MCAT - Score Reporting Time Limits, Retaking the Exam, and Voiding Scores

The scores that an individual receives for the MCAT test are usually only valid for three years from the date that the individual takes the exam and any medical program that requires the MCAT test will usually not accept scores that are more than three years old. As a result, it may be wise for individuals that are not planning on attending medical school in the near future to wait rather than take the exam now. However, most medical programs set their own score reporting time limits for the MCAT, so the amount of time that a particular set of scores is considered valid may vary from school to school.

Individuals that received low scores on the MCAT test or are simply unhappy with their scores can retake the exam as many times as they wish, but may not take the exam more than three times in a single calendar year. It is important to note, however, that most schools will base their assessment of an individual with multiple valid scores on the improvement made between the first set of scores and the second set of the scores. If an individual has more than two sets of scores in a three-year period, most schools will consider this as an indication that the individual does not know the material, which will make it much less likely for an individual to be accepted into a medical program. If the exam-taker feels that he or she has performed poorly on the exam, the exam-taker has the option to void his or her exam score on the day of the test. However, it is important to note that many individuals feel that they have performed poorly simply due to the stress associated with taking the test, so this particular option should only be invoked if the individual is certain that he or she has performed extremely poorly and can do better if he or she takes the test again.

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Importance of MCAT Test Scores
Other Factors Medical Schools Consider
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