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Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 4/13/22
Wondering how the MCAT is scored? Here we discuss everything you need to know about MCAT score ranges.
If you’re about to take the MCAT, you may be anxious about your score and what it means for you. Learning about score ranges can help you get a better handle on the way the MCAT is scored. This article covers all the bases of MCAT scoring, including the total score range, score ranges by section, examples, and more.
Let’s get started!
No matter your MCAT scores, they will fall within a percentile rank. Percentile ranks for MCAT scores help students understand where their scores place compared to other test takers. Knowing your percentile rank can help you decide if you are happy with your scores or want to retake the test.
The AAMC has divided scores into percentile ranks in the following table:
Percentile ranks on the MCAT are meant to help familiarize you with the grade you’ve received. Upon receiving your score, you can compare your rank with your target school’s requirements and median MCAT to know if it is competitive enough.
Each of the four sections on the MCAT has a lowest possible score of 118 and a highest possible score of 132, meaning each has a midpoint of 125. Upon receiving your MCAT score results, you will receive scores for each section. Each section is scored as follows:
The biological and biochemical foundations of living systems section of the MCAT (also known as the biology section) tests your knowledge of biological and biochemical concepts and your problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and reasoning skills.
Time: 95 minutes
Number of Questions: 59
Subjects:
The Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section has a score range from a low point of 118 to a high of 132 and is worth 25% of your overall score.
The Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section of the MCAT tests your knowledge of chemical and physical foundational concepts, your understanding of human systems, and your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills.
Time: 95 minutes
Number of Questions: 59
Subjects:
The Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section has a score range from a low point of 118 to a high of 132 and is worth 25% of your overall score.
The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section tests your understanding of how psychological, biological, and social factors influence human perception, reaction, relationships, and behavior.
You’ll also be asked about cultural, social, and economic differences and how to treat a diverse population.
Time: 95 minutes
Number of Questions: 59
Subjects:
The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section has a score range from a low point of 118 to a high of 132 and is worth 25% of your overall score.
The Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section of the MCAT tests your ability to pull key information from complex texts using critical analysis, reading comprehension, and reasoning skills. The CARS section is known for being the most challenging section of the test.
Time: 90 minutes
Number of Questions: 53
Subjects:
The Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section has a score range from a low point of 118 to a high of 132 and is worth 25% of your overall score.
Here we’ll go over examples to give you a better idea of how they function. The AAMC has provided the graphic below describing how the MCAT is scored:
Let’s look at one student’s MCAT section scores on each of the four sections and calculate their total score and percentile. The student’s scores are:
Each of the four scores is worth 25% and can be combined to understand the total score, which in this example is 509. A 509 MCAT score is within the 75% percentile rank according to the AAMC Total and Section Scores percentile table.
If you still have questions about MCAT percentiles, check out these frequently asked questions.
The MCAT is scored using a scaled scoring system. The test consists of four sections. Each scored individually on a scale ranging from 118 to 132. The total score is the sum of the section scores, resulting in a total score range of 472 to 528.
MCAT scoring also involves a complex process of converting raw scores into scaled scores and percentile ranks.
The highest possible MCAT score is 528. Each of the four sections is scored on a scale of 118 to 132. The highest score in each section is 132, and when these section scores are added together, the maximum total score is 528.
Achieving a score of 528 is extremely rare and represents exceptional performance on the MCAT.
The lowest MCAT score a test-taker can receive is 472. A score of 472 is achieved when a test-taker receives the minimum score of 118 in each of the exam's four sections.
It's worth noting that scoring at this level is extremely uncommon and would likely indicate a significant lack of understanding or preparation in all areas covered by the exam.
A 509/510 is a 75% MCAT score. For each section, this is between 126-128.
Generally, a good MCAT score is around 511 or above, with no section score falling below 127. This benchmark indicates a solid performance across all exam sections and reflects a strong aptitude for the medical field.
Achieving a good MCAT score is an important factor in the medical school application process as it demonstrates the candidate's readiness for medical education and practice challenges.
MCAT score ranges may seem complicated but are quite simple to navigate. Add each of the four section scores together to calculate your final MCAT score.
Each of the four sections is scored equally and worth an equal percentage of your final grade. Once you’ve figured out your MCAT score, you can find what percentile your score is in to help you better understand what your score means for you.
Good luck with your MCAT!
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