You’ve spent months in an MCAT review course, taken practice test after practice test, and finally sat for the exam. Your results are in. Are they good enough to get you into your target medical school? Let’s take a look at what your scores mean.
MCAT scores and your grades are weighted differently
The primary purpose of the MCAT is to assess an applicant’s ability to succeed in medical school by testing critical skills and knowledge of natural, physical, and behavioral sciences. The MCAT score is the only piece of the med school application that is standardized.
Your grades are anything but standardized. Applicants to medical schools attended different undergrad programs, took courses of different levels and from different professors who used different grading standards. Therefore, even your GPA, which is generally looked at as an “objective” piece of the application, is actually subjective.
Each of the four sections of the MCAT is scored between 118 and 132. AAMC originally designed the test aiming for an average section score of 125 and an average total score of 500 within a total score range from 472 to 528.
For better or worse, the average score of all applicants and matriculants is rising. In 2016-17 the total average score was 501.8. The following year, 2017-18, it had climbed to 504.7. In 2021-22 it edged up slightly higher, to 505.9.
How to evaluate the competitiveness of your MCAT score
So, what is the magic number needed to get into medical school? Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question that applies to all med schools or even for all med school applicants. Here are some factors to examine when evaluating the competitiveness of your MCAT score:
• What are the average MCAT scores for the schools you are applying to?
Students entering MD programs in the US in 2021 had a mean MCAT score of 511.9. According to AACOM (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine), those entering DO programs in 2020 (the most recent data available) had a mean total MCAT score of 504.31.
Those figures give you a broad overview, but it’s the data from each specific school that should really guide your application strategy. For example, your very respectable score of 509 may be competitive at Northeast Ohio, an MD program where the average MCAT score for admitted students was 510, with the middle 50% scoring in the range of 505 – 515. However, if your dream school is Washington University in St. Louis, you probably need to up your score…or change your dream school. The median MCAT score for admitted students at Wash U was 521, per US News.
• Is your score balanced?
If your scores were 130 on three sections of the MCAT and 115 on the fourth, then you have a weakness in an area that most medical schools feel is important enough to test and measure. Although your total score was a respectable 505, med schools will still look at the imbalance in your scores and be concerned in particular about the one area that was so much weaker.
• How competitive is your GPA?
If your GPA is at the high end for the schools you are applying to, the admissions committees may cut you a little slack on your MCAT score. The average undergrad GPA for those admitted to an MD program in 2021-22 was 3.74. AACOM’s reported 2020 overall mean baccalaureate GPA for matriculants was 3.54.
• How strong is the rest of your application?
The MCAT is not evaluated in a vacuum, and even a great MCAT score is not enough to guarantee your med school acceptance. The rest of your application must show the admissions committee that you are serious about medical school and a medical career, demonstrate that you have the character traits to be a compassionate doctor, and have the background and interpersonal skills to contribute to your community. Even with all of these attributes, you have to present them effectively via your primary and secondary applications and your interview. Your essays must be compelling and tell the story of an applicant the adcoms will want to get to know better.
Which schools should you apply to?
When choosing which med schools to apply to, look at the average MCAT scores and the range of MCAT scores for matriculants at your target schools. Be sure that your score is in range for the overwhelming majority of these schools. Unless you have a high GPA, other truly impressive elements in your application, or come from an underrepresented background in medicine, make sure that your MCAT is above average for at least some of the programs where you are applying.
Remember that the purpose of the MCAT is to show your readiness to handle the academics of medical school. Having a good MCAT score is a very important element of your med school application, but it’s not the only one. Commitment, character, interpersonal skills, and your potential to contribute to your community are also important. Be sure that your total application shows that you not only can handle the academics, but that you will be an outstanding physician and credit to the med school you attend.
What’s next?
For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to their dream healthcare programs. Our outstanding admissions consultants include former admissions directors, admissions committee members, pre-health advisors, postbac program directors, and doctors. Our clients have won acceptance at allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools, residencies and fellowships, dental school, veterinarian school, and physician assistant programs at top schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Penn, UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and many more.
Why not let our expertise go to work for you? Check out Accepted’s Medical School Admissions Consulting Services and let us guide you in crafting an outstanding application that will help you get Accepted!
For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to their dream healthcare programs. Our outstanding team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, admissions committee members, pre-health advisors, postbac program directors, and doctors. Our staff has guided applicants to acceptance at allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools, residencies and fellowships, dental school, veterinarian school, and physician assistant programs at top schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Penn, UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and many more. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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