Applying to Australian medical schools: When do you need to sit the MCAT?

Are you considering applying to Australian medical schools? Then you’ll probably want to write the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT®). The MCAT is administered multiple times from late January through early September, and offered at hundreds of test sites in the United States, Canada, and around the world.

It’s not surprising that one of the questions we’re asked most frequently is, “When should I take my MCAT exam?” If you’d like to begin your medical studies in 2025, this is the article for you!

 

Let’s start with how much time you may need to prepare. According to the The AAMC website, students reported preparing on average for three months for 20 hours per week.

When should I take the exam?

Is there ever a “perfect” time?! Former OzTREKKers say to take the exam when you feel prepared. The best way to do that is to take practice tests and use the AAMC resources available to you.

When you take the test also begs the question, When do you want to attend medical school? For Australian medical schools with intakes in January and February, you’ll need to take your MCAT before their application deadlines.

Can I take my exam more than once?

If you think you may wish to retake the exam, it’s best to book your exam earlier in a testing year. This will give you the opportunity to receive your scores, decide whether to retest, and find another seat on a preferred date.

What’s on the exam?

According to the AAMC website, the MCAT exam tests content found in introductory-level courses at most universities, including biology, general and organic chemistry, and physics, as well as first-semester biochemistry, psychology, and sociology. Here’s an overview from the AAMC website:

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
The Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section asks you to solve problems by combining your knowledge of biological and biochemical concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills.

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
In the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section, you’re asked to solve problems by combining your knowledge of foundational concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills.

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
The Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section asks you to solve problems by combining your knowledge of chemical and physical foundational concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills.

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
This section will be similar to many of the verbal reasoning tests you have taken in your academic career. It includes passages and questions that test your ability to comprehend what you read.

Your best bet is to go to their official Content Outline Course for full details. The outline contains the complete list of foundational concepts, content categories, skills, and disciplines you will need to know for test day.

How often can I take the MCAT exam?

You can take the MCAT up to 3 times per testing year; within 2 consecutive-year period, up to 4 times; and up to 7 times total in a lifetime. Remember that voids and no-shows count toward your lifetime limits. You can only be registered for one seat at a time.

All scheduling deadlines are at 11:59 p.m. local test centre time on the day of the deadline.

The 10 Day Deadline is the last date to schedule, reschedule, or cancel a reservation and last date to edit registration information such as name, address, consents, etc.

2024 Testing Calendar (Canada) for 2025 Intake

Test Date	60 Day Deadline	30 Day Deadline	10 Day Deadline	Score Release Date
January 12	Nov. 13, 2023	Dec. 13, 2023	Jan. 2	Feb. 13
January 18	Nov. 19, 2023	Dec. 19, 2023	Jan. 8	Feb. 20
January 26	Nov. 27	Dec. 27	Jan. 16	March 1
March 9	Jan. 9	Feb. 8	Feb. 28	April 9
April 12	Feb. 12	March 13	April 2	May 14
April 26	Feb. 26	March 27	April 16	May 29
May 10	March 11	April 10	April 30	June 11
May 16	March 17	April 16	May 6	June 18
June 1	April 2	May 2	May 22	July 2
June 14	April 15	May 15	June 4	July 16
June 15	April 16	May 16	June 5	July 16
June 22	April 23	May 23	June 12	July 23
June 27	April 28	May 28	June 17	July 30
July 13	May 14	June 13	July 3	Aug. 13
July 26	May 27	June 26	July 16	Aug. 27
July 27	May 28	June 27	July 17	Aug. 27
August 2	June 3	July 3	July 23	Sept. 4
August 3	June 4	July 4	July 24	Sept. 4
August 9	June 10	July 10	July 30	Sept. 10
August 10	June 11	July 11	July 31	Sept. 10
August 16	June 17	July 17	Aug. 6	Sept. 17
August 17	June 18	July 18	Aug. 7	Sept. 17
August 22	June 23	July 23	Aug. 12	Sept. 24
August 23	June 24	July 24	Aug. 13	Sept. 24
August 24	June 25	July 25	Aug. 14	Sept. 24
August 30	July 1	July 31	Aug. 20	Oct. 1
September 5	July 7	Aug. 6	Aug. 26	Oct. 8
September 6	July 8	Aug. 7	Aug. 27	Oct. 8
September 7	July 9	Aug. 8	Aug. 28	Oct. 8
September 13	July 15	Aug. 14	Sept. 3	Oct. 15
September 14	July 16	Aug. 15	Sept. 4	Oct. 15

* In 2024, the AAMC will not administer the MCAT exam in Quebec due to the regulations outlined in Bill 96.

Australian Medical Schools Requiring the MCAT

Here are the minimum MCAT scores to be eligible to apply to OzTREKK’s Australian medical programs. Please note these are minimums only, and competitive scores are much higher. Learn more about what’s been considered competitive in previous intakes.

Deakin University Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 125 in each section
Flinders University Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 123 in each section
Griffith University Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 123 in each section
Macquarie University Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 500 overall
University of Melbourne Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 492 overall (OzTREKK minimum is 505)*
University of Notre Dame Australia Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 500 overall
University of Queensland Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 504 overall
University of Sydney Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 500 overall (OzTREKK minimum is 507)*
University of Western Australia Doctor of Medicine – MCAT minimum 500 overall; 124 in each section

*Based on previous intakes, students who didn’t achieve an MCAT score of 505 (at minimum) were not eligible for an interview. As such, OzTREKK will not submit Melbourne or Sydney applications with scores below 505/507.

For application deadlines for the 2025 intake, be sure to check the individual university links above. Most Australian medical schools have an official application deadline, which will help you to determine the last available sit date. If you need help determining the testing dates for your program/university of interest, please reach out to medicine@oztrekk.com.

Do you have any questions about the MCAT or applying to medical schools in Australia? Please email us at medicine@oztrekk.com or book a chat. The OzTREKK Medicine Admissions Team can help you determine where you’ll be most competitive.