What Is a Good MCAT Score? Percentiles, national averages and the medians schools report
A good score is one that is competitive at the schools on your list. Here is how the scale works, where the national averages sit, and how the MCAT figures U.S. MD and DO programs report actually spread out.
- Scale: 472–528
- Applicant mean: 506.3 (2025–2026)
- Matriculant mean: 512.1 (2025–2026)
- Median MD school figure: 512 (92 programs)
The short answer
There is no single cutoff: a good MCAT score is one at or above what students at your target schools scored. As a national yardstick, in the 2025–2026 cycle all MD applicants averaged 506.3 and MD matriculants 512.1 (AAMC). On the AAMC percentile table in effect from May 1, 2026, a 512 is the 84th percentile and a 506 the 67th.
Across the 92 U.S. MD programs whose MCAT figure we have confirmed on the school's own pages, the reported median or mean runs from 499 to 523; the middle half sit between 510 and 515, and the median program reports 512. The 30 DO programs confirmed against AACOM's directory report means from 497 to 511, median 503.
Scoring
How is the MCAT scored, and what do percentiles mean?
Each of the four sections is scored from 118 to 132, and the total is their sum, from 472 to 528. Alongside the score, the AAMC reports a percentile rank: the share of test-takers who scored at or below you. The table in effect from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027 is built from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years; those test-takers averaged 500.6. A 500 sits at the 48th percentile and a 501 at the 52nd.
| To reach at least the… | You need a total of | Which is the |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 492 | 25th percentile |
| 50th percentile | 501 | 52nd percentile |
| 75th percentile | 509 | 76th percentile |
| 90th percentile | 515 | 91st percentile |
| 95th percentile | 518 | 95th percentile |
| 99th percentile | 522 | 99th percentile |
Look up any total or section score in the MCAT percentile lookup, which carries the full AAMC table.
AAMC · 2025–2026 cycle
What is the average MCAT score?
Three different averages get quoted, and they describe three different groups. The 2025–2026 cycle — the class that started medical school in 2025 — is the most recent the AAMC had published when this page was checked. Matriculants averaged 5.8 points more than MD applicants as a whole.
| Group | Mean MCAT total | Percentile of that whole score |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone who tested in 2023–2025 (basis of the current percentile table) | 500.6 | 500: 48th |
| All MD applicants, 2025–2026 | 506.3 | 506: 67th |
| MD matriculants, 2025–2026 (entered 2025) | 512.1 | 512: 84th |
The AAMC reported both means with its 2025 applicant and matriculant data, where the matriculant mean was up from 511.8 the year before; two admissions publishers that republish the AAMC figures agree on both numbers (see Sources).
As recorded in our school profiles
What MCAT scores do U.S. medical schools report?
Counted only where our profile's figure has been confirmed: each MD figure against the school's own published class profile (checked September 13–14, 2026), each DO figure against AACOM's ChooseDO directory (checked September 12, 2026). 74 of the 92 MD figures are means rather than medians, and every DO figure is a mean, so read them together as each school's typical score.
| Programs | Counted | Lowest | Lower quartile | Median | Upper quartile | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD programs | 92 | 499 | 510 | 512 | 515 | 523 |
| DO programs | 30 | 497 | 501 | 503 | 505 | 511 |
| Reported median or mean | MD programs (92) | DO programs (30) |
|---|---|---|
| 501 or below | 1 | 9 |
| 502–505 | 3 | 16 |
| 506–509 | 15 | 4 |
| 510–513 | 38 | 1 |
| 514–517 | 24 | 0 |
| 518–521 | 9 | 0 |
| 522 or above | 2 | 0 |
Adding the 70 MD and 29 DO profiles whose MCAT figure is still an unconfirmed estimate gives quartiles of 510 / 512 / 515 for MD (162 programs) and 502 / 504 / 505 for DO (59); those estimates are not counted above. See every program's figure, and whether it is confirmed, in MD school entry requirements, or how schools compare on MCAT in the US medical school rankings.
Reading your score
So what is a good MCAT score for you?
Read your score against the schools you are applying to, not a universal cutoff. A median is the middle of a school's entering class — roughly half of its students scored below it — so it is a benchmark, not a minimum. The table shows, for a range of scores, how many confirmed programs report a median or mean at or below that score.
| Your total | AAMC percentile | MD programs met or beaten (of 92) | DO programs met or beaten (of 30) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 48th | 1 (1%) | 6 (20%) |
| 503 | 58th | 3 (3%) | 19 (63%) |
| 506 | 67th | 8 (9%) | 27 (90%) |
| 508 | 74th | 12 (13%) | 28 (93%) |
| 510 | 79th | 26 (28%) | 29 (97%) |
| 512 | 84th | 48 (52%) | 30 (100%) |
| 514 | 89th | 66 (72%) | 30 (100%) |
| 516 | 92nd | 77 (84%) | 30 (100%) |
| 518 | 95th | 85 (92%) | 30 (100%) |
| 520 | 97th | 88 (96%) | 30 (100%) |
| 522 | 99th | 91 (99%) | 30 (100%) |
- At or above a school's figure: your MCAT is at least typical of the class that school admitted.
- Below it: your MCAT is under that school's typical score, so the rest of your application has to carry more of the weight there.
- Check your own list: the chance estimator runs your GPA and MCAT against every program's published medians at once.
Section balance
Does section balance matter?
Your score report shows all four section scores beside the total, and the same section score is not worth the same percentile in every section. On the current AAMC table a 124 is the 50th percentile in CARS but the 34th in Psych/Soc, and a 128 runs from the 76th to the 90th.
| Section score | Chem/Phys | CARS | Bio/Biochem | Psych/Soc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 9th | 8th | 8th | 6th |
| 122 | 25th | 25th | 23rd | 17th |
| 124 | 46th | 50th | 43rd | 34th |
| 125 | 56th | 62nd | 53rd | 44th |
| 126 | 67th | 74th | 64th | 54th |
| 127 | 77th | 84th | 75th | 65th |
| 128 | 85th | 90th | 84th | 76th |
| 129 | 91st | 95th | 90th | 85th |
| 130 | 96th | 98th | 96th | 92nd |
| Score report | Chem/Phys | CARS | Bio/Biochem | Psych/Soc | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Even profile | 128 (85th) | 128 (90th) | 128 (84th) | 128 (76th) | 512 |
| Uneven profile | 131 (99th) | 124 (50th) | 131 (98th) | 126 (54th) | 512 |
Same total, different picture
Both reports total 512, but the uneven one pairs two sections near the top of the scale with a CARS score at the 50th percentile. Anyone reading the report sees all four numbers, so check where each section sits — and, where a school publishes section-level data in its class profile, compare against that too.Strategy
When should you consider a retake?
No single score makes a retake worth it, but the facts that frame the decision are fixed — and the AAMC notes that many examinees take the exam more than once.
| Fact | What it means for a retake |
|---|---|
| Schools see every score | AMCAS adds all your MCAT scores from 2003 onward to your application automatically, so a retake adds a score rather than replacing one. |
| Attempts are capped | 3 in a testing year, 4 across two consecutive years, 7 in a lifetime; a no-show or a voided exam counts toward the lifetime limit. |
| Scores take a month | 2027 scores are released 31–33 days after the test, and for 2027 entry 128 of 162 MD schools would not consider a test taken after September 30, 2026. |
| Earlier is easier | The AAMC suggests that anyone who may retest sit the exam earlier in the testing year, leaving time to see the score, decide and book a later date. |
A retake is worth weighing when…
- your total is below the reported figure at most of the schools on your list;
- one section sits well below your others;
- your test-day score fell clearly short of your recent full-length practice scores;
- you can change how you prepare and still test before your schools' latest accepted date.
It is harder to justify when…
- your total already meets or beats the figure at most schools on your list;
- your section scores are even and in line with your practice tests;
- the only open dates would return a score after your schools' deadlines;
- you would be repeating the same preparation.
Dates, deadlines and limits for 2027 are on MCAT test dates 2026 and 2027.
Questions
What is a good MCAT score? — FAQs
Sources
Sources (accessed October 7, 2026)
Every national figure on this page comes from one of these documents, each checked on the date above. Where a source did not state something, this page does not state it either.
Percentile ranks are the AAMC table in effect from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, built from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years, as reproduced in our MCAT percentile lookup.
School figures are the MCAT medians and means recorded in our school profiles, counted only where confirmed — MD figures against each school's own published class profile (September 13–14, 2026), DO figures against AACOM's ChooseDO directory (September 12, 2026). Each program's source is linked from its own profile page, and MD programs are listed side by side in MD school entry requirements.
- AAMC — U.S. medical schools enroll record number of students in 2025 — mean MCAT 506.3 for all 2025 applicants and 512.1 for matriculants, up from 511.8 in 2024https://www.aamc.org/news/us-medical-schools-enroll-record-number-students-2025
- Shemmassian Academic Consulting — What Is a Good MCAT Score? — cross-check: the AAMC applicant and matriculant means by cycle, including 2025–2026 (506.3 and 512.1)https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/what-is-a-good-mcat-score
- MedSchoolCoach — MCAT Scores — cross-check of the 2025–2026 AAMC means; total scale 472–528 and section scale 118–132https://www.medschoolcoach.com/resource/mcat-scores
- AAMC — MCAT Essentials: Testing Attempt Limits — three attempts per testing year, four over two consecutive years, seven in a lifetime; no-shows and voids counthttps://students-residents.aamc.org/register-mcat-exam/publication-chapters/testing-attempt-limits
- AAMC — When Is the Right Time to Take the MCAT Exam? Three Questions to Ask Yourself — testing earlier in the year if you may retest; many examinees take the exam more than oncehttps://students-residents.aamc.org/prepare-mcat-exam/when-right-time-take-mcat-exam-three-questions-ask-yourself
- AAMC — 2027 AMCAS Application Workbook (PDF) — MCAT scores from 2003 onward added to the AMCAS application automaticallyhttps://students-residents.aamc.org/media/14376/download
- AAMC — U.S. MCAT Calendar, Scheduling Deadlines, and Score Release Dates — 2027 score release 31–33 days after each test datehttps://students-residents.aamc.org/register-mcat-exam/us-mcat-calendar-scheduling-deadlines-and-score-release-dates-0
- AAMC MSAR — Latest & Oldest MCAT Administration Dates Considered (PDF) — the latest MCAT test date each U.S. MD school considers for 2027 entryhttps://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7036/download
Know your target — now close the gap
See where your score lands at every MD and DO program, then get one-to-one help raising the sections holding your total back.