What is a good MCAT score?

What is a good MCAT score for medical school?

There isn't one number that's “good” for everyone — a competitive score depends on whether you're applying MD or DO and on the specific schools on your list. As a useful anchor, recent MD matriculants average about a 511–512 total MCAT, and DO matriculants average about 503–504.¹³ Read those as the middle of the accepted pool, not a bar you must clear. A strong score never carries a weak application by itself.

What is the MCAT score range, and what's average?

The MCAT total is scored on a scale from 472 to 528, with four sections each scored 118–132.² The exact midpoint of the scale is 500, and the mean total score across everyone who takes the exam sits around 500–501.² So the "average test-taker" and the "average matriculant" are different populations — matriculant averages (511–512 MD, 503–504 DO) sit well above the all-tester mean, which is exactly why they look high.

What MCAT score do I need for MD programs?

There's no required minimum across MD schools, and many top programs publish no cutoff at all. The honest benchmark is the national matriculant average — about 511–512 total, alongside a mean GPA around 3.8, per the AAMC's published applicant-and-matriculant tables.¹ Applicants (everyone who applies, not just those who get in) average lower — roughly a 506 MCAT. Check the exact current-year figure in the linked AAMC table, and remember individual schools publish their own class averages (that's what our school pages show, honestly).

What MCAT score do I need for DO programs?

DO programs skew a few points lower on average: recent DO matriculants average about a 503–504 total MCAT, with a mean GPA around 3.59 (2024), per AACOM.³⁴ That doesn't make DO "easier" — it's a different applicant pool with its own holistic review, and osteopathic schools weigh fit and mission heavily. If your MCAT lands in the low 500s, DO programs are very much worth a serious look (more on DO vs MD below).

Is a 505, 510, 515, or 520 a good MCAT score?

Here's the honest, percentile-based read (confirm exact percentiles in the AAMC table²):

• ~500 — around the 50th percentile of test-takers; below the MD matriculant average, near the DO range.
• ~505 — roughly the mid-60s percentile; competitive for many DO programs, on the lower end for MD.
• ~510 — roughly the high-70s percentile; approaching the MD matriculant average.
• ~515 — around the 90th percentile; at or above the MD average for most schools.
• ~520 — around the 97th percentile; a very strong score anywhere.

But a percentile is not a probability of admission. A 515 doesn't "get you in," and a 505 doesn't rule you out — schools read the whole application.

What's a competitive MCAT for my GPA?

MCAT and GPA are read together, and strength in one can offset a softer number in the other — the AAMC even publishes a public MCAT-and-GPA grid of national data for exactly this reason.¹ The honest way to use it: see where your combination sits among people who applied and matriculated nationally, then build a school list that includes schools whose published averages are near your numbers — not a list built on a percentage-chance calculator (those aren't real). That's the entire idea behind an honest school list.

Should I retake the MCAT?

A retake makes sense when there's a concrete reason to expect a meaningfully higher score — a section that doesn't reflect your practice, an interrupted test day, or clear prep gaps you've since closed — and when your current score is holding back an otherwise strong application for your target schools. It's usually not worth retaking a score that's already in range just to chase a few points, especially if the rest of your application needs the time more. Weigh it against your own list's published averages, not against a stranger's "you need a 515" advice.