Sept. MCAT too late?

[exposfan]

Hello I am taking the MCAT on September 13 and was wondering if this was too late for Jan. class....I have 3.3 undergrad, 3.5 grad GPA's and decent ECs. Also, if I use the Kaplan Comprehensive Book and do some practice AAMC tests, would this be sufficient preparation for the test? I am starting studying this weekend

[shadyhtown]

If you're taking the test September 13, you should get the results in a month, by October 14. The deadline for Jan class is Nov 15, so you have a whole month. Just have all your application materials complete and ready and submit the application as soon as you get the scores. Or you can also submit the application early, and submit the scores when they arrive.

For any standardized test, the main thing is practice, practice, practice. Just do as many tests as you can. You can also sign up for some online question bank, like Kaplan, which is very much worth it for the practice materials and questions you get. Good luck!

[exposfan]

Thanks for the advice!

[argazul]

use examkrackers books. much much better than Kaplan's.

[Kongakut]

Obviously, the earlier you get in your application the better. The Jan class is a little less competitive than the Aug class. A month before the deadline, SGU will probably have a waiting list going so the competition will be steeper to get a spot. Even with a wait list, they still accept people outright, so do well on the MCAT.

[cavalletti]

Even with a wait list, they still accept people outright, so do well on the MCAT.

Never too late for the above reason. Also, if you have an acceptance from another school, send in copy of your acceptance, it has helped others in the past. SGU will try to expedite your decision before deposit deadline at another school.

[multigrain23]

I am also applying for Jan '09, and am taking the Sept 13th MCAT. My stats for undergrad/grad school are very similar to yours, and I just submitted my application to SGU recently.

I am wondering if I made a good decision signing up for the Sept 13th MCAT. I signed up for the last date, because I needed as much time to study as possible (since a lot of my time has gone by to finishing my master's thesis). However, I have the premed stress that if something goes wrong that day.... such as if there is a storm and the electricity goes out (or some other unforseen issue), I wonder if they make any reschedule dates since it is the last exam of the season. I've never heard of anything crazy like that happening, but I just wonder what AAMC administration would do in that situation. I don't know if they would 'create' an extra test day for those students, or if we would just have to wait until the following year to take the exam and reapply to schools. Obviously I'll have to make sure that things don't err from my side as well.... probably putting up 5 alarm clocks that morning... as I don't want to miss the last MCAT of the season! :shock:

I have also just submitted my application to US-MD and US-DO schools as well for August '09. I don't really think I am competitive for the US-MD schools, but I feel fairly confident that I could get accepted to a DO program. I wasn't planning to apply to any Caribbean school besides SGU. However, this thread has motivated me to also apply to others as well.... probably I should also apply to Ross and AUC just to be on the safe side.

[multigrain23]

use examkrackers books. much much better than Kaplan's.

I am just starting my MCAT prep as well... would you say that Examcrackers books are even better than Kaplan's review course books? Or do you simply mean the Kaplan books available in the bookstore (not as part of a Kaplan course)?

I had a change of heart since I posted yesterday... I had just started my Ross and AUC applications, but I just couldn't get myself to fill them out. I don't plan to apply there anymore. I figure if I don't get into SGU then I will go to DO schools instead, as I'm very competitive for DO programs.