What Are My Options If I Get a Low MCAT Score? (2024)
irst, the good news: You can’t actually fail the MCAT. You might have received a very low score, but the MCAT score report does not include a “pass/fail” designation. Still, one of the most helpless feelings a student applying to medical school can experience is bombing the MCAT—there’s no doubt about that. After months of hard work, you may feel like you’ve lost any chance at getting into medical school.
Although it is true that a low MCAT score will negatively impact your application, there are still many things you can do to make sure you can still be a competitive applicant. The first thing you should consider is if you really “failed” the MCAT.
In 2018, the average score of M.D. matriculants1was roughly 511, while the average score of D.O. matriculants2was roughly a 504. These scores will vary from school to school, with some schools having higher and some schools having lower averages, so it’s important to do your research to assess how competitive of an applicant you are.
If your MCAT is on the lower side, see how your GPA compares to the averages, and consider how the other aspects of your application make you look. Based on your application as a whole, if you believe that the best way to make yourself more appealing as an applicant is by raising your MCAT score, then it may be a good idea to consider a retake.
If you do decide to retake the MCAT, one thing you should think about is how that will affect your application timeline. You should try to take your MCAT by May of the year you apply, since that will allow you to receive your score by the time you submit your primaries. This is important because your MCAT should play a huge role in deciding which schools to apply to, and one of the easiest ways to boost your chances of acceptance is by applying as early as you can.Check out ourfree med school admissions timelineto help you plan the best time to take your MCAT.
You should not take your MCAT any later than August of the year you apply, because you wouldn’t receive your scores until very late in the cycle. However, you want to give yourself enough time to re-prepare. If that means you might have to delay your application for a year, don’t worry! A gap year is a tremendous way for students to take a year off from school and develop themselves as applicants in other ways. In recent years, the average age of a medical school matriculant is 24, with less than 1/3 of applicants entering directly from undergrad.
Once you decide the best time to retake your MCAT, it’s time to really think aboutwhyyou didn’t get the score you wanted. Did you get too nervous? Did you burn out during your studies? Or were you simply not comprehensive enough?
In any case, reevaluate your mistakes and incorporate them into your studying. Make a cohesive study plan where you plan out exactly what you will do each day. This may seem like a lot, but it’s a lot easier to follow through with your studying when you have a plan for each day, rather than just “I will study CARS for 4 hours today.” Give yourself enough time and use all the resources you have available. If you have the time, useallof the AAMC practice material, but if not, be sure to take the full length tests and do the questions in the section banks. Also, download our freeMCAT study guidesto make sure you are reviewing the most tested material for each section of the exam.
Failing the MCAT isn’t the end of the world—even if you need to retake the exam, if you’re willing to put in the effort to improve your score, then there’s no doubt that you’ll be able to get the score you want. The worst case scenario is your application might be delayed a year, but many applicants believe that their gap year only helped them.
If you have a 495, consider the following options: Retake the MCAT to improve your score. Apply to medical schools known to accept students with lower MCAT scores. Apply to schools that do not require the MCAT.
Medical institutions in the U.S. and Canada that necessitate the MCAT typically accept scores ranging from 490-495 at the minimum. Scores below 490 are rarely if ever, accepted. Interestingly, a vast majority of individuals score above this range. Recent data suggests that the average score hovers around 506.5.
With a score of 504–506 or lower, you are not going to be a very competitive candidate. But this score range does not mean you are out of the race! A score of 501 or lower is typically considered too low to be competitive, so you might want to retake the exam or apply to medical schools that do not require the MCAT.
Competitive: 511+, Good: 505-508; Below 502 is generally poor. 8. Should I still apply to medical school with a low MCAT score? Yes, you can still apply; but you may have to explore options, retake the MCAT, or apply to MCAT-free schools.
Considering that a 503 is quite close to the average MCAT score of a 501, it's not very competitive for med-school admission. With a 503, you might make some med-school score cutoffs, but the rest of your application needs to be very competitive to make you a viable candidate for most med-schools.
Attaining a score of 491 on the MCAT means you performed in the 23% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred. For example: 122 (C/P) 123 (CARS) 123 (B/B) 123 (P/S).
While a 493 MCAT score is considered low for medical school admissions, it's essential not to lose hope. By evaluating your application holistically, strengthening other aspects of your candidacy, and exploring alternative paths, you can still pursue your dream of becoming a doctor.
As of the 2022-23 testing cycle, the 50th percentile score for the MCAT is 501.6. In other words, a score of 502 or higher is considered an above-average MCAT score. Because med school is super competitive, the higher the score you earn, the better your chances of getting in will be.
The "Please Explain Your Bad Grades/Score" question
They aren't. They know about your bad grades/MCAT score/etc and they want to interview you anyway. Think of this question as an opportunity to explain what you learned from this experience and what you have done to show that it won't or hasn't happened again.
Admissions committees know that one bad test score isn't necessarily representative of your academic standing. Your GPA is a critical part of your application, and you should focus on boosting it as much as you can to compensate for a low MCAT.
If you're interested in attending medical school but do not want to take the MCAT or submit your current score, your best option may be BS/BA and MD programs or EAP programs.
If your scores are simply too low to be competitive at American allopathic med schools, you might pursue osteopathic medicine, which evaluates applications more holistically and considers lower MCAT scores than allopathic schools. You might also investigate foreign medical schools, including Caribbean programs.
Remember, your MCAT score is just one part of the admissions process. If you have a low MCAT, high GPA, and letters of recommendation, you may still be able to get into a good school. All in all, the decision of whether or not to retake the MCAT is a personal one. There is no right or wrong answer.
A great score is 515 to 528 (the maximum possible score), while an average score is 502 to 508. In contrast, a poor score is 501 and below. This guide will go over what a good MCAT score is and how medical schools use your score to make their decision.
Overall, MCAT scores for DO schools are slightly—slightly—lower than they are for MD programs. This is also true for GPAs. Here's the breakdown by applicants and matriculants.
What MCAT score do I need to get into DO schools? The mean MCAT score for DO matriculants is just under 505. To get into DO schools, you should have an MCAT score that is above the average accepted score at any particular school.
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