How to Decide when to Take the MCAT

For any pre-med student in college, the dreaded MCAT lies inevitably on the horizon. While some students feel that they are better prepared to take this medical college admission test due to the quality of the courses they took while at their university, all students would probably agree about the difficulty of the exam. Lasting almost five hours long, the MCAT tests students on their ability to understand passage based reading (reading comprehension) and sections on the physical sciences (physics and general chemistry) and biological sciences (biology and organic chemistry), as well as a two part essay section. Needless to say, the successful takers of the MCAT usually have spent many hours preparing for this crucial exam. Since the MCAT is offered at many different designated times throughout the year, here are several factors to consider when choosing which day to take your exam.

1) Will you have had enough time to study? Be realistic about this. If you choose to schedule your MCAT for the middle of your junior year in college, you will most likely be also having to keep up with your regular college coursework at the same time as studying for the MCAT. While some students are able to balance both loads very well and score high on the MCAT, many students also tell themselves that they’ll have more time to study than they really end up having. If you plan on taking the MCAT in the middle of the school year, it might be best to do it shortly after a vacation break during the academic year, such as Christmas break (for taking the January MCAT). While most of the questions on the MCAT are based off of short passages in the exam (including most of the science based questions), these often require some outside knowledge in addition to the information in the passage needed to best answer the question. Studying hard and working through old test questions will be your best way to prepare for the exam; schedule your exam for a time where you’ll be sure to have enough time to study before hand.

2) Will you be doing a REU? Research Experience for Undergraduates is a popular way for students to spend their summer after their junior year of college, as many medical schools prefer their applicants to have had some scientific research experience as a part of their resumes. The length and wages of a summer REU depends upon the specific REU, with the usual range of time being anywhere from eight to ten weeks. If you hope to be doing an REU during your junior year summer, be sure to schedule your MCAT around your research; it would probably be best to schedule it for a time before the REU.

3) Will you have time to retest if needed? While getting a high score on the MCAT your first time taking the exam should be your goal, the possibility of having a bad testing day still lies out there for even the most prepared student. If you have a time line by which you definitely want to enter medical school, it is important that you have all of your testing and applications turned in to your selected medical schools before the application deadlines. After you take your MCAT exam you will have to wait about 30-35 days until you will receive your scores back; keep this in mind when deciding if you will have time to retake the MCAT if needed before applications are due.