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You can take the MCAT up to three times in a single testing year, four times across two consecutive years, and seven times in your lifetime. Every registration counts toward those limits, even if you void your score or don't show up on test day.
You can take the MCAT only seven times in your lifetime, unless you petition the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) directly for special permission.
Voided scores, no-shows, and scored tests all count as attempts. Every time you hold a seat past the cancellation deadline, the AAMC tallies it against you.
The AAMC considers appeals to these testing limits and may request additional documentation as part of the review. Approval falls entirely within the AAMC's discretion, and they won't review more than one appeal per testing year. Don't count on an appeal as a backup plan.
Admissions committees read the story your scores tell. Two attempts with a considerable increase (from 504 to 514, for example) can actually show that you’re dedicated to improving your score. It shows resilience, an excellent trait of a future physician.
Four or more MCAT attempts can be a red flag. At that point, admissions committee members might question your self-awareness and judgment, two qualities they consider non-negotiable for future physicians.
They'll wonder why you kept sitting for an exam you weren't adequately prepared for and whether that same pattern of pushing forward without revisions will show up in clinical rotations or residency.
Medical schools can see all of your scored MCAT exams. Some schools weigh your highest score, others focus on your most recent, and a growing number look at the full picture across all attempts. Before you register for a retake, research the specific policies of your target schools so you know exactly what you're working with.
The biggest mistake most students make is retaking the MCAT too soon, without making any meaningful changes to their preparation. If you scored a 506 using self-study and Anki decks, signing up again two months later with the same materials is unlikely to yield a different result.
Find exactly which sections dragged your score down, invest in targeted resources for those areas, and only register again once your practice of full-length exams consistently hits your target score.
Three or fewer MCAT attempts won’t inherently hurt your chances of admission, but four or more attempts could. Multiple attempts hurt most when the rest of your application doesn't compensate for it. If you've taken the MCAT four times and your GPA, clinical hours, and extracurriculars are all average, the retake pattern just increases the weakness.
A high MCAT score doesn't guarantee admission, and a lower score doesn't automatically disqualify you either. Dr. Chiamaka Okorie, an admissions consultant at Inspira Advantage who served on Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine admissions committee, has personally rejected applicants with 523 MCAT scores in the same cycle in which she accepted students scoring 507.
As she explains in Inspira Advantage's Med School Application Q&A webinar, the lower-scoring candidate demonstrated the compassion and clinical readiness in their interview that a retake score alone can't capture.
If you've taken the MCAT two or three times and your trajectory shows growth, that upward trend can reinforce your application narrative, as long as your interviews, experiences, and personal statement back it up. A retake that demonstrates resilience, paired with genuine development, reads very differently from a retake with no clear improvement and nothing new to show for the time in between.
The smartest move you can make is working with Inspira MCAT tutors. Our tutors have mastered the MCAT’s content to help you achieve a guaranteed 515 score.
Take the MCAT once. Put your best effort into thorough preparation so you never have to sit through that 7.5-hour exam again.
However, if your first score falls short, retake it, but cap yourself at three total attempts. Beyond that, admissions committees might question your readiness rather than crediting your persistence. Space out your attempts with enough time to overhaul your study strategy between retakes, not just repeat the same approach.
Students typically miss preparing for the MCAT with full-length practice exams that simulate the real exam. High-yield practice tests are among the most reliable indicators of your proficiency level before test day.
Retaking the MCAT less than four times and showing score improvement won't harm your chances of admission. However, retaking the MCAT four times or more with little to no score improvement could signal unpreparedness for medical school.
Since the current exam's introduction, just under 95% of examinees have tested at most once or twice, according to the AAMC. About 5% have tested three times, and only about 1% have tested more than that.
Retake the MCAT if your score falls well below the admitted student averages at your target schools, and you can identify exactly what went wrong. A bad test day, a specific section that decreased your composite score, or genuinely insufficient preparation the first time around are all valid reasons to sit again. Don’t retake the MCAT if you already got a good score that you’re satisfied with.
In one year, you can take the MCAT up to three times. You can schedule the test dates as far apart as you want, although you should give yourself time to review your score and study before retaking the exam.
Four or more MCAT attempts might harm your chances of admission to medical school, especially if they don’t show score improvement. If you’re approaching your fourth attempt, ensure you follow a comprehensive study guide and take multiple practice exams to gauge your preparedness.
No, most medical schools don’t care if you’ve taken the MCAT twice. A second score that shows clear improvement actually strengthens your application because it demonstrates you identified your weaknesses, adjusted your preparation, and performed better under pressure.
Reviewed by:
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Physician, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
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