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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recognizes these qualifying conditions to receive accommodations:
However, this is not an exhaustive list. Each request goes through an individualized review.
For example, two applicants with the same ADHD diagnosis can receive completely different accommodations based on the strength of their documentation and how clearly it connects their symptoms to functional test-taking limitations. Knowing what the MCAT actually tests can help you speak to those connections more accurately in your application.
The accommodations you can get on the MCAT include:
Extra time is the most commonly requested MCAT accommodation. The AAMC breaks extra time into three separate categories:
Your evaluator needs to match the right type of extra time to your specific functional limitation.
The AAMC also grants modifications to the physical testing environment based on documented need:
For test-takers with sensory or processing-related disabilities, the AAMC offers technology-based accommodations:
These assistive technology accommodations require the same documentation standard as any other request. Your evaluator needs to demonstrate why the standard testing interface (which already includes adjustable brightness and three screen color contrast options) doesn't adequately address your limitation.
Pregnant and lactating test-takers can request specific accommodations tailored to their needs:
Schedule your medical evaluation as soon as you've registered for the MCAT, because waitlists for qualified evaluators can last weeks or months. The evaluation is the single most important piece of your accommodation application.
Your evaluation needs to come from a qualified professional in the area of your specific disability or impairment. For ADHD, learning disabilities, and psychiatric conditions, that typically means a psychologist or neuropsychologist who conducts a full test. A letter from your family doctor does not count. For physical or sensory impairments, a specialist in the relevant medical field provides the documentation.
Share the AAMC's What Evaluators Need to Know guide with your evaluator before the appointment. Your evaluator needs to:
Keep in mind that evaluations have recency requirements. An evaluation conducted five years ago is unlikely to meet the AAMC's standards, even if your condition is lifelong.
Reviewers want to understand how your condition affects you right now. If you're unsure how your condition interacts with the exam's structure, go through the format and content of the MCAT before meeting with your evaluator so you can discuss the specific demands together.
The AAMC wants your accommodations personal statement to cover three areas:
Avoid repeating information that already appears in your evaluation or medical records. Reviewers read the entire file, so repeating your evaluator's findings wastes space.
Instead, describe what your limitation looks like in practice during high-stakes, timed testing. Explain what happens when you don't have accommodations through concrete examples. If you've never received formal accommodations before, address that directly and explain why.
The strongest personal statements connect your day-to-day experience of your condition to the specific demands of the MCAT. A 7+ hour computer-based exam with four timed content sections and strictly regulated breaks creates unique cognitive, physical, and psychological demands. Explain how your condition interacts with those demands in ways that standard testing conditions don't address.
Inspira Advantage tutors work with you to craft an accommodations personal statement that clearly connects your functional limitations to the specific demands of the MCAT. This way, reviewers see exactly why your requested accommodations are necessary.
The AAMC expects supporting documents that corroborate your history. What counts as required versus recommended depends on your condition type, but plan to collect as many of the following as apply to your situation:
Gather everything before you start the application. Missing a required document doesn't automatically disqualify you, but it will likely result in an incomplete determination, which resets the 60-day review period.
Here’s how to submit your MCAT accommodations application:
After submission, the AAMC reviews applications in the order received. You cannot expedite a review. Check your application status at any time by logging in to the system. Once a determination is made, you'll receive an email notification and can view your determination letter in the portal.
You don't need to wait for your accommodations decision to start the MCAT registration process. Sign in to the MCAT Registration System separately and complete the registration tabs:
Having registration done ahead of time means you can move quickly once your accommodations are approved. Use the waiting period to finalize your MCAT study schedule so you're not scrambling once your test date is confirmed.
Once your accommodations are approved, scheduling requires a phone call. Call Pearson Professional Assessments at least 15 days before your desired test date. Pearson VUE staff will work with you to find a testing center and date that can support your specific accommodations.
Not every testing center can deliver every accommodation. If you need assistive technology, a separate testing room, or an adjustable workstation, availability may be limited. Call as early as possible after receiving your approval letter to secure your preferred date and location. Once your date is secured, shift your focus to strategizing a study plan that accounts for your accommodated testing format.
Initial MCAT accommodation applications take up to 60 days to review from the date of submission. Submit an application with a missing transcript or an outdated evaluation, and the AAMC will flag it as incomplete. Once you resubmit the missing materials, the full 60-day cycle resets from scratch.
Reconsiderations, Appeals, and Extensions have a shorter review window of up to 30 days each. But if any of those follow-up submissions are also incomplete, the same reset applies.
The AAMC reviews applications in the order they're received and cannot expedite any request, regardless of how close your test date is.
If denied, the AAMC highlights that your application didn't meet their evidentiary standard. Your determination letter explains exactly why this decision was made.
Maybe the evaluation lacked normed data quantifying your impairment. Maybe the connection between your functional limitation and your requested accommodation wasn't clear. Maybe a key document was missing, and your application was deemed incomplete.
Read the letter closely and identify the specific gaps the AAMC flagged. Applicants who skip this step and rush to resubmit with minor tweaks almost always get denied again.
You have two options, and choosing the wrong one wastes time you may not have.
1. File a Reconsideration: Choose this option when you can provide new, substantial information that directly addresses the reasons for denial, such as:
a. A supplemental evaluation
b. Updated testing data
c. A more detailed personal statement
d. Additional supporting documentation
Reconsiderations are reviewed within 30 days and give you the strongest chance of reversing a denial because you're actively filling the gaps the AAMC identified.
2. File an Appeal: Choose this option when you believe your existing documentation was sufficient and the AAMC's determination was incorrect based on what you already submitted.
An Appeal asks reviewers to re-examine your file without any new information. You can only submit one Appeal per application, and the resulting determination is final. Use an Appeal only when you're confident your original application was complete and compelling.
If your denial cited insufficient evidence of functional limitation, vague accommodation rationale, or a disconnect between your documented condition and the accommodations you requested, your evaluator needs to see that feedback. Schedule a follow-up appointment and share the determination letter directly.
Ask your evaluator to write a supplemental report addressing the specific deficiencies identified by the AAMC. If reviewers flagged missing test data, your evaluator may need to administer additional standardized assessments to show where you fall relative to the general population.
If the issue was a weak connection between your limitation and the MCAT's specific demands, your evaluator needs to explicitly describe how your deficit affects reading dense science passages under time pressure, sustaining concentration across four timed sections, or navigating a computer-based interface for 7+ hours.
Generic clinical language that could apply to any testing situation won't help your case. The supplemental report needs to address the MCAT directly.
Your accommodations personal statement was written before you knew what the AAMC found unconvincing. Now you have that information, and your revised statement should reflect it.
Upload the revised personal statement as a separate document in the Reconsideration application. You don't need to resubmit previously uploaded materials.
A Reconsideration takes up to 30 days to review. Add that to however long you need to gather supplemental documentation, and your original MCAT date may no longer be realistic.
Remember that Pearson VUE requires your accommodations to be approved and a scheduling request submitted at least 15 days before your test date. If your revised timeline pushes you past your intended exam date, find the next available date that gives you enough time in between. If you need to reschedule your MCAT, understand the fees and deadlines involved before committing to a new date.
If your determination letter is vague about what was missing, or you're unsure whether your situation calls for a Reconsideration or an Appeal, reach out to MCAT Accommodation Services. The AAMC won't tell you exactly what to write or submit, but they can clarify what type of additional documentation would be relevant to your specific case.
The AAMC will not discuss your application with third parties (including parents, evaluators, or advisors) unless you've completed an Authorization to Release Health Information form through the Accommodations Application System. If you want your evaluator or a pre-med advisor to contact the AAMC on your behalf, file that authorization before the situation becomes urgent.
Yes, you can go to medical school if you have a disability. Medical schools cannot deny admission based on disability, and many actively support students with disabilities through their own institutional accommodation offices.
Yes, you can get extra time on the MCAT, but the AAMC offers three distinct types of extra time, and your application needs to request the right one. Extended testing time applies when you need more time to process test content.
MCAT accommodations are valid for five years from the date of your approval. During that window, your documentation stays in the AAMC's system, and you can test with your approved accommodations on any exam date without reapplying.
Yes, a paper-and-pencil format is available as an accommodation for test-takers with visual or processing-related disabilities who find the standard computer-based interface inaccessible. Your evaluator needs to document why the digital format doesn't work for you and why a paper alternative is the appropriate solution.
Yes, earplugs and noise-reducing headsets are available at every testing center for all test-takers with no accommodation request needed. If noise sensitivity is a significant barrier tied to a documented condition like ADHD, anxiety, or a sensory processing disorder, request a formal accommodation that addresses the specific limitation rather than relying on standard-issue equipment.
Yes, anxiety disorders fall under the AAMC's psychiatric conditions category. Your evaluation needs to include standardized clinical measures documenting the severity of your anxiety, evidence that symptoms persist beyond typical situational stress, and a clear explanation of how your anxiety specifically impairs your ability to perform under MCAT testing conditions.
No. The AAMC does not flag, disclose, or indicate accommodated testing on your score report in any way. Medical schools receive the same score report regardless of whether you tested under standard or accommodated conditions.
Reviewed by:
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Physician, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
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