Should I retake a 520 MCAT?

Assuming a strong GPA and extracurricular profile, scoring a 518 or above will help you be competitive for the highest-tier schools, even if their average matriculant MCAT score is a 520 or 521. With scores at this level, an MCAT retake is not necessary because schools will consider you to be academically elite.

How rare is a 520 MCAT?

An MCAT score of 520 is very strong and puts you in the 97th percentile of all MCAT test takers. However, whether or not a score of 520 on the MCAT is enough to get you into medical school depends on which schools you are applying to and your other qualifications.

Is a 520 MCAT good enough?

Attaining a score of 520 on the MCAT means you performed in the 98% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.

Should I retake 510 MCAT?

If you were averaging 510-512s on your practice AAMC exam but scored much lower on test day, this is a good reason to retake the MCAT. The lower score is more likely due to nerves, pressure, lack of sleep, or sickness than lack of knowledge and ability.

Should I retake a 502 MCAT?

If you want to maximize your chances of achieving medical school acceptance, and if your overall application is not strong, we recommend you retake the MCAT if your score is 502.

SIMPLE MCAT Study Plan | How I scored a 520 (97th percentile) in less than 7 minutes

Can I get into MD school with 502 MCAT?

This means an MCAT score below 502 is generally a low score at even the easiest medical schools to get into. As we can see above, very few medical schools have average accepted MCAT scores below 503, so if your score is below 502, consider retaking the MCAT to achieve a higher score.

Does it look bad to take the MCAT twice?

1. Will It Look Bad On My Application If I Retake the MCAT? If you retake the MCAT only once, even twice, and improve your score each time, it won't impact your chances of admission. However, retaking the MCAT excessively or scoring lower each time you take it may negatively impact your application.

What is a bad first MCAT score?

So, technically speaking, a bad MCAT score would be anything below 500. However, in order to be a competitive applicant, you should aim to score much higher than 500. A good MCAT score largely depends on the schools you are applying to.

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.

Can I get into med-school with a 510 MCAT?

Chances of Being Accepted to Med School by MCAT Score

510 to 513: About 65% of applicants admitted‍

Can I get into med-school with a 520 MCAT?

Different medical schools have varying MCAT score expectations. For example, top-tier schools like Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford typically have higher average MCAT scores for accepted students (around 517-520). On the other hand, lower-ranked schools might have average MCAT scores in the 505-510 range.

What is the average MCAT score for 2023?

Data Summary. The average MCAT score for all test-takers in 2023-2024 is 501.3. The average MCAT score for test-takers who applied to medical school in 2022-2023 was 506.5. The average MCAT score for all medical school applicants who ended up enrolling was 511.9.

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. Thus, achieving a perfect MCAT score is quite difficult, but it is not impossible.

What is a bad MCAT score?

A poor MCAT score is any score that doesn't get you into a medical school, but statistically this would be a score below the overall mean or average, so a score of 506 or less.

What is the MCAT score for Harvard?

But every school varies in what they consider a “strong” score. The top schools will have high average MCAT scores: for example, Harvard and Stanford have average scores of 520 and 518, respectively. A high MCAT score certainly does not guarantee an acceptance letter at the most competitive medical schools.

Is it worth retaking the MCAT?

You could improve your score.

Score improvement is, of course, the entire motivation behind retaking the MCAT in the first place. According to the AAMC, test-takers who scored between 472 and 517 the first time saw a median gain of two to three points the second time around.

Does taking the MCAT 3 times look bad?

The more attempts you have on your application, the worse it will look to admissions committees, especially if you are not making significant progress in increasing your score. Failing to achieve an adequate MCAT score after three attempts calls into question a potential applicant's test-taking abilities.

Does it hurt to retake MCAT?

Your application will not necessarily get compromised by taking the MCAT more than once unless you receive a lower score on the second exam than on your previous exams. Though this certainly isn't a situation anyone necessarily wants to be in. Almost 20% of students retake the MCAT exam.

Why am I scoring so low on MCAT?

Not doing enough analysis is the another common mistake students make during MCAT prep. As a rule of thumb, you should spend 2-3 times the amount of time you spend going over your questions as you spend actually doing them. Analyze why you got the question wrong and if you got it right, analyze why you got it right.

How do I deal with a bad MCAT score?

Is 512 a low MCAT score?

If you scored a 512 on the MCAT, this means you performed in the 85th percentile according to most recent AAMC statistics, and you now have a competitive score for med-school admission.

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.

How do you know if I should retake the MCAT?

Use resources like the MSAR database of med school admissions requirements to help you compare your GPA and MCAT scores to the averages for the programs on your list. Are you competitive for most of the schools you are applying to? If not, then retaking the test will probably be in your best interest.

Should I retake a 500 MCAT?

Yes, if you want to maximize your chances of achieving medical school acceptance, we recommend you retake the MCAT if your score is 500.