When Should I Take the MCAT?

When Should I Take the MCAT in 2025?

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  • There are 30 MCAT test dates in 2025.
  • In 2025, the MCAT is offered in January and every month from March through September.
  • MCAT registration for January, March, April, May, and June 2025 test dates opens on October 2, 2024.
  • Register for the MCAT early so you get your first-choice testing date, time, and location.
  • When considering when to take the MCAT, factor in application deadlines, MCAT prep time, and potential exam retakes.

Choosing when to take the MCAT is a strategic decision that should be carefully considered in advance of the upcoming testing cycle. While there are many 2025 MCAT test dates to choose from, you’ll ultimately want to select a test date that suits your schedule and goals. In this guide, we’ll review the important factors to consider when picking your ideal test date and give you a complete calendar of 2025 MCAT test dates and registration deadlines. Keep reading to learn how to choose an MCAT test date that’s right for you.

[ READ NEXT: How to Plan Your Medical School Application Timeline ]

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

2025 MCAT Test Dates

Listed below are the 2025 U.S. MCAT test dates, score release dates, and registration deadlines. The standard MCAT testing time is 8:00 AM, unless noted otherwise. If you stick with your scheduled MCAT test date, you will avoid rescheduling or cancellation fees, which increase the closer you get to your test date.

Calendar of 2025 MCAT test dates.
2025 MCAT TEST DATE60-DAY DEADLINE30-DAY DEADLINE10-DAY DEADLINESCORE RELEASE DATE
January 10, 2025November 11, 2024December 11, 2024 December 21, 2024February 11, 2025
January 11, 2025 November 12, 2024December 12, 2024January 1, 2025February 11, 2025
January 16, 2025 November 17, 2024December 17, 2024January 14, 2025February 18, 2025
January 24, 2025November 25, 2024December 25, 2024January 26, 2025February 28, 2025
March 8, 2025January 7, 2025February 6, 2025February 26, 2025April 8, 2025
March 21, 2025January 20, 2025February 19, 2025March 11, 2025April 22, 2025
April 4, 2025February 3, 2025March 5, 2025March 25, 2025May 6, 2025
April 5, 2025February 4, 2025March 6, 2025March 26, 2025May 6, 2025
April 25, 2025February 24, 2025March 26, 2025April 15, 2025May 28, 2025
April 26, 2025February 25, 2025 March 27, 2025April 16, 2025May 28, 2025
May 3, 2025March 4, 2025 April 3, 2025April 23, 2025June 3, 2025
May 9, 2025March 10, 2025April 9, 2025April 29, 2025June 10, 2025
May 10, 2025 March 11, 2025April 10, 2025April 30, 2025June 10, 2025
May 15, 2025March 16, 2025April 15, 2025May 5, 2025June 17, 2025
May 23, 2025March 24, 2025 April 23, 2025May 13, 2025June 24, 2025
May 31, 2025April 1, 2025May 1, 2025May 21, 2025July 1, 2025
June 13, 2025April 14, 2025May 14, 2025June 3, 2025July 15, 2025
June 14, 2025April 15, 2025May 15, 2025June 4, 2025July 15, 2025
June 27, 2025April 28, 2025May 28, 2025June 17, 2025July 29, 2025
June 28, 2025 April 29, 2025May 29, 2025June 18, 2025July 29, 2025
July 12, 2025May 13, 2025June 12, 2025July 2, 2025August 12, 2025
July 25, 2025May 26, 2025June 25, 2025July 15, 2025August 26, 2025
August 1, 2025June 2, 2025July 2, 2025 July 22, 2025September 3, 2025
August 16, 2025 June 17, 2025July 17, 2025August 6, 2025 September 16, 2025
August 22, 2025June 23, 2025July 23, 2025August 12, 2025September 23, 2025
August 23, 2025June 24, 2025July 24, 2025August 13, 2025September 23, 2025
September 4, 2025July 6, 2025August 5, 2025August 25, 2025October 7, 2025
September 5, 2025 July 7, 2025August 6, 2025August 26, 2025October 7, 2025
September 12, 2025July 14, 2025August 13, 2025September 2, 2025October 14, 2025
September 13, 2025July 15, 2025August 14, 2025September 3, 2025October 14, 2025

Taking the MCAT in Canada? Visit our 2025 Canadian MCAT test dates calendar >>

When is the best time to take the MCAT?

In 2025, the MCAT will be offered in January and every month from March through September. With so many MCAT test dates coming up, it can be easy to put your decision of when to take the MCAT on the back-burner. But think about it like this: lots of longer-term decisions—like when to schedule your MCAT prep—depend on your 2025 MCAT test date. Taking just a little bit of time now to determine your future test date can put you ahead of the game and help you develop a strong plan for your MCAT success.

Expert MCAT Tip

Try out different MCAT study schedule methods to help you stay on track. Students commonly over-budget themselves, then abandon the schedule because they’re “just not a scheduling kind of person.” Instead, the study schedule should be adaptable and fluid so that it’s a useful tool, not a source of stress.

Below, we detail some critical factors to consider when choosing your 2025 MCAT test date.

2025 MCAT Test Date Factor #1: Medical School Application Deadlines

The application cycle opens in June of each year, and you will want your official MCAT score to be released and ready to go when you submit your medical school application. That way, your application can immediately be considered as soon as it is received, since most schools operate on rolling admissions. According to the AAMC, official MCAT scores are released 30-35 days after an exam date.

2025 MCAT Test Date Factor #2: MCAT Prep

We generally recommend that students give themselves at least three to five months to prepare for the MCAT. As such, if you want to test in January or March, then you’ll want to start studying in September or October. If you’re testing in April, May, June, or July, then January or February is the perfect time to get started on your prep. Kaplan offers a variety of MCAT prep options for every type of learner, including self-paced and live MCAT courses and premium MCAT tutoring.

2025 MCAT Test Date Factor #3: Exam Retakes

When choosing your MCAT test date, give yourself enough time to retake the exam if you are unhappy with your score. Earning a good MCAT score is key to gaining acceptance into your target medical school. If you take the exam and are unhappy with your score, you can retake the MCAT up to three times in one calendar year and four times across two calendar years – up to seven times in your lifetime. 

While it is not unusual for examinees to take the MCAT a couple of times, ideally you want to wait until you are prepared and take the exam once as medical school admissions will see all of your MCAT score and how they are evaluated will depend on the school. Some may consider your highest score only, while others may consider the average of every MCAT score you’ve taken.

Expert MCAT Tip

As the official MCAT prep of the AMSA, Kaplan has many MCAT classes to prepare you for any test date. You can register months in advance, so you can enroll and save your spot for when they begin. This way of thinking ahead has an additional payoff: Even though you might not start your MCAT class meetings right away, once you enroll, you get access to your Kaplan materials and can get a jumpstart on your preparation.

Is the January 2025 MCAT test date right for you?

If you have completed all or most of your MCAT prerequisite coursework, you are definitely a candidate for taking the January MCAT exam. Even if you are completing those courses this term, you can still be ready for the January MCAT test date.

If this describes you, it’s a great idea to get your MCAT preparation and administration out of the way early in the year. Taking the January MCAT exam will allow you to put the MCAT portion of your application away for the Spring term so you can free up your focus for the application itself—including the preparation and revisions of your medical school personal statement.

In addition, a lot of students choose to take the MCAT in January because there is usually a lot of break time leading up to the test date, which provides a nice chunk of time for them to focus on MCAT prep without the distraction of classes and finals.

Are the spring 2025 MCAT test dates right for you?

March, April, and May have historically been—and will likely continue to be—the most popular MCAT testing months because they occur before the medical school application cycle opens in June. While these spring months might seem far away, now is the perfect time to get started preparing for these exams. This way, you can comfortably pace your MCAT study and not be rushed into cramming—an unadvisable strategy when it comes to preparing for standardized tests—during the spring terms.

Are the summer 2025 MCAT test dates right for you?

The MCAT test dates scheduled for the summer are ideal for students who want to spend the academic year completing coursework and therefore need to dedicate their summer months to studying. If you are planning on taking the MCAT in June, you will want to start your preparation no later than February, but if you are thinking of July, August, or September, you can wait until the latter part of the spring to get started.

Testing in summer allows you to intensely study for the MCAT without worrying about classwork. But just remember—if you wait until these later exam dates to test, you will be entering the application cycle once it is in full swing.

When should you start studying for the 2025 MCAT?

It’s never too soon to start preparing for the MCAT! As you start to think about your MCAT prep and how it affects—and is affected by—your chosen 2025 MCAT test date, consider the immediate benefits of taking an MCAT prep course.  As soon as you enroll, even if your class sessions aren’t starting for months, you get access to all of your materials, including the review books, class sessions and workshops, and science review videos.

A lot of students who want to get a leg up on their competition start using those materials right away. Not just to jumpstart their MCAT prep but also to get the edge in their undergraduate courses. Take a page from their book, and you’ll be killing two birds with one stone: prepping for the MCAT while getting extra resources for your classes.

Here’s one good way to get the most out of those resources. For example, if you are taking biochemistry this year, you could use the MCAT Workshops and Science review videos that focus on biochemistry to give yourself a boost in those courses—think of it as background material. Also, your access to the review notes, which nicely summarize the big topics of biochemistry, could give you an added advantage. Might as well get the maximum value out of enrollment, with the longest course access possible leading up to your test date. That’s extra time to prepare for the exam and simultaneously fortify your knowledge of the topics that will help you get into – and succeed in – medical school.

How long should you study for the MCAT?

A typical amount of time to prepare effectively for the MCAT is between 200-300 hours total. We actually recommend 300-350 hours. Ideally, you would spread this out over several months, especially if you have other commitments such as school or work. A common error that many test-takers make is trying to study for the MCAT while carrying a very heavy load of activities. Remember, the more things you are involved in, the less time you’ll have to study effectively.

Some test-takers spend six months preparing for the MCAT, while others choose to cram it all into just a month before the test. Consider your own schedule carefully, be realistic about all of your commitments, and plan as far in advance as possible. Then you can be realistic about your ability to master the demands of the MCAT.

2025 MCAT Registration

Registration for the January, March, April, May, and June 2025 MCAT test dates opens on October 2, 2024 at 11 AM ET. It’s crucial that you check the registration deadlines for the date you want to take the MCAT ahead of time. Historically, testing seats fill up very quickly—some in less than 24 hours— and we expect the same to occur this year, especially for the popular spring 2025 MCAT test dates. In order to register for the MCAT, you’ll need to know which MCAT test date you’re planning for – just another reason to select it now so you are prepared. Take some time now to build out your calendar for the next few months. Include personal, academic, and professional obligations so your test date doesn’t sneak up on you.

MCAT Academic Requirements

The MCAT does not require you to have taken high-level science courses. In fact, introductory-level courses that are typically taken in the first two years of college are almost all that you need to have the right background for the MCAT. The only exception is Biochemistry, which is typically taken later in your college career.

The undergraduate courses that are reflected in the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section of the MCAT are:

  • Introductory General Chemistry (30%)
  • Introductory Physics (25%)
  • Organic Chemistry (15%)
  • Biochemistry (25%)
  • Introductory Biology (5%)

The undergraduate courses that are reflected in the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section of the MCAT are:

  • Introductory Biology (65%)
  • First-semester Biochemistry (25%)
  • Introductory General Chemistry (5%)
  • Introductory Organic Chemistry (5%)
  • Additional biology classes such as Cell Biology, Genetics, Anatomy, and Physiology, or Microbiology can be helpful but aren’t required.

The undergraduate courses that are reflected in the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section of the MCAT are:

  • Introductory Psychology (65%)
  • Introductory Sociology (30%)
  • Introductory Biology (5%)

The Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section of the MCAT does not require any specific coursework. As the name implies, this section of the MCAT asks you to use critical reasoning skills to read, analyze and interpret passages and answer related questions. Reading at a level expected of a college undergraduate is appropriate for this section of the test.

[ RELATED: What’s Tested on the MCAT? ]

Tips for Choosing an MCAT Test Date

As discussed, there are several crucial factors that MCAT test-takers should take into consideration when deciding when to test, including application deadlines, MCAT test prep, and test retakes. In addition to those considerations, here are some other tips when choosing when to take the MCAT in 2025.

  • Tip #1: Take the MCAT when you feel prepared!

    There are 4 different “windows” to take the MCAT in 2025: the Winter (late January), the Spring (March, April, and May), the summer (June and July), and the Fall (August and September). The “ideal” time to take it is when you feel fully prepared. It isn’t worth it to rush your MCAT if you don’t feel ready.


  • Tip #2: Decide whether a weekday or weekend test date is best for you.

    This is going to be especially important for students considering a test date that falls into the academic year. You might prefer a weekend test date so as to not miss classes.


  • Tip #3: Factor in personal obligations.

    Remember that you have a life outside of the MCAT. Things can come up at different times of the year: vacation, weddings, finals, and graduation. We recommend picking a time that you are going to be able to focus properly on the exam.


  • Tip #4: Pick a convenient exam location.

    This is often something students forget about. You want to pick an exam location that is going to be convenient for you. Just like all things in medical school admissions, early is always better. It is in your best interest to register for your MCAT exam date ASAP. This way you are committed to studying for the exam and you are going to take the test at your preferred location. (Some testing centers fill up fast!)


No matter when you choose to take the MCAT, you can still get started now and spread your preparation out. Even if you haven’t completed your prerequisite courses, reviewing old content can ensure you stay fresh and up to date. At any point, signing up for a Kaplan MCAT course gives you access to our Review Books, MCAT Workshops, Science Review Videos, and much more.


Kaplan is the official MCAT® prep of the American Medical Student Association.

Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Brandon McKenzie. Brandon is the Director of Product for the MCAT at Kaplan North America. With over a decade of experience in teaching, tutoring, and developing MCAT content, Brandon has helped thousands of students achieve higher MCAT scores.





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