Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Reviewed: 7/27/22
Taking the MCAT is a crucial step on the road to medical school. If you’re wondering when your perfect time is to take the MCAT, read on!
The MCAT looms over your shoulder, an exam that determines your success in the medical field. You’ve heard horror stories from other med students detailing the torture of this test. It’s the last obstacle in your path before your entry into medical school.
You’ve probably already started preparing, but you might be wondering, “When should I take the MCAT test?” You may also ask if a certain time grants you a better chance at a high score or whether you should take it in the summer or the fall. We’ve devised a simple guide to help you through the scheduling process so you can truly begin your med school journey.
So, when do you take the MCAT test? We recommend taking the MCAT during your sophomore year of undergrad. At this time, you’ve completed most of your prerequisite courses, so you have a pretty firm grasp on most of the subject matter for the MCAT.
If you want to attend medical school in 2023, you should take the MCAT in 2022 to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Most medical schools begin accepting applications in June. If you plan to attend medical school within the same year you take the MCAT, you don’t want to take the exam any later than May so that the admissions committee can review it ASAP.
It takes about 30-35 days after your exam to receive your MCAT score, so taking the exam during your sophomore year of college allows plenty of time to get your scores and gives you time to prepare for a retest if you don’t meet your target score.
You shouldn’t wait until the last minute to take the MCAT. Doing so could result in receiving your score too late or realizing your score does not meet your dream medical school’s requirements.
The best time to take the MCAT is early. Give yourself plenty of time to study and prepare for the MCAT so you can earn a high score and devote the rest of your time to your personal essays and letters of recommendation for medical school.
The MCAT is offered from January to September, with multiple testing dates available within each month to give you plenty of opportunities to take the exam. Additionally, the MCAT is offered at a variety of testing centers. Understand that testing centers fill up fast so you want to schedule your exam as soon as you find one in an area that’s convenient for you.
The MCAT test dates change from year to year, so make sure you find the testing dates of the year you wish to apply to medical school. For instance, if you want to attend medical school in 2022/2023, you can find the current testing dates here.
When you look at the MCAT testing schedule, you’ll notice that there are different zone deadlines: gold, silver, and bronze.
The gold zone gives you the largest deadline to schedule your exam (29 days prior to the exam), the best exam price, the lowest rescheduling price, and is the only zone that gives you a partial refund in the event you need to cancel your testing date.
The silver zone gives you an MCAT registration deadline of 25 days prior to the exam date, and you still receive the best exam price, but you cannot receive a refund if you need to reschedule, and the fee to reschedule increases.
The bronze zone gives you a small window of a registration deadline, only eight days before the exam date. The exam fee in this zone changes from $315 to $370, and you no longer have the opportunity to cancel or reschedule your MCAT.
The list of testing dates also provides the date when you’ll receive your MCAT score, so make sure you test during a time when your score will be available by the time you apply to medical school.
Deciding when to take the MCAT hinges on your medical school timeline. Medical schools begin accepting applications in June, so you want to make sure your MCAT results are available before June to know which schools you can apply to.
You don’t have to jump right into medical school after graduating from undergrad. It’s perfectly normal to take a minute to catch your breath before diving into your career. Just make sure you keep your mind sharp so you stay prepared for the exam.
If you’re wondering when you can take the MCAT, we’d like to give you some factors to consider to help you with your decision.
It’s not something you want to think about, but the MCAT is a strenuous exam that you might have to face more than once. It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure or that you won’t be a successful doctor. The MCAT is a comprehensive test that covers various topics and requires devoting most of your free time to studying.
We recommend taking the MCAT as early as possible to give yourself enough time if you need to retake the MCAT.
Make sure you plan your testing date around the time you want to apply to medical school. The AMCAS application opens at the beginning of May, so you’ll want to spend your free time working on your application and essays so you’re ready to submit in June.
If you want to be among the first to apply to medical school, we recommend taking the MCAT no later than the end of May, so your score is available when you apply.
Med school is competitive, so you want to submit your application within the first week of June. But if you don’t feel prepared at that point, don’t push yourself. You can always submit your application at a later date. Just understand that if you wait to apply until the last minute, it may decrease your chances of acceptance.
There’s nothing worse than taking a test you’re unprepared for. The MCAT covers many topics in varying detail, and you want to make sure you understand the material before you take the exam.
The MCAT costs over $300 to take, so why take the risk of spending money on an exam if you’re not ready? Make sure you’ve taken all of the prerequisites and that you have a good understanding of this material before you take the MCAT.
This is one of the most important exams of your career so give yourself the best chance possible. Spend your time studying material that’s still fresh in your mind as well as information you learned during your freshman year. The MCAT will test you on all of it.
You can also decide when you want to take the MCAT based on your performance on the practice exams. The practice exams closely mimic the actual exam, so you might feel prepared enough to schedule your real testing date if you do pretty well on the practice test.
If you don’t meet your target score with the practice exams, take some time to study harder and identify the areas of the exam in which you struggle. Don’t let a low practice score discourage you from pursuing a medical career. View this as an opportunity to improve.
How does one prepare for a test so important? You might find yourself feeling stressed at the idea of studying for the MCAT. There’s so much material you have to not only memorize but understand. The exam tests you on all of the material you’ve learned throughout your undergrad. How does one successfully study for an exam that decides their fate?
The MCAT encompasses a tremendous amount of material, material that is manipulated into questions that may trip you up. But don’t let that scare you away. The MCAT is a monster, but we’ve devised the perfect guide to studying to help you slay the beast here.
If you’re wondering when you usually take the MCAT or have other questions, these FAQs have you covered.
You should aim to take the MCAT after your sophomore year of undergrad. At this point, you’ve taken most, if not all, of the prerequisite courses, so you should have a firm grasp of the material.
Taking the MCAT early also allows you the opportunity to retake the exam if you don’t score high enough for your preferred medical school. You want to give yourself as much time as possible because this exam is brutal and requires at least three months of preparation.
If you feel you’ll be more prepared for the MCAT once you’ve reached your junior or senior year, you can definitely take the MCAT then. This gives you a shorter time period to retake the MCAT, but you may feel prepared enough at this point that you won’t need to retake the exam.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Some may feel prepared to take the MCAT after their sophomore year, while others need more time. You decide when is the best time to take the MCAT. Every student is different, and as long as your MCAT score is ready by the time you apply to medical school, taking the MCAT senior year or earlier is fine.
Taking the MCAT senior year is usually the last time students will take the test. If you’re wondering when to take the MCAT with no gap year, medical schools normally begin accepting applications in June, so you can take the MCAT anywhere from January to May of your application year.
If you’ve decided to take a break after college before applying to medical school, you can take your MCAT after you graduate.
While you technically can apply to medical school before you take or retake the MCAT, it’s risky and not typically recommended for a couple of reasons:
Medical schools are highly competitive. It’s in your best interest to take the MCAT before you apply to medical school.
You receive your MCAT scores anywhere from 30 to 35 days after your exam date. Keep this in mind as you prepare your application to medical school. You want to make sure your score is available by the time you submit your application so you don’t delay your acceptance.
Unfortunately, the difficulty of the MCAT doesn’t vary based on the month you take the exam. The test will be strenuous whether you decide to take it in January or if you wait until May.
You should aim to take the MCAT in the month you feel most prepared. If you spent Christmas studying, you’re probably prepared for the MCAT in January or February, though you may have less study time because you’re still in class.
Taking the MCAT during the spring or summer allows you to study for the MCAT without worrying about the rest of your classes, but keep in mind that it might be more difficult to find testing dates during this time. Testing centers fill up fast. You decide when you’re ready to take the MCAT, but don’t procrastinate.
You have plenty of opportunities to take the MCAT in the event that you don’t meet your target score. In one year, you can take the exam three times. You can take the MCAT four times in a consecutive two-year period.
You can only take the MCAT a total of seven times in your lifetime, so make sure when you finally commit to an exam date that you’re fully prepared.
Understand that medical schools can access all of your MCAT scores, but don’t let that discourage you from retaking the exam when necessary. By seeing all of your scores, the schools can track your growth.
You can take a gap year before medical school, but make sure you weigh the pros and cons before you decide. Don’t go into this decision lightly. If you feel you aren’t as prepared for the MCAT, by all means, take a gap year. Just make sure you spend your free time studying so you don’t forget the material you learned during undergrad.
Also, keep in mind that taking a gap year puts you further away from your career, but sometimes breaks are necessary. When in doubt, trust your gut.
You can take the MCAT whenever you feel ready, although it is recommended to wait until the summer after your sophomore year.
The latest you should take the MCAT is in April/May of your application year. Remember to give yourself enough time to retake the test if necessary.
The MCAT is one of the factors that determine your success in the medical field. It’s a test you should regard with the utmost seriousness. You want to make sure you give yourself enough time to prepare and study everything you’ve learned throughout your undergrad so you have a strong foundation for medical school.
There’s no magical time period where the MCAT is easier. It’s a challenging exam no matter the month you choose. Some feel prepared to take the MCAT after their sophomore year, while others decide to wait until their senior year of undergrad. Every student is different, and it’s up to you to decide when you’re fully prepared.
Make sure you give yourself ample time to study, as well as ample time to retake if necessary. The MCAT isn’t a test on which you should procrastinate. We know this exam terrifies you, but we hope this guide will help you in the process of scheduling your exam.
We’ve given you all of the factors to consider, all of the possible options, and hopefully you can now answer the question, “when can you take the MCAT?” Now it’s up to you to decide.
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