You don’t need a perfect MCAT score to get into medical school. That said, a good MCAT score can significantly enhance your competitiveness and increase your chances of acceptance.
So, you’re right to wonder: exactly what is a good MCAT score to give yourself the best shot at success in the medical school admissions process?
There is no simple, concrete answer. Why? Because a “good” MCAT score is relative to the rest of your application and your school list.
So this blog post will help you navigate the complexities of determining a “good” MCAT score for your goals, target medical schools, and the specific expectations of their admissions committees.
We'll also discuss the MCAT score range, average scores, and MCAT percentiles, providing valuable insights to assist you in making informed decisions about your medical school admissions journey.
Let’s begin!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(click to skip ahead)What is a good MCAT score?
Here’s the simplest answer we can give you: A “good” MCAT score typically meets or exceeds the average MCAT score for the year you apply for med school. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), in the 2023-24 med school application cycle, the average MCAT score for newly admitted students was between 511 and 512. The highest score possible on the MCAT is 528. So, you can say a “good” MCAT score would be between 511 and 528.
Here also are the average scores across each MCAT section during that same application year:
| 2023-24 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.8 |
| MCAT CARS | 127 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128.1 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.9 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.7 |
A “good” MCAT score would also mean you’ve met or exceeded the average scores across each MCAT section. We’ll briefly overview each MCAT section in just a moment. But first, it’s important to reemphasize that “good” is relative. Here’s a better question…
What is a “good” MCAT score for you?
Thinking about a “good” MCAT score for you requires awareness of your unique circumstances, goals, and the expectations of the medical schools to which you plan to apply.
For example, consider the academic profiles and aspirations of Student A and Student B below. You’ll quickly realize that a “good” MCAT score for these students is not the same.
Student A
3.9 weighted GPA from an Ivy League university
Bachelor’s degree with honors in organic chemistry
Three years of professional experience as an assistant medical researcher
Aiming to be admitted to one of the top 10 medical schools, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Medical Schools ranking list (with a caveat that we’re wary of ranking systems for colleges, but we also understand that people frequently want them)
Student B
3.4 weighted GPA from a “top 50” university
Bachelor’s degree with a double major in biology and history
Two years of professional experience as an SAT prep tutor
Aiming to be admitted to a medical school that has a reputable center for biomedical research and a strong emphasis on community outreach
Getting clearer why “good” is going to be relative to you?
Which of these students will need a higher MCAT score to have the best chance at getting into their desired med schools?
Student A will likely need a higher MCAT score, one that solidly exceeds the average MCAT score because they’re only aiming for schools with very stiff competition. A “good” MCAT score for Student A would likely need to be well above 512.
This need for Student A to achieve a higher MCAT score than Student B is true even in spite of Student A having a higher GPA and more relevant professional experience. Why? The top 10 medical schools typically have highly competitive admission standards. A stellar MCAT score is crucial for standing out in this rigorous selection process.
However, it's essential to note that we wouldn’t recommend solely applying for top 10 med schools. While aiming for such prestigious institutions is commendable, limiting applications exclusively to these schools may decrease the overall chances of acceptance, given the intense competition.
On the other hand, since Student B is more flexible on which medical schools they’ll apply to, a “good” MCAT score might be the average MCAT score or even a few points below it, depending on the average applicant profiles at their target schools. The flexibility of their target school list allows Student B to cast a wider net and consider a range of medical schools that align with their varied preferences and goals.
“Good” MCAT scores in a holistic admission process
It’s also important to remember that the medical school admissions process is holistic. That means med school admissions committees consider factors beyond GPA and MCAT scores.
So, even though Student B has a lower undergraduate GPA than Student A and graduated from a “less prestigious” university, Student B may still have a better shot at getting into a top medical school program.
How? Well, perhaps Student B has stronger letters of recommendation, a more insightful medical school personal statement, and a more extensive undergraduate extracurricular activity profile than Student A.
Those other application components are just as important as having a “good” MCAT score in the medical school admissions process. Even a perfect MCAT score would not be good enough to guarantee admission without a compelling overall application.
MCAT Sections
The MCAT has four sections:
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (CPBS)
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (BBLS)
and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (PSBB)
The highest possible score you can receive on each MCAT section is 132. Your total MCAT score is the sum of the scores received on all four MCAT sections.
As mentioned earlier, in the 2023-24 med school admissions cycle, the average scores for admitted students on each MCAT section were as follows:
CPBS: 127.8
CARS: 127
BBLS: 128.1
PSBB: 128.9
In simplest terms, a “good” score on each MCAT section typically means meeting or exceeding those average scores.
Here’s an overview of what to expect from each section:
| Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (CPBS) | 95 minutes 59 multiple-choice questions Covers basic biochemistry, biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics |
|---|---|
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) | 90 minutes 53 multiple-choice questions Generally similar to other tests’ reading comprehension sections, with passages pulled from humanities and social sciences |
| Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (BBLS) | 95 minutes 59 multiple-choice questions Covers basic biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry |
| Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (PSBB) | 95 minutes 59 multiple-choice questions Covers introductory psychology, sociology, and biology |
MCAT Raw Score
The MCAT is a scaled exam where your score is determined by both the number of correct answers and the difficulty level of those questions. Incorrect answers do not incur any penalties. An MCAT raw score refers to the total number of correctly answered questions without applying adjustments or scaling. However, the score you receive and report to med schools during the application process is scaled.
A statistical procedure called equating converts your MCAT raw score into a scaled score. This method compensates for variations in difficulty among different test versions, ensuring equitable scoring across different years.
MCAT Score Range
The total MCAT score range is 472 to 528. The total MCAT score is the sum of the four MCAT section scores. The MCAT score range for each section is 118 to 132. Each section's score range highlights the diversity of performance levels, allowing for a nuanced evaluation of an applicant's strengths across different knowledge and skill areas.
MCAT Percentiles
Your MCAT score report includes MCAT percentiles to help you understand how well you performed compared to other test takers.
Your MCAT percentile is a more accurate assessment of a “good” MCAT score than the score alone. The higher your MCAT percentile, the more competitive your MCAT score will be.
Here are the latest MCAT percentiles for total and section scores (effective May 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024) from the AAMC:
| MCAT Total Score | MCAT Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 524–528 | 100 |
| 522–523 | 99 |
| 521 | 98 |
| 520 | 97 |
| 519 | 96 |
| 518 | 95 |
| 517 | 94 |
| 516 | 92 |
| 515 | 90 |
| 514 | 88 |
| 513 | 86 |
| 512 | 83 |
| 511 | 81 |
| 510 | 78 |
| 509 | 75 |
| 508 | 72 |
| 507 | 69 |
| 506 | 66 |
| 505 | 62 |
| 504 | 59 |
| 503 | 56 |
| 502 | 52 |
| 501 | 49 |
| 500 | 46 |
| 499 | 43 |
| 498 | 39 |
| 497 | 36 |
| 496 | 33 |
| 495 | 31 |
| 494 | 28 |
| 493 | 25 |
| 492 | 23 |
| 491 | 20 |
| 490 | 18 |
| 489 | 16 |
| 488 | 14 |
| 487 | 12 |
| 486 | 11 |
| 485 | 9 |
| 484 | 8 |
| 483 | 6 |
| 482 | 5 |
| 481 | 4 |
| 480–479 | 3 |
| 478 | 2 |
| 477–475 | 1 |
| 474–472 | <1 |
| MCAT Section: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (CPBS) | MCAT Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 132 | 100 |
| 131 | 99 |
| 130 | 96 |
| 129 | 91 |
| 128 | 85 |
| 127 | 75 |
| 126 | 65 |
| 125 | 54 |
| 124 | 43 |
| 123 | 32 |
| 122 | 22 |
| 121 | 14 |
| 120 | 8 |
| 119 | 4 |
| 118 | 2 |
| MCAT Section: Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) | MCAT Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 132 | 100 |
| 131 | 99 |
| 130 | 98 |
| 129 | 95 |
| 128 | 90 |
| 127 | 82 |
| 126 | 72 |
| 125 | 60 |
| 124 | 48 |
| 123 | 35 |
| 122 | 24 |
| 121 | 14 |
| 120 | 7 |
| 119 | 3 |
| 118 | 1 |
| MCAT Section: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (BBLS) | MCAT Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 132 | 100 |
| 131 | 97 |
| 130 | 92 |
| 129 | 84 |
| 128 | 75 |
| 127 | 64 |
| 126 | 52 |
| 125 | 41 |
| 124 | 32 |
| 123 | 23 |
| 122 | 15 |
| 121 | 9 |
| 120 | 5 |
| 119 | 2 |
| 118 | 1 |
| MCAT Section: Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (PSBB) | MCAT Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 132 | 100 |
| 131 | 97 |
| 130 | 92 |
| 129 | 84 |
| 128 | 75 |
| 127 | 64 |
| 126 | 52 |
| 125 | 41 |
| 124 | 32 |
| 123 | 23 |
| 122 | 15 |
| 121 | 9 |
| 120 | 5 |
| 119 | 2 |
| 118 | 1 |
Average MCAT Scores
Below are the average MCAT scores from the 2018-2024 med school admissions cycles, according to data from the AAMC. You’ll notice that the average MCAT scores are mostly consistent across the years.
| 2023-24 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.8 |
| MCAT CARS | 127 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128.1 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.9 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.7 |
| 2022-23 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.9 |
| MCAT CARS | 127 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128.2 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.9 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.9 |
| 2021-22 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.9 |
| MCAT CARS | 127 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128.2 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.9 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.9 |
| 2020-21 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.8 |
| MCAT CARS | 127 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128.1 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.6 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.5 |
| 2019-20 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.8 |
| MCAT CARS | 127.1 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128.1 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.5 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.5 |
| 2018-19 Average MCAT Score of Admitted Med School Student | |
|---|---|
| MCAT CPBS | 127.7 |
| MCAT CARS | 127.1 |
| MCAT BBLS | 128 |
| MCAT PSBB | 128.3 |
| Total MCAT Score | 511.2 |
What’s the highest MCAT score?
The highest MCAT score is 528. This perfect MCAT score is possible, but it’s also incredibly rare.
How rare? Here are a few of the only stories on the internet about students achieving the highest MCAT score:
If your goal is a perfect MCAT score, we recommend reading those stories for any insights and tips to inform how you prepare for the exam. (Though to be blunt, we think you can probably do other things that help your med school applications more than just trying for a perfect MCAT score.)
How important are MCAT scores?
Albeit important, the MCAT is just one piece of your medical school applications. Most medical schools follow a holistic admissions process, meaning they also consider factors such as your:
Undergraduate GPA
Undergraduate coursework
Letters of recommendation
Med school personal statement
Undergraduate extracurricular activities
Experience in the medical field (e.g., volunteer work, internships, etc.)
If your MCAT score is lower than you’d have hoped, do your best to ensure those other application components are as strong as possible.
Final thoughts on MCAT scores
Key Takeaways:
Determining what constitutes a "good" MCAT score is a highly individualized process that hinges on your unique goals, academic background, and the specific requirements of your target medical schools.
Also, remember that the MCAT is just one component of a holistic application. Success in gaining admission also relies on various other factors, such as your letters of recommendation, undergraduate extracurricular activities, and personal statements.
Best of luck as you take the next steps in your med school journey!
Special thanks to Ameer for writing this blog post
Ameer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about college admissions and career development. Prior to freelancing, Ameer worked for three years as a college admissions consultant at a Hong Kong-based education center, helping local high school students prepare and apply for top colleges and universities in the US. He has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from UCLA. When he’s not working, Ameer loves traveling, weight lifting, writing, reading, and learning foreign languages. He currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
Top values: Growth / Diversity / Empathy
