early as possible and then concentrate on your practice and review for the MCAT.
Natalie
