If you're planning to apply to medical school, you might be wondering what is a good MCAT score. Taking the MCAT exam is a scary prospect, considering all the stories you hear about its difficulty, stressful test conditions, and its effect on medical school acceptance rates. And while it is possible to get into medical school with a low MCAT Score, we strongly encourage you to do your best to achieve a good MCAT score that will make you a competitive candidate at your chosen medical schools.
The Medical College Admission Test, commonly known as the MCAT, is notoriously difficult. It lasts seven and a half hours, includes questions on multiple scientific disciplines and requires prospective medical school students to solve complex word problems.
How is the MCAT scored?
Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. Wrong answers do not affect your score, so you are not penalized for answering incorrectly. Make sure to answer all questions when you take the test even if you are unsure of the answer, it's best to make an educated guess!
Your correct answers in each section are converted to a scaled score ranging from 118 (lowest possible score) to 132 (highest possible score). The scores for all four sections are added together. This means that the lowest possible MCAT score you can get is 472 and the highest is 528.
The conversion is administered to ensure scoring fairness to all students taking the MCAT. There are several different test forms in a given year. They tend to include questions of various difficulty levels. All tests are designed to examine the same knowledge and skills and the administration claims to make sure that all test forms are equal in difficulty. However, some test forms may be slightly more difficult than others.
The conversion of your correct answers to scale is done through a process called equating, which compensates for small variations in difficulty between test forms. This conversion is not constant because each conversion is customized to the specific set of questions included on a test form. This would mean that two equally prepared students answering two sets of test forms with different questions are expected to get similar scores, even if there is some discrepancy between the number of correct answers.
This does not mean that the MCAT score is graded on a curve. Conversion simply ensures that different raw scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test or who else is taking the test with you.
What Is a Good MCAT Score?
Each of the four sections of the MCAT is scored between 118 and 132, with the mean and median at 125. This means the total score ranges from 472 to 528, with the mean and median at 501. Why such odd numbers? The AAMC stresses that this scale emphasizes the importance of the central portion of the score distribution, where most students score (around 125 per section, or 500 total), rather than putting an undue focus on the high end of the scale.
The AAMC utilizes the whole scoring scale on the exam. The exam gives a measurable proportion of students the top score of 528. The AAMC has released the correlation between scaled score and percentile:
BEST MCAT SCORES: 90th Percentile
Top Scores
These scores will put you in the top 10% of all test takers
MCAT Total Score:
515-528
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 129-132
Critical Analysis and Reading Skills: 128-132
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 129-132
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 130-132
BETTER SCORES: 75th
Percentile
Competitive Scores
These scores will put you in a highly competitive place in admissions (top 25% of all test takers)
MCAT Total Score:
509-514
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 127-128
Critical Analysis and Reading Skills: 127-128
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 127-128
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 128-129
GOOD SCORES: 50th
Percentile
Less Competitive
Scores
These scores put you ahead of the pack (50%+), but won’t be as advantageous when applying to highly competitive programs
MCAT Total Score:
502-508
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 125-126
Critical Analysis and Reading Skills: 125-126
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 125-126
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 126
BELOW AVERAGE SCORES:
Below Average Scores
These scores may be enough to get into a certain medical schools, but will be below average compared to the testing population
MCAT Total Score: 501
or below
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 124 or below
Critical Analysis and Reading Skills: 124 or below
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 124 or below
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 125 or below
When considering your MCAT score goal, it’s always a good idea to look at the requirements or minimums (if any) at the schools to which you’re applying. But while what is considered a good MCAT score differs from program to program, Kaplan Test Prep research shows that not doing well on the exam is the admissions factor most likely to keep you out of medical school. According to the 59 medical schools we spoke with in 2021, 38 percent said a low MCAT score is “the biggest application dealbreaker” in the primary application; a low undergraduate GPA was a close second at 36 percent.
Why Is It Important to Get a Good MCAT Score?
Your MCAT score matters. It is not the most important component of your medical school application, but it is one of the first to be reviewed by the admissions committee. And while your extracurriculars for medical school, application essays, and medical school recommendation letters paint a bigger, detailed picture of your journey to medical school, your MCAT score may be that one component that either allows or prevents the admissions committee to continue the review of your application.
Essentially, many medical schools in Canada and the United States use GPAs and MCAT scores to weed out applicants in the initial stages of the applicant selection process. These statistics are deemed as indicators of your academic abilities, and therefore, if you do not meet the school's academic expectations, you will be cut out of the applicant pool. While many schools do not have official MCAT cut-offs, do not be fooled. In most cases, the previous year's matriculants set the standard. So, if the matriculants of your school of choice had the average MCAT of 511, you should aim to achieve a score of no less than 511.
It's important to achieve not only a high overall score, but consistently high scores in each section. While some schools will privilege specific sections—McMaster only considers CARS scores, for instance—most schools will want to see well-rounded performance throughout the exam. Additionally, many schools will have individual section cutoff scores. UBC and Dalhousie each have section-score minimums, 124 and 123 respectively, meaning that a well-rounded and consistent performance on the MCAT will help you far more than achieving a stellar score in only one or two MCAT sections. If you’re applying to schools with section-specific score thresholds, it’s in your best interest to make sure your MCAT study plan covers all the bases, and that you give yourself as much time as possible to ensure you don’t rush through any portion of your studying.
Getting a score that matches or exceeds the expectations of your chosen schools can eliminate the chance that your application will be tossed aside in the initial stages of the selection process. A good MCAT score can help you meet the expectations of the schools you apply to and increase the chance that the admissions committee will move on to review your other application components.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
Q: Is a 515 MCAT score good?
Ans: To get an excellent MCAT score means to score in the overall 90th percentile, which currently means a score of 515 or greater. Anything above the score of 517 is considered as outstanding. With that kind of score, it will be difficult for med schools to reject your application
Q: Is a 500 on the MCAT good?
Ans: Attaining a score of 500 on the MCAT means you performed in the 53% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
Q: What is the lowest MCAT score you can get?
Ans; Each of the four individual sections of the MCAT are worth 132 raw points, with 118 being the lowest possible section score.
Q: What is 60% correct on MCAT?
Ans: So a 125 on one section might be 60% correct, but a 125 on another section might be 50% correct.
What is a respectable MCAT score?
Ans: A good MCAT score is above 511 with no section score below 127. However, a “good” MCAT score will vary from applicant to applicant which is especially important because medical school applicants are evaluated holistically.
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