Is it easy to get 500 in MCAT?

Asked by: Felicia Wehner  |  Last update: September 2, 2023
Score: 4.5/5 (72 votes)

Without approaching MCAT prep in a strategic way, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to easily achieve a competitive 500+ MCAT score. Using these top scorer strategies, we've seen a lot of premeds finally get over that same score they've been hovering around for so long... And now you can do the same.

Is a 500 on the MCAT good?

Guide to MCAT Scoring

The highest MCAT score possible is 528. The MCAT scale is centered so that a 500 represents the mean score. AAMC recommends that med school admission committees consider applicants near the center of the range, rather than placing the most emphasis on the higher end of the scale.

Can I get into medical school with a 500 MCAT?

Whilst it's certainly possible to get into a medical school with a 507 or below (and there have been cases of students accepted with sub-500 scores), it's unlikely – especially if you're applying for a more competitive college. In general, it's difficult to get accepted with an MCAT score below 500.

Has anyone gotten a 528 on the MCAT?

Since this method is not perfect, we'll leave you with a range; between 30 and 70 students every year achieve a perfect 528 MCAT. This is out of the nearly three hundred thousand students who take the exam.

How hard is it to get a 510 on the MCAT?

Scoring well on the MCAT is hard if you do not study properly. A 510 on the MCAT is currently the 77th percentile score, meaning that around a third of testers achieve a 511 or higher.

From 500 to 520 - Hanes' Journey on the MCAT

30 related questions found

How rare is a 524 MCAT?

The answer depends on several factors including what type of medical school (MD vs DO vs Canadian) you're interested in, and most importantly, your individual section scores. Attaining a score of 524 on the MCAT means you performed in the 100% percentile.

What is 90% on MCAT?

90th percentile – total score: 515; score for each section: between 128-130. 99th percentile – total score: 523; score for each section: between 131-132.

What's the highest MCAT score ever recorded?

Tyler Benning first learned he had earned a perfect score on the Medical College Admission Test five minutes before a class started at St. Olaf College in Northfield. After three straight hours of class, he checked his scores again — and discovered he did, in fact, receive the elusive perfect MCAT score of 528.

Is it bad to take the MCAT twice?

That's not the message you want to send to medical schools that you keep making mistakes over and over again. Again, medical schools don't care if you have multiple MCAT tests on your application.

How many times can you fail the MCAT?

RETAKE POLICIES

MCAT examinees can test up to three times in one calendar year and four times across two calendar years. An examinee cannot take the exam more than seven times in their lifetime. Not showing up for an exam counts as an attempt toward the lifetime limit.

What is the lowest MCAT score accepted?

For example, a more competitive school may not accept anyone with an MCAT lower than 512, while a less competitive one may have a minimum acceptable score of 472. So, your standard should shift according to your target schools.

What's the lowest MCAT score possible?

When you add the scaled scores of each section, the total MCAT score range is from the lowest score of 472 to the highest MCAT score of 528, with a midpoint of 500.

How bad is a 490 MCAT score?

Is 490 a bad MCAT score? in, and most importantly, your individual section scores. Attaining a score of 490 on the MCAT means you performed in the 20% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.

Should I retake a 500 MCAT score?

Unfortunately, the test is designed to have average MCAT score of about 500, which means at least half the test takers get 500 or below, a score too low to meet most medical school standards. This means that a large percentage of people will probably need to retake the test if they want to go to medical school.

What is a 75% on the MCAT?

To have scored in the 75th percentile, you must have scored higher than a 509. To have an MCAT score in the 50th percentile, you must have scored greater than 501.5. Scoring 493 or below means you are in the 25th percentile or below.

Why can't I break 500 on MCAT?

The first thing we'll say is that scoring below 500 according to most top scorers, is a result of being behind in content. If you've been studying content, but not understanding the material deeply enough, then you likely need to switch up the methods you're using to learn the material.

Do med schools look down on retaking MCAT?

If you're able to show an appreciable score jump from one test to the next, the majority of medical schools won't see having retaken the MCAT as an issue.

How many times do most med students take the MCAT?

Not necessarily — it's good to take the MCAT as few times as you can. Medical schools don't generally ding you for having 3 or fewer tests on your application. The MCAT is an exam conducted multiple times throughout the year, standardized by the AAMC. It's a difficult test that takes more than 7 hours to complete.

What percentage of people retake the MCAT?

On average, 38 percent of all MCAT test takers retake the MCAT. It should be noted that there is no shame in retaking the MCAT. There are thousands of doctors who took the MCAT two and even three times.

What is the average MCAT score of med students?

Data Summary. The average MCAT score for all test-takers in 2021-2022 was 501.5. The average MCAT score for test-takers who applied to medical school in 2022-23 was 506.5. The average MCAT score for all medical school applicants who ended up enrolling was 511.9.

What is a respectable MCAT score?

A good MCAT score is generally considered to be 511 or higher, with no section score below 127. The MCAT, also known as the Medical College Admission Test, is a computer-based standardized exam designed to assess your potential as a medical student and doctor.

Is the MCAT curved?

The MCAT exam is not graded on a curve. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test or who tests at the same time you did.

What is 50% correct on the MCAT?

Individual section scores will be reported in a range from 118-132 (both the mean and median are expected be ~125). This translates to a total range of achievable scores ranging from 472-528 with the mean centered near 500. Thus, a 500 on the MCAT will represent a score at the 50th percentile.

What is a good MCAT score for Harvard?

Average GPA: 3.9. Average MCAT score: 519.46.

What percent correct is a 500 on the MCAT?

Attaining a score of 500 on the MCAT means you performed in the 53% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.