AAMC Test Center Guarantee
The AAMC's Same Test Center Guarantee protects your center — not your date.
The AAMC's Test Center Guarantee is a policy that ensures if the AAMC or Pearson VUE cancels your seat, they will offer you a rescheduled test at the same test center. This guide explains exactly when the guarantee kicks in, how to invoke it, and what actually happens when your test center closes or has technical issues.
- The guarantee applies when the AAMC or Pearson VUE cancels your seat — not when you cancel.
- You are guaranteed the same test center, not the same test date.
- You will not pay a rescheduling fee if the cancellation was on the AAMC/Pearson side.
When It Applies
The exact situations that trigger the Test Center Guarantee.
The guarantee is invoked when the AAMC or Pearson VUE cancels or is unable to deliver your MCAT for reasons outside your control. It does not cover student-initiated changes.
- Pearson VUE closes your test center (weather, technical failure, staffing).
- AAMC cancels your specific administration.
- Test center loses power or has equipment failure preventing your exam.
- Overbooking (extremely rare) that forces AAMC/Pearson to move your seat.
Personal cancellations, illness (without prior accommodation), and no-shows are not covered by the guarantee.
What You Get
What the guarantee actually promises — and what it does not.
The AAMC will make a good-faith effort to reschedule you at the same test center, but the guarantee is about the location, not the calendar. You may be offered a date weeks later.
- Same test center location (as long as it reopens for MCAT dates).
- No reschedule fee.
- Priority placement into next available seat at that center.
- NOT guaranteed: your original date, adjacent dates, or a specific score release timeline.
Requesting It
How to invoke the Test Center Guarantee.
When AAMC/Pearson cancels your test, you will typically receive an email with rescheduling instructions. If you do not, contact the AAMC MCAT Program directly with your registration ID.
- Wait for the official email from AAMC or Pearson VUE.
- Follow the rescheduling link in your AAMC account, not the standard reschedule flow.
- If no email arrives within 48 hours of the cancellation, contact AAMC support with your registration ID.
- Do NOT reschedule yourself through the standard flow — that charges you a fee and forfeits the guarantee.
Screenshot every communication from AAMC/Pearson. If a fee is incorrectly charged, this documentation is what gets it reversed.
No Seats Left
What happens if the same test center has no available seats.
If your test center genuinely cannot offer another seat in a reasonable timeframe, the AAMC will offer alternative centers within a reasonable radius or a full refund. The definition of reasonable varies by market density.
- Urban markets: usually another seat within 2-4 weeks.
- Rural markets: may require a nearby alternative center.
- Full refund is available if no acceptable option can be arranged.
- Rescheduling to a much later date may impact your application cycle — plan accordingly.