When to take the MCAT? (Part 1)
Updated October 4, 2020
When should you take the MCAT?
The best answer to this question is also the most obvious one: you should take the MCAT when you believe you will be most prepared for the exam. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to MCAT preparation, and you should choose to take the exam will depend very much on your previous exposure to your pre-med coursework and your personal schedule. We’ll go over some strategies for making the decision on when to take the exam, but I first wanted to drive-in the point that the best time for you to take the exam will be when you believe you will be most prepared, and importantly, no sooner or later.
Getting an idea of the preparation necessary
There are going to be a number of factors that will determine the best exam date for you. These factors can generally be simplified into two categories:
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Your previous studies in the subjects covered on the exam
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The amount of time that will be necessary to prepare for the exam.
Stronger background/experience in the subjects covered in the exam may potentially result in decreased review time needed for MCAT preparation. Regardless of how confident you may be in physics, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, psychology, and sociology, you will still need to dedicate study time for practicing the question styles that you will see on the exam and getting acquainted with taking a 7+ hour exam in a single sitting. Because of this, generally most MCAT takers will spend at least 8-10 weeks of dedicated (or full-time) studying for the exam.
Putting a date to your exam
There is no single right way of planning for your exam.
If you are still an undergraduate, you may decide to dedicate your entire winter or summer break to studying for the exam, or you may choose to also study for it during the fall or spring semester for a longer time period as you are balancing classes and other extracurriculars.
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There are many successful takers who take it at all times of the year, and there is no time of the year where the exam is offered that will be “easier” than any of the others. It does seem, however, that it is generally much less stressful to study during a break and taking the exam at the end of the break.
For many people, this would correspond with dates in August and September for summer studying, and January-March for winter studying.
Even if you are still working/researching/volunteering during your summer, the stress of having classes and finals will not be on your shoulders, making studying easier to do either as a dedicated activity or on the side balanced with other work.
If you plan on taking it at the end of January, I would strongly recommend beginning to prepare well within the Fall semester since the winter break tends to be half the length of summer.
Some considerations for when to schedule the MCAT within your academic career
I recommend taking the MCAT shortly after you have completed/reviewed your premed coursework. Depending on your course schedule, this may be any time after the end of sophomore year to post-graduation.
The danger of taking the MCAT before you complete all of your premed coursework is that you will not have been fully exposed to all of the content, which will turn your review time into more “learn time”.
Because of this, it’s highly recommended that you have completed at least all of your all of your physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and biology before taking the exam, otherwise, you set yourself up on a more difficult road to studying.
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(One quick note: most schools only accept 3-4 previous MCAT years before expiring, so don’t take it earlier than this timeframe that you believe you will apply.)
There is also a caveat of taking the MCAT too late, as you may begin to forget some of the details of the material you have learned in your classes or push towards merging your application season and studying season.
In short, you should choose to take the MCAT when you believe it will be best for you based on the factors above. The optimal date for you to take your exam will be based on YOU and your schedule alone.
PASCAL ACREE
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia
Year: M1