MCAT Scores: Good Score, How to Calculate & Reporting

MCAT Scores 2024: The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) releases the MCAT scores within 30-35 days of the test. The scores are released online, at the MCAT score reporting system. To access the MCAT scores 2024, candidates will have to sign in at the portal using the AAMC ID username and password.

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This Story also Contains

1. MCAT Score Dates
2. How and When to Access MCAT Scores?
3. MCAT Score Range
4. MCAT Score Calculator
5. MCAT Score validity
6. How to Report MCAT scores?
7. MCAT Score Percentiles

The candidates will receive separate scores of MCAT for all 4 sections and along with a section-wise score of MCAT, the total sum score will also be provided. The four sections of the MCAT have a score range between 118 and 132 with the 50th percentile at 125 for each section though it can vary slightly between sections.

The MCAT score report will include details such as score, confidence band, percentile rank of the score, and score profile. The AAMC also provides the test question challenge and restoring facilities under a given procedure. Read the complete article to know more about MCAT scores, calculation methods, and many other details.

MCAT Score Dates

MCAT exams are offered multiple times throughout the year. The specific dates vary depending on the calendar year. The MCAT exam score dates for the year 2024 is given in the table below.

MCAT Score Release Dates

How and When to Access MCAT Scores?

AAMC MCAT scores are released around 30-35 days after the exam. The scores will be available for viewing by 5:00 pm ET on the day of the release. It must be noted that the MCAT score will not be provided over the phone or via email. However, candidates get an email notification from the AAMC once the scores are available.

To view the MCAT scores, the candidate must sign in to the MCAT Score Reporting System. Candidates can log in to the MCAT Score Reporting System using the AAMC ID and password. On the official website, a detailed MCAT score report will be reflected with percentiles for each section. Download and save the score report for future reference.

How to check the MCAT score?

MCAT scores are released on the official website of the AAMC around 30-35 days after the conduct of the exam. Aspiring students can follow the below-mentioned steps to Check MCAT scores 2024:

• Step 1: Visit the official website of AAMC.

• Step 2: Click on ‘students and residents’ from the top menu bar of the homepage

• Step 3: Click on the link ‘Taking the MCAT exam’

• Step 4: Click on the tab ‘get your test scores’.

• Step 5: Sign in to the AAMC account using username and password.

• Step 6: Click on ‘Print Score Report’ under ‘My Reports’

What is a Good MCAT Score?

A good MCAT score depends on several factors, including the target schools, desired specialty, and overall application strength. However, the average MCAT score for test-takers in 2023 was 511.5.

A score of 518 or higher puts the candidates in the 80th percentile, which is considered competitive for most medical schools. Students scoring the 90th percentile or 523 are considered among the “excellent” candidate group increasing their chances of acceptance at top-tier programmes.

Students are advised to research the average MCAT scores of accepted students at their target schools to fix their target scores for the MCAT 2024.

MCAT Score Range

MCAT comprises four sections. Each section of the MCAT exam is represented in a score range of 118(lowest) to 132marks (highest). The midpoint of these scores is 125 marks. The MCAT total score is the sum of scores from all sections and is represented in a score range of 472-528. The midpoint of the scores is 500. The MCAT max score is 528.

MCAT Score Range

How are MCAT Scores Calculated?

To make an MCAT scores report, the raw score of the candidate is calculated for each section. The raw scores are simply the number of questions answered correctly by the candidate. No penalty will be applicable for incorrectly answered questions. Therefore, candidates are advised to attempt all the questions.

The raw score of each section is then converted to a score range of 118 (lowest) - 132 (highest). To convert the raw score of the MCAT into the score range, the process of equating is followed which considers several factors such as the small variations in difficulty between sets of questions. This ensures the fairness of the MCAT scores irrespective of the test dates.

The scaled scores from the four sections are added together to produce a total score ranging from 472 (lowest) to 528 (highest). MCAT scores are valid for three years for admission to medical schools after the test date.

Why are raw scores converted to scaled scores?

Conversion of MCAT raw scores ensures that the candidate’s result is accurately evaluated. It promotes fairness of the results. There are multiple reasons to convert raw scores to scaled scores. These are:

1. Raw MCAT scores are not subjected to direct comparison.

2. MCAT is conducted multiple times a year. Conversion can help to ensure fair comparisons across MCAT testing dates.

3. Conversion scores can be used as standarised score range to understand a candidate’s performance.

4. The impact of random guessing is reduced.

5. Maintain Score Confidentiality.

MCAT Score Calculator

To convert these raw MCAT test scores into scale scores and percentile scores, the MCAT score calculator tool is available online. Candidate can simply insert their number of right answers for each section which then showcases the MCAT results in the form of MCAT scaled scores.

MCAT Scores - Voiding the MCAT Exam

After the exam, the candidate will have the option to avoid the MCAT exam. If the candidate does not want his/her test to be scored, he/she can click on the void option to cancel the test. In such cases, the score of the voided exam will not be reported to the medical colleges nor will the attempt be counted under testing limits. No refund will be issued to the student if the exam is being voided.

MCAT Score validity

MCAT scores are valid for 3 years from the date of the exam. Candidates can send their MCAT score report to various business schools for up to 3 years from the date of the exam. Students who wish to get admission to business schools after the 3-year duration might required to retake the exam by logging into their official MCAT account. Students are recommended to apply to their preferred business schools early to ensure their scores are valid throughout the entire cycle.

How to Report MCAT scores?

There are two methods of reporting the MCAT scores. The details of the two methods are mentioned below.

American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)

If the candidate is applying under the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), the score will be reported automatically. No extra steps must be taken to add the scores to the application form.

However, it should be noted that AAMC follows a full disclosure policy which means all MCAT tests taken by the candidate from April 2003 will be made available to the medical colleges. The candidate cannot withhold the current or any prior score from the AMCAS application.

MCAT Scores Reporting System

To send the MCAT scores to medical schools not participating in the AMCAS services, candidates can use the MCAT Score Reporting System to send their MCAT scores. Further, the candidates can take the printout of the score, so they use it for reporting purposes. There are no additional fees for reporting the MCAT score.

MCAT Scores - The Rescoring Option

If the candidate believes there is some error in the MCAT scores, he/she can request rescoring the answers by hand. Candidates can request an MCAT rescore through the MCAT registration system within 30 days of the release of the MCAT scores. Students will need to pay 65 USD for making the rescore request.

AAMC responds to the MCAT rescore request within 3 weeks and updates the scores only if the request is genuine and correct. However, AAMC does not guarantee any score change. As per the latest reports, about 1% of rescored exams result in a change of 1 point or more.

How to request a rescore?

Candidates who want to apply for a rescoring option for MCAT scores, can apply for the same by following the below-mentioned steps:

1. Log in to the MCAT Registration System.

2. Go to the "MCAT Document Holder."

3. Click on "Request a Rescore."

4. Follow the instructions and pay the fee.

MCAT Score Percentiles

The score of the MCAT is also reported in the form of a percentile rank as it is reported along with each section and the total score. The percentile rank is not the general percentage as one may assume, rather the MCAT percentile is comparative analysis. The percentile rank of scores is the percentage of the test takers who receive the same or lower score than the marks scored by the candidate.

For example, if a candidate scores 80 percentile, his/her score is higher or equal to 80% of other test takers. The current MCAT percentiles for the 2023-2024 academic year are still valid and will only be updated on May 1, 2024.

MCAT Score Percentiles