With Valentine’s Day around the corner, MCAT testing season is upon us. In fact, some of your students may have recently tested. The AAMC decided to give students an early Valentine this year: last week, they posted on their website new test dates for the 2014 administrations of the MCAT, as well as released the registration opening dates for the remainder of the examinations for 2014 and 2015.
First and foremost, for the first time in its recent history, the MCAT will be offered in October and early November. This means that students will have the option to get ready for the MCAT during the fall term, which will require the need for a strong balance of schoolwork and prep. Traditionally, students have prepared for the MCAT in the fall for a January test, leaving them time at the end of the term to complete their studies. Now, they might have midterm and the MCAT during the same week (or even on the same day)!
Second, the registration dates for the rest of 2014 and January 2015 have been announced. Starting February 11th, students can register for test dates through September, and startingFebruary 13th, students can register for test dates through January 2015, the final administrations of the current MCAT. That’s a long way away, but if recent trends hold, test sites will fill up fast, so students should be prepared to make a commitment to when they want to sit for the current MCAT.
We have a couple of resources available for you that you can share with your students. The first is a press release from Kaplan explaining the impact of this development and second is a newly updated test date calendarthat students and you can use to map out when the optimal time will be for them to take the MCAT.
As always, should you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to reach out to us on the Kaplan MCAT Team!
Happy early Valentine’s Day!
