The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is one of the most significant hurdles for students looking to go to medical school, and rightly so. Nearly 85,000 people take the MCAT every year, which is why getting a good score is one excellent way to distinguish yourself from other applicants and increase your chances of getting into a medical school. In this post, we’ll define what MCAT score is good for most medical schools, show a few examples of the MCAT scores some medical schools want, and provide 5 best practices for increasing your MCAT score within a week.

What is a Good MCAT Score?

A good MCAT score is anything greater than the 90th percentile, meaning you scored 515 or greater. Getting an MCAT score in this range will make you a very competitive applicant and almost double your chances of getting interviews from medical schools.

The MCAT is broken down into 4 content categories worth 132 points each. This means that the max score you can get on the MCAT is 528.

Why is A Good MCAT Score Important?

Getting into medical school depends on several factors like

• A Good GPA

• A Good MCAT Score

• Meaningful Community Service

• Research Experience

• Well Written Application Essays

• Good Letters of Recommendation

Of all the things on this list, your MCAT score is one of the most critical things that admission committees will use to determine whether you should receive an interview. Therefore, getting a good score will make it very hard for your application to be rejected.

According to Busche et al. (2020), the MCAT is reliable at predicting the performance of medical students within their first year. As such, it is essential to properly prepare yourself for the journey ahead by getting a good score on the MCAT.

1. Busche, K., Elks, M. L., Hanson, J. T., Jackson-Williams, L., Manuel, R. S., Parsons, W. L., ... & Yuan, K. (2020). The validity of scores from the new MCAT exam in predicting student performance: Results from a multisite study. Academic Medicine, 95(3), 387-395.  

3 Real Examples of MCAT Scores for Medical Schools

The average MCAT score for Harvard Medical School is 519, which shows how well you need to perform to get into one of the top medical schools in the United States

Similar to Harvard, students admitted to Yale Medical School had an average MCAT score of 518.

Lastly, one of the most prestigious and competitive medical schools, students at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have an average MCAT score of 521 (which is higher than both Yale and Harvard)

Don’t let these scores discourage you! If want to get into one of these medical schools or any medical school, it starts with how you study and prepare for the MCAT. In the next section, I will teach you some of the most impactful things you can start doing to improve your MCAT score today.

5 Tips to Get a Good MCAT Score

If you plan on taking the MCAT soon, you may be wondering what steps you should take to ensure you get a good score come test day. Thankfully, we’ve helped dozens of students increase their scores with these simple tips.

1. Set up a study schedule and invest in a Q-bank like Kaplan or The Princeton Review

   • We provide our students with Kaplan resources as we feel they prepare students the most for test day.

2. Ditch the notes

   • Writing everything down as you study wastes time and energy, with most students forgetting the information within the first 48 hours.

3. Use Active Recall as you review material

   • Active recall is essential to truly learn the concepts and improve your score.

4. Practice Spaced Repetition

   • There is no such thing as a good or bad memory, there is only trained and untrained memory. Check out this article to learn how to practice spaced repetition for your studies.

5. Study with other people

   • Studying with others is not only fun but gives you a chance to clarify any misunderstands you may have.

While these steps are very easy to implement, there is much more to getting a good MCAT score.

Click here if you want us to take the stress out of your studying and ensure you get a good score come test day!

Now that you have a better understanding of what a good MCAT score is, it is time to get to work. Remember, your goal is to get a 515 or higher on the MCAT. If you want more insight or to ensure you get your best MCAT score, reach out to us!

Also, check out these articles if you want to learn how to study for anatomy and physiology or if you want to learn how to get into medical school.

SCORE A 515 OR HIGHER ON YOUR MCAT BY HIRING A TUTOR AT LEARN WITH ABE