How hard is it to get a 518 on the MCAT?
Attaining a score of 518 on the MCAT means you performed in the 97% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
If you score 500 or below, that means that you are falling below the 50th percentile of test-takers. So, a low score would be anything from 478-510. Many medical schools won't seriously consider applicants with a score below 507, so you should be realistically aiming to clear at least a 510.
A good MCAT score is generally considered to be 511 or higher, with no section score below 127. The MCAT, also known as the Medical College Admission Test, is a computer-based standardized exam designed to assess your potential as a medical student and doctor.
An MCAT of 511 or above makes you a competitive applicant for both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools assuming other aspects of your candidacy are also strong. An MCAT of 515, which will place you in the 90th percentile of all test takers, or above will make you a much more competitive applicant.
Your score falls within the range of scores, from 300 to 579, considered Very Poor. A 518 FICO® Score is significantly below the average credit score.
The old MCAT was scored on a scale from 3-45 with an average MCAT score of 25.2. On each section you could earn 1 to 15 points. The new MCAT is scored on a scale from 472-528 with a mean score of 500.
The bottom line is this – if you have a low MCAT, you must do your best to balance it with a high GPA. While these stats are not the be-all and end-all of medical school admissions, some schools will not continue the review of your application if you do not demonstrate a strong academic history via your GPA and MCAT.
| School | Average MCAT Score | Average GPA |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | 520.06 | 3.9 |
| New York University (Grossman) | 522 | 3.92 |
| Columbia University (Vagelos) | 508-528 | 3.44-4.0 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 521 | 3.94 |
Attaining a score of 518 on the MCAT means you performed in the 97% percentile.
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.
Is 518 MCAT good enough?
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.
What is the Stanford Medical School Average MCAT? The average MCAT for Stanford Medical School is 520 with a range of 510 – 528. In our experience, students should have an MCAT of 518 or higher to be competitive for an interview invitation.
Attaining a score of 512 on the MCAT means you performed in the 88% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
Taking the MCAT twice is fine; even three times shouldn't impact your admissions too much. However, any more tries can begin to damage your application. Aim to avoid taking the MCAT multiple times while planning to retake it once if necessary.
Because medical schools receive ALL of your exam scores, it is important to limit your retakes and be strategic with your testing. Unfortunately, taking the MCAT more than three times can indicate to prospective medical schools that you struggle with the required prerequisites and content.
| Total Score | Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 520 | 97 |
| 519 | 96 |
| 518 | 95 |
| 517 | 94 |
The Office of Admissions does not accept MCAT scores more than three years old and the oldest MCAT score that will be accepted for the 2023-2024 application year is January, 2020.
Your MCAT total score will range between 472 and 528, with 501.5 marking the mean, or 50th percentile. Each of the four MCAT sections is scored between 118 and 132, with the 50th percentile coming in around 125 for each section, though it does vary slightly from section to section.
The earliest that students opt to take the MCAT is during the latter part of their sophom*ore year or the summer between sophom*ore and junior year. At this point, most students have completed their medical school prerequisite courses and are prepared to take the exam.
Less than 40% of pre-meds get accepted to medical school, and the average MCAT and GPA of matriculants is higher than the average MCAT and GPA of applicants. In other words, in medical school your classmates are going to be higher scoring than your pre-med counterparts, on average.
Do residencies look at MCAT?
By the time you apply for residencies (one of the last steps medical students need to complete before earning licensure), the only scores that matter are from the USMLE. The MCAT rarely, if ever, factors into their decision. In fact, some residency programs don't even require it.
There are no hard numeric cutoffs; applicants with an MCAT score or GPA below the 10th percentile are often invited to interview if other areas of their application are strong.
The average GPAs and MCAT scores of matriculants tend to be very high. For the top five schools, the average GPA is near-perfect (3.9 and above), and the average MCAT score is at or above the 97th percentile score.
Johns Hopkins Medical School MCAT Requirements
In our experience, students should have an MCAT of 516 or higher to be competitive for an interview invitation. However, there are circ*mstances that might influence an applicant's chances of earning an interview with a lower score.
Yale Medical School MCAT Scores
The median Yale medical school MCAT score is 521.
Attaining a score of 515 on the MCAT means you performed in the 94% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
Scores of 525-528 are in the 100th percentile, meaning no one has achieved them. The average total MCAT score has increased since 2015 when a new version of the exam was released.
Number of correct answers ranging from 46 to 48 might have a scaled score of 128, and so on. The scaled score indicates how much examinees know or understand based on the body of knowledge and reasoning skills that the MCAT exam covers.
An examinee cannot take the exam more than seven times in their lifetime. Not showing up for an exam counts as an attempt toward the lifetime limit. Voided scores count as an attempt toward the lifetime limit. Students can appeal for special permission to exceed the limits.
Given that every year, only 30-70 students score a 528 on the MCAT tells us something – scoring a perfect MCAT score is extremely difficult. That said, nailing a “perfect” MCAT score doesn't actually mean you need to get every single question correctly.
What score is failing the MCAT?
There is no pass or fail score for the exam, there are only scores that are acceptable for specific, individual medical schools. Consider consulting specific medical schools, or their websites or the AAMC for past trends. What score do you need for medical school?
Andy took the MCAT exam seven times and applied to medical school twice before getting one interview and acceptance. He reminds premeds to have faith in themselves and that perseverance and grit are important for a career in medicine.
It will make it appear as though you did not take the exam. In other words, neither the test results nor the fact that you took it will be disclosed to medical schools. No marks are given for voided exams. Therefore, if you do not have any MCAT results, you will need to retake the exam to apply to medical school.
508-510 are all fine, and if you don't get accepted with a score in that range, it's not because of your MCAT score. Anything that's 510 and above will help you.
The MCAT is required as part of your application to Vanderbilt medical school. There is no minimum MCAT requirement. However, the average MCAT score of the entering class ranges between 518 and 524.
Applicants whose MCAT scores are more than three years old must retake the test. HMS considers all valid MCAT exam scores during the application review process.
Many admissions officers view a GPA of 3.8 as very competitive, and they like to see at least a GPA of 3.5 or above. These scores will be especially competitive if your major is related to medicine, and it's even better if it's a difficult science major like neuroscience or physics.
Attaining a score of 490 on the MCAT means you performed in the 20% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
Medical School Matriculant MCAT Averages & Stats
If your MCAT score is near the average range of 506, it's not impossible, but rather improbable to be successfully admitted to medical school. And if you do gain an acceptance, it likely won't be at your top choice schools.
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.
Does the MCAT get harder every year?
The AAMC essentially does a “curving” against the difficulty of the test from across 20,000 test takers. It's not curved against the 20 kids in the room with you. So, assuming that in any two or three-year period the pool of premeds doesn't change much, it can't get any harder.
If you retake the MCAT many times, admissions committee members start to wonder how many times you will have to take the USMLE exams. Your goal with the MCAT then is to take it as few times as possible. Three times is considered reasonable by most medical school admissions committees.
Again, medical schools don't care if you have multiple MCAT tests on your application. Just make sure that if you screw up the first time, know why so you can prove the next time.
Typically, medical schools do not use superscores for evaluating the MCAT, so don't rely on just improving one section when you retake the MCAT.
How Many Times Can You Take the MCAT? The AAMC allows students to take the MCAT up to three times in a year, four times over two years, and seven times in a lifetime. Each scored attempt will appear on your record, which means each of your MCAT scores will be seen by admissions committees.
All scores from every time you've taken the MCAT are reported and sent to the colleges you designate.
According to AAMC's data (May 01, 2022 – April 30, 2023), a score of 518 falls on the 95th percentile. This score implies that you are in the top 5% of students who took the MCAT.
There is no curve associated with the MCAT® exam. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test. Learn more about how the exam is scored.
75th percentile – total score: 509/510; score for each section: between 126-128.
Is 480 a bad MCAT score? in, and most importantly, your individual section scores. Attaining a score of 480 on the MCAT means you performed in the 3% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
What is the lowest passing score on the MCAT?
What is the Passing Score for MCAT? The MCAT score range is between 472-528 when the four scores are added up, with the average MCAT score being 500. A low MCAT score is in the 470 range.
Attaining a score of 487 on the MCAT means you performed in the 13% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
Assuming a good cumulative GPA (i.e., 3.5+) and well-written application essays, we suggest the following rough program breakdowns depending on your MCAT total score: 511+: 100% MD programs; 0% DO programs. 506–510: 75% MD programs, 25% DO programs. 500–505: 25–50% MD programs; 50–75% DO programs.
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.
A "good" MCAT score is one that puts you near or above the average percentile for matriculants at your target medical schools. For comparison, the average MCAT score for students admitted to an MD program in the United States in 2021–2022 is between 511 and 512, with an average GPA of 3.74. (Source: AAMC ).
The answer depends on several factors including what type of medical school (MD vs DO vs Canadian) you're interested in, and most importantly, your individual section scores. Attaining a score of 494 on the MCAT means you performed in the 32% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
494 or 498, whatever you got, is fine to start. Everyone wants a 510+, but few reach it. Put in the work for 4 months and see where you get.
Bottom line: the more times you retake the MCAT, the worse it will look to admissions committees. If you have already taken the MCAT twice and are still not happy with your score, it is time to make a drastic change.
The answer depends on several factors including what type of medical school (MD vs DO vs Canadian) you're interested in, and most importantly, your individual section scores. Attaining a score of 488 on the MCAT means you performed in the 16% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.
That's not to say you can't get in with a lower score like a 505. You absolutely can if the rest of your application is strong. But it's going to be a weak spot in your application. 508-510 are all fine, and if you don't get accepted with a score in that range, it's not because of your MCAT score.
