Can You Reschedule Your MCAT?

Your MCAT exam is coming up, and you have been working hard to prepare. You feel like you are ready, but at the same time, you think you aren't. You might not be sure if you should take the test, or postpone it another time. 

What should you do? 

Worry no more! 

When is the MCAT Offered?

The AAMC offers thirty (30) testing dates for the MCAT. These dates are from January to September of every year.

The table below shows this year’s (2022) MCAT test dates.

*Morning (7:30 AM) and afternoon (3:00 PM) sessions are offered on these dates.

How to Decide When To Reschedule Your MCAT

Regardless of the effort and hard work you have put in for the MCAT, there will be times when you have to reschedule. 

Rescheduling your MCAT is by no means an easy task, and there are many factors to consider. 

If you are contemplating putting off the MCAT, here are a few reminders to keep in mind. 

Assess Your MCAT Studying 

Be honest with yourself. How has your MCAT preparation gone so far, and are you generally happy with the level of your efforts? This entails evaluating the caliber of your research and your resources and advancement within them. 

This is not the moment to congratulate yourself for just studying for four hours a day when you had intended to study for eight. 

Additionally, you should not be too hard on yourself if you run a little behind schedule, miscalculate how much time is needed, or need more time off than you had anticipated.

Analyze Your Practice Exams Performance

You should be taking practice exams regularly. We advise taking one at least every two weeks. As you get closer to your test date, that frequency should increase, and you should prioritize using the AAMC materials within the final couple of weeks. 

Since the testing company itself creates them, the AAMC practice exams are the most comparable to the actual thing. The experience and your anticipated score on these AAMC practice exams are the most accurate representations of the actual exam.

Continually evaluate your scores after each practice exam. Know why your answers are correct or why they are wron. 

Is there improvement in your scores with each passing week? You should have met your target score at least on the last 3-4 practice exams.

Be Practical and Consider Your Options Carefully

As a general rule, you should consider rescheduling the MCAT if you are more than 10 points away from a score you would be comfortable with and have less than one month until the test. 

This suggests that improving your score to a respectable level over time will be more difficult.

Nevertheless, if you are a strong candidate, have spent extended periods of studying and preparing for the MCAT, and have applied the best and most effective strategies for the MCAT, you are good to go.

There is no reason to delay your MCAT any further.

Know Where You Are, Mentally

Finally, check your mental state. Are you exhausted and burnt out? It is normal to lose interest in MCAT preparation as your study session comes to a finish. 

It is also normal to be close to the breaking point if you have been in the last two weeks. In this case, delaying your exam even a few weeks can cause you to take it when burnout is at its worst and result in lower scores.

If this is the case, you might want to take a vacation from MCAT preparation and, if your schedule allows it, try again with another committed MCAT prep period in the future. 

If you think this is the right option for you, be careful to think back on what was not manageable the first time and resulted in burnout so you can make sure it does not happen again during your subsequent study session.

Should You Reschedule Your MCAT? 3 Scenarios to Help You Decide

Identifying the perfect time to take the MCAT is a crucial element for success on the MCAT and is possibly just as significant as material mastery, familiarity with the test and timetable, and ultimately confidence in your degree of exam readiness. 

Sure, you have booked a test date, but what if you have second thoughts? Should you reschedule your MCAT? 

Here are some possible scenarios a student might want to reschedule the MCAT.

Scenario #1: You are sick 

Unfortunately, few pre-med students get sick while studying for the MCAT, especially since so many take it during the height of the flu season. There is no right or wrong way to address this situation, but if you are only ten days (or less) behind your study schedule because of illness, you may make up the time.  

It is possible to skip this rest day to stay on pace for your test because most MCAT study plans should include a day of relaxation once a week. 

Scenario #2: You have overestimated yourself and are now behind your study plan

Because pre-med students are type-A personalities, they tend to over-commit. While you may be tempted to juggle everything, it is crucial to limit your commitments if you intend to study for the MCAT for two or three months. 

This entails taking fewer classes, reducing your extracurricular involvement, and ensuring that your friends and family know your commitment to your MCAT preparation.

If circumstances beyond your control cause you to fall behind on your MCAT study plan, you have two choices: scale back on your obligations or change the date of your MCAT exam. 

Your course of action might be to take on fewer responsibilities to have more time to complete your study plan. 

This would be preferable to postpone your MCAT test date if the number of hours you have available is much fewer than the amount of time you have after reducing obligations.

Scenario #3: You are on schedule with your study plan but underperforming on the practice exams

This happens to most pre-med students. They have taken multiple practice examinations and were on track with their study plan, but their practice exam results did not accurately reflect their level of understanding. 

They would reread exams and practice chapters only to discover that the problems were frequently the result of forgotten facts or skimming a passage. 

If you are one of these med students, you most likely have test anxiety. It is likely that you will perform better on the test day and that you are just dealing with the usual MCAT pressure. 

If so, you should not postpone the exam unless you are sure your performance will not accurately reflect your level of preparation. 

However, if you discover that there is a lot of new or unfamiliar information in the passages you are reviewing, there may be content deficiencies –  you should think about rescheduling your MCAT test date.

These are just a few probable reasons why you should consider rescheduling your MCAT. 

Depending on your current situation, there could be more. Remember that only you can fully gauge whether or not you are ready to take the MCAT. Decide carefully.

Changing Your MCAT Test Location and Date: How to Do It?

Rescheduling your MCAT does not only mean changing your test date. 

Depending on the date you wish you reschedule, there might be a possibility that you have to change the test location as well. This could happen when the date you would like to reschedule your MCAT has been fully booked. 

Should you decide to reschedule your MCAT, you need to ensure that:

Canceling Your MCAT Exam: How to Do t?

You may postpone or cancel your MCAT appointment at any time before the scheduled test date. But take note that you will only get a partial refund if you reschedule within the Gold Zone deadline (29 days before the test date). 

You will not get a refund if you cancel after the Gold Zone Deadline.

MCAT Scheduling Zones

Rescheduling your MCAT is something you must plan carefully. Before deciding to modify your MCAT registration, you should be aware of any associated costs. 

The AAMC offers three scheduling zones for each exam date: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. 

Within the Gold Zone deadline is the best time to reschedule your MCAT because flexibility is at its peak, and costs are at their lowest.

Note: All deadlines are at 11:59 p.m. local test center time.

Additional FAQs – Rescheduling Your MCAT Exam