The MCAT (which stands for Medical College Admission Test) is a standardized test for checking the suitability for studying medicine abroad. It has been used to select prospective medical students in the United States and Canada for over 80 years. The MCAT is carried out by the test provider Prometric on behalf of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), to which most medical schools at US and Canadian universities are affiliated.
Why MCAT?
While in Germany you can start studying medicine right after school, in the USA and Canada it is not possible to apply to a medical school right after high school. Instead, a bachelor’s degree is required. This is followed by the mostly four-year medical degree that leads to an MD (Medical Doctor).
Many U.S. and Canadian students choose a major in the natural sciences for their bachelor’s degree or even take a so-called pre-med program, which is intended to prepare them for later medical studies. In principle, however, applications to the Medical School are open to bachelor graduates from all disciplines.
Against this background, it is understandable that the medical schools use a test like the MCAT to select their applicants. It is an important criterion in order to be able to better compare the suitability and abilities of applicants with their sometimes very different professional backgrounds. For this reason, both local and international applicants must take the test.
MCAT Scores
MCAT Score Range
Each of the four parts of the exam is rated on a scale from 118 (lowest) to 132 (highest). The total score is the sum of these four individual points. Therefore, your total MCAT score ranges from 472 to 528. In other words, the highest MCAT score is 528 while the lowest is 472. Note: The optional Trial Section is not assessed, but the test participants themselves receive feedback on their performance in this area if they work seriously on the tasks.
MCAT Good Score
There is no so called “Good MCAT Score“. Whether your MCAT score is good depends on which medical schools you are applying to. According to AAMC – the test maker, the average MCAT score for admitted students in past three years is between 510 and 512.
Average MCAT Scores for U.S. Medical Schools
| Medical School | Average MCAT | State |
| Washington University School of Medicine | 522 | MO |
| New York University School of Medicine | 522 | NY |
| Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania | 521 | PA |
| Yale School of Medicine | 521 | CT |
| Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons | 521 | NY |
| Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | 520 | AZ |
| Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine | 520 | IL |
| Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | 520 | MN |
| Harvard Medical School | 519 | MA |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | 519 | CA |
| University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine | 519 | IL |
| Duke University School of Medicine | 519 | NC |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | 519 | NY |
| Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | 518 | MD |
| Weill Cornell Medical College | 518 | NY |
| Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine | 518 | OH |
| Baylor College of Medicine | 518 | TX |
| University of Virginia School of Medicine | 518 | VA |
| University of California – Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine | 517 | CA |
| University of California – San Francisco School of Medicine | 517 | CA |
| University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine | 517 | CA |
| Boston University School of Medicine | 517 | MA |
| University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine | 517 | PA |
| University of California – San Diego School of Medicine | 516 | CA |
| Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine | 516 | NY |
| University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio | 516 | TX |
| University of Michigan Medical School | 515 | MI |
| Stony Brook University School of Medicine | 515 | NY |
| University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine | 515 | FL |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University | 515 | NY |
| University of Cincinnati College of Medicine | 515 | OH |
| Brown University The Warren Alpert Medical School | 515 | RI |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical School | 515 | TX |
| University of California – Irvine School of Medicine | 515 | CA |
| University of Massachusetts Medical School | 514 | MA |
| New York Medical College | 514 | NY |
| University of Florida College of Medicine | 514 | FL |
| Emory University School of Medicine | 514 | GA |
| University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine | 514 | IA |
| Tufts University School of Medicine | 514 | MA |
| Western Michigan University School of Medicine | 514 | MI |
| Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth | 514 | NH |
| Rutgers New Jersey Medical School | 514 | NJ |
| SUNY – Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine | 514 | NY |
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | 514 | NY |
| The Ohio State University College of Medicine | 514 | OH |
| Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University | 514 | PA |
| University of Utah School of Medicine | 514 | UT |
| Saint Louis University School of Medicine | 513 | MO |
| University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School | 513 | TX |
| California University of Science and Medicine | 513 | CA |
| University of Central Florida College of Medicine | 513 | FL |
| University of Miami Miller School of Medicine | 513 | FL |
| Wake Forest School of Medicine | 513 | NC |
| University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health | 513 | WI |
| George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | 513 | DC |
| University of Arizona School of Medicine – Phoenix | 512 | AZ |
| Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine | 512 | CT |
| Georgetown University School of Medicine | 512 | DC |
| Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine | 512 | FL |
| Rush Medical College of Rush University | 512 | IL |
| University of Illinois College of Medicine | 512 | IL |
| University of Maryland School of Medicine | 512 | MD |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine | 512 | NC |
| Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School | 512 | NJ |
| Drexel University College of Medicine | 512 | PA |
| Temple University Lewis Kratz School of Medicine | 512 | PA |
| Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine | 512 | TX |
| Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine – Lubbock | 512 | TX |
| University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine | 512 | TX |
| Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine | 512 | VA |
| Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute | 512 | VA |
| University of Minnesota Medical School – Twin Cities | 512 | MN |
| SUNY – Upstate Medical University | 512 | NY |
| California Northstate University College of Medicine | 511 | CA |
| University of California – Davis School of Medicine | 511 | CA |
| University of Colorado School of Medicine | 511 | CO |
| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine | 511 | FL |
| Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University | 511 | GA |
| University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine | 511 | HI |
| Creighton University School of Medicine | 511 | NE |
| Cooper Medical School of Rowan University | 511 | NJ |
| Seton Hall University Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine | 511 | NJ |
| Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine | 511 | PA |
| Eastern Virginia Medical School | 511 | VA |
| University of Oklahoma College of Medicine | 510 | OK |
| Loma Linda University School of Medicine | 510 | CA |
| University of California – Riverside School of Medicine | 510 | CA |
| Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science | 510 | IL |
| Indiana University School of Medicine | 510 | IN |
| University of Kansas School of Medicine | 510 | KS |
| Wayne State University School of Medicine | 510 | MI |
| Albany Medical College | 510 | NY |
| SUNY – Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences | 510 | NY |
| Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | 510 | PA |
| Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine | 510 | SC |
| University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine | 510 | TN |
| University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston | 510 | TX |
| The University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine | 510 | VT |
| University of Washington School of Medicine | 510 | WA |
| Medical College of Wisconsin | 510 | WI |
| Louisiana State University – New Orleans School of Medicine | 509 | LA |
| University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson | 509 | AZ |
| Tulane University School of Medicine | 509 | LA |
| Central Michigan University College of Medicine | 509 | MI |
| Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine | 509 | MI |
| University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine | 509 | MO |
| University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine | 509 | NV |
| Northeast Ohio Medical University | 509 | OH |
| The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences | 509 | OH |
| Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine | 509 | OR |
| University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville | 509 | SC |
| University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine | 509 | SD |
| West Virginia University School of Medicine | 509 | WV |
| University of Alabama School of Medicine | 509 | AL |
| Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine | 508 | CA |
| Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | 508 | FL |
| Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine | 508 | IL |
| Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University | 508 | IL |
| University of Louisville School of Medicine | 508 | KY |
| Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine | 508 | MD |
| Michigan State University College of Human Medicine | 508 | MI |
| East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine | 508 | NC |
| University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine | 508 | NV |
| TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine | 508 | TX |
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine | 508 | TX |
| Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine | 508 | TX |
| University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine | 507 | TX |
| University of South Alabama College of Medicine | 507 | AL |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine | 507 | AR |
| Western University of Heath Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific | 507 | CA |
| Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 507 | IA |
| University of Kentucky College of Medicine | 507 | KY |
| Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine | 507 | MO |
| Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine | 507 | NC |
| University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences | 507 | ND |
| East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine | 507 | TN |
| Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine | 507 | WA |
| Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Harlem Campus | 507 | NY |
| Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine | 507 | OH |
| Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 506 | MI |
| Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University | 506 | AZ |
| Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 506 | CO |
| Florida State University College of Medicine | 506 | FL |
| University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth | 506 | MN |
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine | 506 | NM |
| Touro University – Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine | 506 | NV |
| University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Columbia | 506 | SC |
| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine | 505 | FL |
| Louisiana State University – Shreveport School of Medicine | 505 | LA |
| Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine | 505 | NJ |
| Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine | 504 | OH |
| A.T. Still University | 504 | AZ |
| Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 504 | IN |
| University of Mississippi School of Medicine | 504 | MS |
| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | 504 | PA |
| Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine | 504 | PA |
| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus | 503 | FL |
| Georgia Campus Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine | 503 | GA |
| A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine | 503 | MO |
| University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine | 503 | PR |
| Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 503 | VA |
| Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine | 503 | WV |
| Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Middletown Campus | 503 | NY |
| Pacific Northwestern University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine | 503 | WA |
| Meharry Medical College School of Medicine | 502 | TN |
| University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine | 502 | TX |
| Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine | 501 | AL |
| Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine | 501 | TN |
| Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University | 500 | NM |
| Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine | 500 | AR |
| University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine | 500 | KY |
| Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine | 500 | OK |
| Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Carolinas Campus | 500 | SC |
| Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Virginia Campus | 500 | VA |
| West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine | 500 | WV |
| Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences | 499 | PR |
| Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine | 499 | PR |
| San Juan Bautista School of Medicine | 498 | PR |
MCAT Score Percentiles
On your MCAT score report, you will see a three-digit number (from 472 to 528) and a percentile rank. Here are the latest MCAT percentiles from AAMC.
Repetition of the MCAT
It is possible to repeat the MCAT to improve the number of points achieved. However, the test can only be taken up to three times within a 12 month period. Anyone who immediately feels after the MCAT that it did not go well can have the test deleted immediately. It is not evaluated at all and is therefore not included in the maximum number of tests possible annually.
Preparation for the Medical College Admission Test
A thorough and long-term preparation on the MCAT is essential. Many local students begin early in the course of their bachelor’s degree to prepare for the MCAT in a targeted and intensive manner. Admission to medical schools in the USA and Canada is hotly contested. The competition is therefore fierce, especially since only a small proportion of the study places at the medical schools are given to international applicants each year.
But it is not only the preparation of the content that is important. In the unfamiliar test situation you should also know as exactly as possible what to expect. For this reason, participants should also deal with the test structure and assessment methods in advance.
The AAMC offers various learning aids to prepare for the MCAT. The topics that are examined in the MCAT can also be viewed free of charge on the MCAT website. On the other hand, you can purchase the Official Guide or the Official MCAT Self-Assessment Package on the same page for a fee.