When to Submit Your Primary App

The graph above depicts the time to verification (in business days) from the 2018 and 2019 application cycles.

After submitting your primary application and transcripts, AMCAS must verify your courses and grades. It is highly recommended that you look at the tutorial videos AMCAS provides; these videos will inform you about how to input course information (including AP, summer, and study abroad courses).  Too many mistakes on your primary application will result in a delay in the verification of your application.

You can find those video tutorials here: AMCAS Video Tutorials

As you can see on the graph, the time required for verification increases rapidly as time progresses, with a peak in verification time around early August. This means that if you submit your application late July/early August, it can take almost 5-6 weeks for your application to be processed and verified. Conversely, submitting on the first day applications open means that your application can be verified in as little as a day.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SUBMIT YOUR PRIMARY APPLICATION 

It is clear that submitting your application as early as possible provides an advantage in terms of how long it will take to get verified. Does this mean, however, that it is absolutely crucial to submit your application on day one (which will be May 31st for the 2022-2023 application cycle)? 

For the 2022-2023 cycle, Primary Applications are not sent to schools until June 24th.  That means that as long as you are verified by June 24th, you will be amongst the first batch. Based on the graph, you would most likely be verified by June 24th if you can submit by June 3 (which is almost a week after opening day). As such, you do not have to rush to submit all of your materials by the first day. 

Many applicants may not be able to submit their primary application in time to be a part of the first submissions, even if the first batch is not exclusive to the first day AMCAS accepts primary submissions. There is a common perception that having your application submitted as early as possible is crucial to having a successful application process. It is important, however, to submit your application when it is ready. You will not be able to edit the majority of your primary application after submitting, so you have to take the time to make sure that it is as polished as possible. 

Due to the rolling admissions system at many medical schools, however, submitting too late can put your application at a serious disadvantage. Being complete at all schools (primary, secondary, and letters of recommendation all submitted) by Labor Day is generally seen as being on time. This would mean that you submitted your primary application by late July/early August at the latest, since the graph above indicates that verification takes roughly 3-4 weeks during that timeframe

VERDICT: SUBMIT EARLY IF POSSIBLE, BUT DEFINITELY BY LATE JULY/EARLY AUGUST

If you can have your primary polished and complete by May 31st, you should aim to do so. It won’t be a deal breaker, but being complete sooner will make your application more likely to be reviewed earlier on. It can make a difference in your cycle, especially for borderline applicants. Waiting until your application is ready, however, is more important than submitting on the earliest possible date. As long as you can avoid submitting your primary and secondaries after August, you should still be on time.

Best of luck on getting started! Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions, and we’ll make sure to get back to you quickly.