All about the ancient tribes
Don’t forget, the earliest you can submit the AMCAS application this year is May 28th, 2020. The early decision program has an absolute deadline of August 1st for all medical schools. Regular medical admission deadlines range from October to December.
The online applications are made available sometime around May 1 each year, although they cannot be submitted until June 1 at the earliest. It is recommended to submit your completed applications (AMCAS and AACOMAS) within the first week after you receive your MCAT scores.
In a non-COVID application cycle, AMCAS would transmit your application to the medical schools at the end of June. Applying early to medical school generally means submitting your application between the end of May and the end of June.
AMCAS opening DOES NOT MEAN you have to submit your AMCAS right after it opens. You can totally take more time to make sure everything is correct and polish up those essays and submit in June. As long as you’re verified before June 30th, so you can get those secondaries in the first week of July to turn them around!
A Guide to the Medical School Admissions Cycle August. September Through March. October Through May. December and January. March Through May. Late April Through Early May. May Through August. August and September. Classes begin for first-year students and the previous year’s application cycle is formally concluded.
Can I submit my AMCAS without having my MCAT score? Yes! AMCAS can and will process your application even if your MCAT scores are unavailable at the time of submission.
In short, September is simply too late to submit an application to medical school. August is borderline. Submitting in or before mid- July is reasonably safe, and June is ideal.
In 2018–2019, 21,622 applicants were accepted to allopathic (MD) medical schools out of the 52,777 who applied, for an overall acceptance rate of 41%.
May and June test dates are still early enough for a reasonable application timeline. Just make sure you have your applications ready to go the day you submit your MCAT scores. I advise my students to submit their applications no later than August. This means testing by July at the latest, if at all possible.
After you have certified and submitted your application, and AMCAS has received all of your required transcripts, your application will enter the processing queue. AMCAS staff will verify your application and ensure that the coursework data that you have entered correctly reflects your official transcript(s).
After AMCAS has received both your application, and all of your required official transcripts, the verification process takes about 6 weeks.
Generally it is best to turn in the secondary at least within two weeks after you received it. If the school gives you a submission deadline, try to submit at least two or three days before that deadline.
To be considered “complete” or “verified”, AMCAS has to have gotten your transcripts, and gone over them to make sure there are no mistakes. You CAN submit without the transcripts being there. But they CANNOT verify you until you do so. The later you submit, the longer it takes to be verified.
We recommend submitting your AMCAS by mid-July. Mid-July is fine, but you will feel nervous waiting for your secondaries while everyone else is completing them. Do not submit in August. Nobody is waiting for letters of recommendation before they review the AMCAS, which can take up to 4 weeks to process and verify.)
Can You Submit Your AMCAS Application BEFORE Taking the MCAT? It’s risky to apply to med school before taking or retaking the MCAT for a few reasons: 1. You can base your school choices on your GPA alone, but that doesn’t give you a complete picture either.