There is no single score in the 472 to 528 range that is equally good for every applicant, because a good score is one that clears the cutoffs and averages of the schools you are actually applying to. What this guide gives you is the frame for judging any score: the scale, the percentile ranks in force from May 2026 to April 2027, the national averages for applicants and for students who enrolled, and the bands that admissions offices actually read.

The scale: 472 to 528, four sections of 118 to 132

The MCAT has four sections, each scored from 118 to 132, with 125 as the midpoint. The four section scores are added together for a total score from 472 to 528, with 500 as the midpoint of the scale. The sections are Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. There is no pass or fail: the scale is a ranking, and the question is always where a score sits relative to other test takers and to the schools on your list.

Your result is an estimate rather than an official score when it comes from a practice test, because the AAMC converts raw scores to scaled scores through a process called equating, separately for every exam form. A raw count of correct answers does not map to a scaled score through a fixed chart, and no fixed chart exists. The estimator on this page converts practice raw counts to estimated section scores and a total, and labels the result an estimate for exactly that reason.

Percentiles: what the numbers mean

A percentile rank is the percentage of test takers who scored the same as or lower than you. A 510 at the 79th percentile means 79% of test takers scored 510 or below, and 21% scored above. Percentiles are the honest way to read a score, because the scale itself is arbitrary: 510 means nothing until you know that it beats roughly four fifths of the people who took the test.

The AAMC updates the percentile ranks every year on May 1, using scores from the most recent three testing years. The ranks in force from May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027 use results from everyone who tested in 2023, 2024, and 2025, a population of 305,494 results. Because the ranks shift slightly each year, a score’s percentile moves with them: a 510 was the 82nd percentile in the 2017-18 table and is the 79th in the current one. Always check the current table on the AAMC’s site when the number matters for a decision, and note the period whenever you record a percentile.

The percentile table, May 2026 to April 2027

The table below gives the total-score percentile ranks in force from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, at the scores applicants most often ask about. The mean total score in this table is 500.6, with a standard deviation of 11.2.

Three features of the table deserve attention. First, the scale compresses at the top: the gap from 515 to 520 is 5 points and 6 percentile points, while the gap from 500 to 505 is also 5 points but 16 percentile points, because most test takers cluster in the middle and few reach the top. Second, the first score to reach the 80th percentile is 511, and the first to reach the 90th is 515, so those two scores are natural round-number targets. Third, 518 is the first score at the 95th percentile, which is the threshold many top schools treat as the start of the most competitive range.

The averages: applicants and matriculants

In the 2025-26 admissions cycle, applicants to US MD-granting medical schools averaged 506.3, and students who enrolled averaged 512.1. The gap between the two numbers, 5.8 points, is the selection effect: the people who get in score higher than the people who apply, and the matriculant mean is the more useful benchmark for judging whether a score is competitive. A 510 sits above the applicant mean and below the matriculant mean, which is why it is often described as competitive but not comfortable. A 512 sits essentially at the matriculant mean. A 515 sits comfortably above it.

The averages differ by school type and by mission. Schools with a research focus and schools in competitive regions average higher; schools with a primary-care or rural mission average lower, and weigh the score differently against service, background, and fit. The national averages are the starting point, not the verdict: the Medical School Admission Requirements database, published by the AAMC, records each school’s own range, and that is where a score should be judged.

Score bands, and what they mean

Scores from 521 to 528 sit in the top 1% nationally and are unlikely to be the limiting factor at any school, though no score guarantees admission, and a top score with a weak application still fails. Scores from 515 to 520 are well above average among examinees and can support a strong MD application when the rest of the application is aligned. Scores from 510 to 514 are above average to strong: they are often workable for balanced MD school lists and strong for DO school lists. Scores from 505 to 509 are moderate: they require careful targeting, and a retake is worth considering if practice testing supports a higher, more likely result. Scores below 505 are below the applicant mean and usually need either a retake or a school list built around missions and strengths other than the score.

The bands are not cutoffs. Schools do not admit by band, and a score at the bottom of a band with a strong GPA, strong experiences, and a clear mission fit beats a score at the top of the same band with a thin application. The bands describe where the score stops being the problem and where it starts being one, and the boundary moves with the school.

Section balance: why a lopsided 515 worries schools

A total of 515 built from sections of 129, 129, 129, and 128 reads differently from a total of 515 built from 132, 132, 132, and 119. The first is balanced; the second has a section at the 1st percentile end of the scale, and schools notice, because a very low section suggests a specific weakness, in reading, in science, or in the behavioural sciences, that the total hides. Section scores have their own percentile ranks, and they differ by section: a 129 is the 91st percentile in Chemical and Physical Foundations, the 95th in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, the 90th in Biological and Biochemical Foundations, and the 85th in Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. A 128 is the 85th, 90th, 84th, and 76th in the same order.

The practical rule is that no section should sit far below the others. A spread of two or three points across sections is normal; a spread of six or more invites questions. If one section lags, the fix is targeted preparation in that section’s content and skills, not more total-score practice, because the total will not move much while the weak section stays weak. The companion guide on score conversion explains how section scores and their percentiles are read, and how a practice raw count becomes an estimated section score.

What counts as good for you

A good score is one that clears the cutoffs and averages of the schools you are applying to, with room for the rest of your application to be heard. Start with your list: for each school, find the median MCAT of its entering class in the MSAR database, and compare your score with it. A score at or above the median is competitive there; a score five or more points below the median needs the rest of the application to be unusually strong; a score five or more points above the median means the score is not the limiting factor at that school.

Then weigh the score against the GPA, because the two are read together. A high MCAT with a low GPA tells a different story from a high MCAT with a high GPA, and schools read the combination, not either number alone. A 515 with a 3.9 GPA is a different application from a 515 with a 3.3 GPA, and the school list should reflect that: the first can aim higher, the second should balance the list with schools where the GPA is also in range.

If your score is short

If your score sits below the medians of your target schools, you have three options, and they are not equal. The first is to retake: the AAMC allows up to three attempts in a single testing year, four across two consecutive years, and seven in a lifetime, counting from April 2015, and voided exams and no-shows count toward those limits. Retake only if practice testing supports a higher, more likely result, because a second score below the first does not help, and schools see every score. The second option is to rebuild the school list around schools where the score is in range, including DO programs, where averages run lower. The third is to strengthen the rest of the application, experiences, essays, and letters, which matters at every score but matters most when the score is the weakest part of the file.

Scores are released 30 to 35 days after the exam, by 5 p.m. Eastern on the scheduled release date, and the AAMC publishes the exact release date for each exam at the start of the testing cycle. Plan the retake around that calendar: test early enough in the year that a second attempt is possible in the same cycle, and leave room for the score to arrive before applications are submitted.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good MCAT score?

A good MCAT score is one that clears the cutoffs and averages of the schools you are applying to. As a reference, under the AAMC ranks in force from May 2026 to April 2027, a 510 is the 79th percentile, a 515 is the 91st, and a 520 is the 97th. In the 2025-26 cycle, applicants averaged 506.3 and students who enrolled averaged 512.1.

Is 510 a good MCAT score?

Yes, 510 is above the 2025-26 applicant mean of 506.3 and ranks at the 79th percentile under the ranks effective from May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. It sits below the 512.1 matriculant mean, so its strength depends on your target schools and the rest of your application.

Is 515 a good MCAT score?

Yes, 515 is a strong score. It is above the 2025-26 matriculant mean of 512.1, ranks at the 91st percentile in the current AAMC table, and is the lowest score that reaches at least the 90th percentile. It can support a strong MD application when the rest of the file is aligned.

What MCAT score do you need for medical school?

There is no single required score; it depends on the schools. The 2025-26 matriculant mean was 512.1, so a score around 512 is competitive at the average MD program, higher scores open more competitive programs, and lower scores need a school list built around missions and strengths other than the score. Check each school’s median in the AAMC’s MSAR database.

What is the average MCAT score?

In the 2025-26 cycle, applicants to US MD-granting schools averaged 506.3 and students who enrolled averaged 512.1. The mean total score in the current AAMC percentile table is 500.6 with a standard deviation of 11.2, and a total of 500 sits at the 48th percentile.

What is the highest MCAT score?

The highest possible MCAT score is 528, with each of the four sections scored from 118 to 132. A total of 525 to 528 sits at the 100th percentile in the current AAMC table, and 522 and up sits at the 99th. The lowest possible total is 472.