What is a good MCAT score for medical school in 2026?

The median MCAT score for US MD matriculants is approximately 511–512 out of 528. A score of 510 or above is competitive at most MD programs. For top-20 medical schools, the competitive range typically starts at 517 and above. Scores between 506–509 are competitive at many MD schools and strong for DO programs. Below 500, options narrow significantly for MD admissions.

Is a 510 MCAT a good score?

A 510 MCAT puts you at approximately the 80th percentile and is roughly the matriculant median. It is competitive at most US MD programs when paired with a GPA at or above 3.7. At top-20 medical schools, a 510 falls below the median for most schools in the group and would be a reach unless other elements of the application are exceptional. State medical schools and DO programs accept 510 routinely.

What MCAT score do top medical schools require?

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine reports a matriculant median MCAT of approximately 521. Harvard Medical School's median is around 520. Stanford's is approximately 519. UCSF School of Medicine sits near 518. The AAMC MSAR publishes the 10th–90th percentile MCAT ranges for every US MD program. Applicants below the 10th percentile face significant odds against admission at top schools.

Does MCAT section balance matter?

Yes. Many medical schools care about section balance, particularly CARS. A sub-125 score in any single section, especially Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, can trigger automatic secondary review or rejection at some programs. A balanced 510 (e.g., 128/127/127/128) is generally viewed more favourably than an unbalanced 510 with a 123 in CARS.

Should I retake the MCAT?

Retake the MCAT if your most recent score is meaningfully below your practice test average — the median improvement on a retake is 2–3 points. The MCAT can be taken up to 3 times in a single testing year, 4 times across two years, and 7 times total over a lifetime. Most schools see all attempts; some focus on the highest score. Do not retake if your score is already at or above the median of your target schools.

What Is a Good MCAT Score?

The Straight Answer

A good MCAT score is 511–512 to sit at the US MD matriculant median, 510 or above to stay competitive at most MD programs, and 517+ for the top 20. A 506–509 is competitive at many MD schools and strong for DO programs; below 500 narrows MD options sharply. The scale runs 472 to 528, with a midpoint of 500.

That is the benchmark you came for. What it means depends on where you are aiming: a 510 opens doors at dozens of excellent medical schools and closes them at a handful of others. Your target schools, your GPA, and your background decide whether a given score is a triumph or a setback.

The Scale

The MCAT runs from 472 to 528, with a midpoint of 500. Each of the four sections — Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (CP), Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS), Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (BB), and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (PS) — scores from 118 to 132 with a midpoint of 125.

The median score for all test-takers is approximately 500. The median score for applicants who matriculate into US MD programs is typically around 511-512. That gap tells you something important: the MCAT is a filter, and half the people who take it will not clear the bar at most schools.

Benchmarks That Actually Help

MCAT score	Percentile	What it opens
521–528	99th+	Competitive everywhere, including the most selective research institutions. Rare — roughly 1,600 test-takers per year reach 521+.
517–520	95th–99th	Strong at any medical school in the country. Merit-scholarship territory at many programs.
514–516	90th–95th	Competitive at top-25 programs. Solid at virtually all MD schools with a matching GPA.
510–513	80th–90th	The sweet spot for a broad range of MD schools. Competitive at most state schools and many private programs.
506–509	70th–80th	Competitive at many MD schools, strong for DO programs. State-school advantage matters here.
500–505	50th–70th	DO programs become the stronger path. Some MD programs, particularly newer ones, remain accessible.
Below 500	Below median	Options narrow significantly for MD programs. Caribbean schools recruit here, but the attrition and residency-match data should give any applicant pause.

Section Scores Matter More Than You Think

A 512 with balanced sections (128/128/128/128) reads differently than a 512 with a 124 in CARS and a 132 in CP. Many schools screen by section score — a sub-125 in any section, particularly CARS, can trigger automatic review or rejection at certain programs, even if the total looks competitive.

CARS is the section that most consistently predicts performance on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, which is one reason schools weight it heavily. If your CARS is weak relative to your science sections, that imbalance is worth addressing before applying broadly.

How Schools Use Your Score

Medical schools report their entering class MCAT data to the AAMC, including 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile scores. AdmitBase uses the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile data to calculate your match score at each school — the same framework that works for law schools, adapted for medicine's 50/50 MCAT-GPA weighting.

If your score sits at or above a school's 75th percentile, you are a statistical safety. At the median, you are a genuine target. Below the 25th percentile, you are a reach. The data does not lie about this, even when optimism does.

On Retaking

You can take the MCAT up to three times in a single testing year, four times across two consecutive years, and seven times total in your lifetime. Most schools see all scores, and while many claim to consider only your highest, a significant drop between attempts raises questions.

The median improvement on a retake is about 2-3 points. A jump of 5 or more points is achievable with substantially different preparation — same approach, same result. If your first score was a genuine underperformance relative to practice tests, retaking makes sense. If you were scoring 508 on full-lengths and got a 507, the retake calculus is less favorable.

Do not retake a 515+ unless you are targeting a very specific tier of school where every point matters. The risk of a lower score on the retake is real, and the marginal benefit of going from 515 to 518 at most schools is modest.

The Score in Context

The MCAT is the single most standardized element of your application. Unlike GPA — which varies by institution, major, and grading curve — the MCAT puts everyone on the same scale. This is why admissions committees lean on it so heavily, and why medical schools with 50/50 MCAT-GPA weighting are not being arbitrary.

But the score exists within a file that includes your GPA, clinical experience, research, letters, personal statement, and everything else that makes you a candidate. A 508 from an applicant with 2,000 hours of meaningful clinical experience, a 3.85 sGPA, and a publication is a different application than a 515 with nothing behind it.

Use the number to build a realistic school list. Use everything else to give that list a chance.