Inside the 10-Day Cutoff
You cannot cancel the MCAT inside 10 days — but you still have three choices, and they are not equally bad.
The most-searched MCAT deadline question is whether you can cancel the day before, or within 10 days. The answer is no: the AAMC closes cancellation 10 days before your exam. What matters then is choosing between testing, voiding, no-showing, and filing an emergency refund request — and only one of those keeps your record clean.
- Cancellation and rescheduling both close 10 days before your exam date.
- A no-show is recorded as a void and does count as an attempt; a cancellation would not have.
- An emergency refund request is the only money-back path left, and it needs documentation.
Your Options
The four things you can actually do inside 10 days.
Ranked from best to worst outcome on your MCAT record.
- Sit the exam and decide at the end whether to keep or void the score — you keep every option open.
- Void on test day: no score released, but it counts as an attempt.
- No-show: recorded as a void, counts as an attempt, and no refund.
- Emergency refund request: the only path to money back, and only with documentation.
If you are healthy enough to test, testing is almost always better than a no-show — the record consequence is the same and you might keep the score.
Day Before
Can you cancel your MCAT the day before?
No. The cancellation window closed nine days earlier, and there is no late-cancellation fee you can pay to reopen it.
- The 10-day cutoff is counted back from your exam date, not from your registration date.
- Test centers and Pearson VUE cannot cancel or move an MCAT for you.
- Calling the AAMC on the day before does not create a cancellation option.
- A genuine documented emergency is handled through the emergency refund process, not cancellation.
Emergency Requests
How the emergency refund request works inside 10 days.
The AAMC reviews these case by case for circumstances outside your control, and approval is discretionary.
- Qualifying examples: hospitalization, serious sudden illness, death in the immediate family, military deployment, disaster affecting your test center.
- Not qualifying: feeling underprepared, low practice scores, work or school conflicts.
- File through the AAMC MCAT Program promptly, with objective documentation attached.
- Review can take several weeks; plan your cycle as if the answer may be no.
Planning Ahead
How to avoid the 10-day trap next time.
The cheapest decision point is always the 30-day mark, because that is where the refund and the fee tiers both change.
- Set a personal decision date 32-35 days before your exam.
- Judge readiness with full-length scores, not with how you feel that week.
- If you are not ready, reschedule before the 30-day window rather than cancelling later for $0.
- Keep a backup test date in mind so a reschedule is a one-click decision.