MCAT registration for the 2027 testing year opens October 20 to 22, 2026, at noon ET. Your day depends on where your test center is, and every 2027 date opens at once!
Registration costs $360, or $145 with Fee Assistance.
Opening day goes smoother if you sort out your AAMC login, the name on your ID and the first five tabs beforehand.
Below we cover who can register, what it costs, how to register for the MCAT step by step, and what to do when the waiting room opens on registration day 🙂
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When Does MCAT Registration Open for 2027?
The AAMC opens MCAT registration in three groups, all at noon ET (AAMC 2027 registration opening).
Your day goes by where you'll test, so a student in California who wants a New York center comes in on Tuesday!
Every 2027 date, from January to September, opens across those three days. That's the second year the AAMC has done it this way.
January 30, May 14, July 9 and August 28 run at select centers only in the US and Canada, so check that your center offers the date before you plan around it.
Testing January to March? Be there at noon on your opening day, since those dates go first! You can see every sitting and its deadlines on our MCAT test dates page.
Testing later in the year? The AAMC said in its October 2026 webinar that later dates don't start filling until after February, so you've got time to pick the right date 🙂
About a third of booked appointments end up unused, because people grab a seat early and give it back later.
MCAT registration stays open after opening week, and you can book any date with space until 10 days before it 🙂
Who Can Register for the MCAT?
You can sit the MCAT if you're preparing to apply to a health professions program that accepts MCAT scores, and you aren't enrolled in one now (AAMC eligibility). That covers MD, DO, podiatric medicine and veterinary programs, plus other programs that accept the MCAT.
During MCAT registration you agree to a statement that you're testing only to apply to one of those programs.
Everyone else needs special permission first. That includes:
- Anyone testing for another reason
- Anyone enrolled in a health professions program who wants to change schools
- Anyone who can't follow AAMC testing procedures for a reason other than a disability or medical condition
Already accepted but not yet in classes? You don't need special permission!
You request it in the MCAT Registration System under service requests, and the AAMC usually replies within five business days.
How Much Does MCAT Registration Cost?
MCAT registration costs $360 for every 2027 date (AAMC scheduling fees). With an approved Fee Assistance application it's $145.
Testing outside the US, Canada and US territories adds a $130 international fee, and that part isn't refunded if you cancel.
The AAMC takes Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express, including debit cards with a Visa or Mastercard logo. Some countries add sales tax or VAT at checkout.
Changes get more expensive the closer you are to your test, and nothing can be changed within 10 days of it.
On Fee Assistance? Your approval has to come through before you book. Register first and you're charged the full $360, with no refund of the difference later.
The AAMC asks you to allow at least 10 business days for review, so if you're applying now, book once you're approved.
Our MCAT cost guide adds up prep materials and application fees on top of registration.
How to Register for the MCAT, Step by Step
- Log in with the AAMC account you already have. If you've ever made one, for any reason, you have to use it. Reset your password if you've forgotten it, since the AAMC asks you not to make a new one.
- Fix a second account before you register. Holding two AAMC IDs breaks AAMC policy and can cancel a registration or even a score. Call the AAMC at 202-828-0600 so it can merge them.
- Fill in the first five tabs early. Your contact, background and education details can go in from October 5 until 7 p.m. ET on October 19, when the system closes for maintenance. The AAMC says it saves 5 to 10 minutes once you're in!
- Enter your name as it's printed on your ID. First and last name, letter for letter, with no nicknames or initials. Skip your browser's autofill here!
- Pick your date and test center, plus a few backups. The AAMC's test center finder works without logging in, though a center listed there may still be full on your date. A center marked TBD means you could be sent anywhere within about 40 miles.
- Check for the confirmation email. It arrives within 24 hours and shows the name you registered under. No email means no appointment, so book again.
There's no separate Pearson login. The booking screens run on Pearson's site, but you sign in with your AAMC details every time (AAMC scheduling an MCAT exam).
Someone registering for you? Remind them that your name goes in every name field. The AAMC has seen parents' names and even a city land in the name field.
What Happens on MCAT Registration Day
The waiting room opens at 8 a.m. ET with a countdown, and there's nothing to do there yet.
At 11:50 a.m. ET, everyone already in the waiting room gets a random place in line. Logging in at 8:00 doesn't move you up, and logging in after 11:50 puts you at the back.
The AAMC suggests logging in no more than 15 minutes before noon, so 11:45 is perfect!
The AAMC expects waits of two hours or longer in the first few hours of opening day. You'll get an email alert and hear a bell when it's your turn, so feel free to step away!
When that alert comes, you've got 10 minutes to log in, so keep your phone close!
Use a laptop or desktop if you can. The site works on a phone, but a stray tap or an incoming call can drop you out of line.
Once you're in, you won't run out of time while you're clicking through. Leaving the AAMC profile pages idle for 30 minutes does time you out, and the clock keeps running there while you search dates on the Pearson screens.
If Your MCAT Date or Center Is Full
Book your best backup first, so you're holding a seat!
Then add up to five date and center combinations to the Notify Me list. Pearson emails you when a seat opens, and the AAMC says about a third of people on the list end up booking through it, so add yourself!
You can move a seat earlier or later until 10 days before the test, as long as there's space. The fee depends on how far out you are, from $55 to $210 (see our MCAT reschedule guide).
Every scored attempt, void and no-show counts toward the AAMC's limits, which our guide to how many times you can take the MCAT walks through.
Your Name, Your ID and MCAT Registration
Your registration has to match the first and last name on the MCAT-accepted ID you'll bring on test day (AAMC registration name and ID exceptions).
If they don't match, you can't test. It counts as a no-show, you get no refund, and the appointment counts toward your testing limits.
Your full legal first name goes in, so a Matthew who goes by Matt registers as Matthew. Two last names both go in the last name field, with a hyphen or apostrophe if your ID shows one.
- Renewing your ID. There's nothing to update unless the name on it changes 🙂
- Digital IDs. They aren't accepted. You need a physical card that's still valid on test day, and a temporary paper license needs an ID exception.
Need to change your name? You can do it online until 10 days before your test. From 9 to 3 days out, submit an ID exception request with your documents.
Within 3 days of your test, the AAMC won't take any exceptions.
MCAT Registration With Accommodations
You don't need an accommodations decision to book a standard seat on opening day!
Once your accommodations are approved, you contact Pearson VUE, the AAMC's test vendor, to add them to your booking (AAMC scheduling with accommodations). Sometimes that means a new date or center, and there's no fee for that change.
The other path is to wait for your decision and book with your accommodations from the start. Examinees with approved accommodations also get advance scheduling before opening day.
The AAMC posts a last recommended submission date for each test date, so work backwards from the date you want. Questions go to accommodations@aamc.org.
Pick Your MCAT Date Before Registration Opens
One of us booked an optimistic date the moment the calendar came out and ended up pushing it back.
Work backwards from your application. Applying in June? A date between January and April gets your score back before you submit, and a January date leaves room for a retake.
Our guide on when to take the MCAT helps you choose, and a study schedule shows how many weeks you'll need.
Pick a center you can reach easily too! One of us timed the drive from home to the test center, then got up earlier than that every morning before test day.
Not sure whether your practice scores support the date you want? In 1:1 MCAT tutoring, a 515+ scorer can look at your full-lengths with you and help you pick a date you'll be ready for 🙂
MCAT Registration FAQ
When does MCAT registration open for 2027?
October 20, 21 or 22, 2026, at noon ET, depending on your test center's location.
How much does MCAT registration cost?
$360, or $145 with Fee Assistance. Testing outside the US, Canada and US territories adds $130.
Can I register for the MCAT online?
Yes! MCAT registration happens entirely online through the AAMC's MCAT Registration System.
When is the best time to register for the MCAT?
On opening day if you're testing January to March. For later dates, you have until after February before seats start filling.
Does logging in early help on MCAT registration day?
No. Everyone in the waiting room at 11:50 a.m. ET gets a random place in line.
Can I register for two MCAT dates?
Nope! You can hold one appointment at a time, and book the next one 24 hours after you finish.
What if I miss MCAT registration day?
Registration stays open after opening week. You can book any date with seats until 10 days before it, and use the Notify Me list for full ones.
Is registering for the MCAT hard?
Not if you prepare! Fill in the first five tabs early, have your ID next to you, and log in around 11:45 a.m. ET.
Get Help Before Your MCAT Date
Booking the seat is the easy part, and the weeks between now and test day are where your score comes from.
Our 6-Week Live MCAT Accelerator gives you live strategy classes across every section and seven 1:1 sessions with a 515+ scorer built in.
If the cohort dates don't line up with your test, 1:1 tutoring on its own works too. We'd love to help you plan the months before your date 🙂
Good luck on registration day! Book the seat, close the tab, and get back to studying 🙂
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