The MCAT is one of the most intimidating hurdles of being a premed, but not to fear! We’re here to help you make sense of what the MCAT is, why it’s important, and what a good MCAT score is in order to get into your target schools.
Tablet of Contents
- Why Is An MCAT Score Important?
- Breaking Down the MCAT Scoring System
- What Is a “Good” MCAT Score?
- Do Medical Schools Have MCAT Score Requirements?
- Examples of Score Expectations at Different Schools
- Tips for Achieving a Good MCAT Score
Why Is An MCAT Score Important?
The MCAT is one of the most important components of your medical school application. Some medical schools check whether applicants meet MCAT score cutoffs before inviting them to submit a secondary application. Moreover, higher MCAT scores tend to lead to more medical school acceptances.
The numbers tell a very clear story. Applicants with an MCAT of 518 and above have nearly an 80% chance of being admitted. On the other hand, applicants with below-average scores have a roughly 11% chance of being admitted. There’s a reason for this!
MCAT scores are a predictor of success in medical school, from pre-clerkship performance to performance on national medical licensing exams. So, a good MCAT score is a chance to prove to admissions committees that you have what it takes to succeed as a medical student!
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Breaking Down the MCAT Scoring System
The MCAT is scored from a minimum score of 472 to a maximum score of 528. The exam is normalized so that scores fall on a bell curve. This means that test-takers have an average score of around 500 and nobody gets an advantage or disadvantage from minor variations between individual tests. The MCAT has four sections:
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
Each section is worth the same number of points towards your total scores. They have minimum scores of 118 and maximum scores of 132. The average score per section is generally around 125.
What Is a “Good” MCAT Score?
There’s no easy way to say what a “good” MCAT score is. It depends on your personal goals and other application factors, like your grades and extracurriculars. However, there are still some general trends that can help us understand what it takes to set your application apart. High MCAT scores can open doors and can even offset a lower GPA, so MCAT scores need to be considered in the context of the applicant and the schools you’re applying to.
We can use percentiles to understand where a certain score falls relative to other test-takers. Percentiles tell us what percentage of test-takers got the same score or lower, so, for example, a score of 515 puts you above 91% of other test-takers. Applicants with scores around this 90th-percentile mark are accepted roughly three times as often as applicants scoring near 500. Put another way, the average for an accepted medical school applicant is a score of 511.7, which is in the 83rd percentile!
Do Medical Schools Have MCAT Score Requirements?
Many medical schools practice “holistic admissions,” where each component of an application is considered in its greater context. Despite this, there are far more medical school applicants than spots. So, generally, those with below-average scores struggle to be admitted. In fact, only three accredited, MD-granting institutions have MCAT averages below 500. This is because the score requirements admissions committees use often exclude around half of MCAT testers, and oftentimes MCAT “screens” are only the beginning of a school’s evaluation of a student’s academic capabilities.
For example, Emory requires a minimum MCAT score of 502 before inviting students to complete a secondary application. So, even though your application will most likely be reviewed in a holistic way, a competitive MCAT score can give you a significant edge over other applicants and might even be required for them to review all the hard work in your application!
Examples of Score Expectations at Different Schools
Average MCAT scores and what some consider a good MCAT score differ significantly between schools. Harvard, for example, has a median MCAT of 521, which is in the 98th percentile. Florida State University, on the other hand, has a median MCAT of 509, which is in the 76th percentile, and Meharry Medical College has a median MCAT of 504, which is in the 61st percentile. Generally, MD-granting schools have higher MCAT averages than DO-granting schools. However, this is by no means a hard-and-fast rule.
It’s important to consider your target schools and what their admitted student profiles look like. A great resource for exploring medical schools and their admissions policies is the MSAR, an official AAMC website with data from over 170 US and Canadian medical schools. In addition to providing information on admissions policies, curriculum, and campus life, the MSAR contains detailed statistics on the score profiles of each school’s admitted class. Every school in the MSAR reports the 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile MCAT scores for their admitted students, which can be useful for figuring out what you need to be competitive for your target schools.
Tips for Achieving a Good MCAT Score
There are lots of ways to set yourself up for success on the MCAT! A top score on the MCAT comes from both a strong foundation in scientific knowledge as well as the ability to apply that knowledge on test day. The MCAT is not a knowledge test so much as a knowledge application test. So, oftentimes, an understanding of how MCAT writers think can make a huge difference.
Successful test-takers build in time for daily study with a combination of content review and realistic practice. The MCAT is not a test that can be “crammed.” Even students with a strong content background need to familiarize themselves with the unique ways that the MCAT asks us to draw on our knowledge. This is no easy task! It requires dedication, regular practice, and a ton of scientific and strategy knowledge. And all those things are easier with support from MCAT experts!
Blueprint offers a variety of resources and MCAT prep options to meet your specific needs. Our materials are designed by 99th-percentile instructors and all our tutors and instructors have scored a 517 or higher. Whether you need the flexibility of a Self-Paced Course, the instruction of a Live Course, or the 1:1 assistance of a private MCAT tutor, Blueprint MCAT has the MCAT prep option that works for your learning style!
Final Thoughts
This can seem like a lot, but we’re here to help! With the right support, the MCAT doesn’t need to be daunting. Start your MCAT journey with a free MCAT diagnostic, one free practice exam, and tons more MCAT prep resources.
Further Reading
💻 Average MCAT Score and GPA for Medical School: What’s the average GPA and MCAT score for your target medical school? Find out and discover how to use that information to guide your MCAT study plan and application strategy.
🤔 What Practice MCAT Score Do I Need Before Test Day?: Wondering what score you should aim for on your practice MCAT exams as test day approaches? Let’s break down what you need to know!
📝 A Simple Medical School Admissions Timeline: Get a general overview of the medical school admission process and what you should be doing month by month.
