What is the lowest MCAT score for Harvard Medical School?

Harvard Medical School (HMS) doesn't publish a minimum MCAT score, but successful applicants are highly competitive, with averages around 520-521, meaning the lowest accepted scores are often in the 510s, though scores below 500 are very rare and usually require exceptional other qualifications, while scores in the 510-514 range can get in with stellar GPA, experiences, and essays, but it's a significant uphill battle.

What is the lowest MCAT score accepted for Harvard?

While Harvard Medical School (HMS) doesn't publish a minimum MCAT score, accepted students typically have scores in the low 500s or higher, with averages around 520, but exceptional extracurriculars, research, and personal narratives can allow admission with lower scores, like a 515, especially with a high GPA, though even lower scores (like the 511 range for MD-PhD) are seen but are rare for MD-only. 

How rare is a 524 MCAT?

A 524 MCAT score is extremely rare and exceptional, placing you in the 100th percentile, meaning you scored better than 100% of test-takers, just shy of a perfect 528, and is considered a top-tier score for even the most selective medical schools. While a perfect 528 is the absolute maximum, scores in the 524-528 range are all considered the highest possible percentile, indicating mastery of the exam content.
 

What is the average MCAT score for Yale?

MCAT. Like most U.S. medical schools, Yale requires applicants to submit MCAT scores. The 2025-2026 admits had an average MCAT score of 520.5.

What is the lowest MCAT score for Stanford?

The median MCAT score of admitted students at Stanford University School of Medicine is 520. Stanford Medicine does not have a minimum MCAT requirement for admission.

Low MCAT Score? These 8 Medical Schools Still Want You

What is the lowest MCAT score for UCLA?

UCLA DGSOM does not have a minimum MCAT score requirement. UCLA DGSOM's median MCAT score of 515 for the 2024 entering class falls in the 91st percentile of all test-takers in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

What is the #1 pre-med school in the US?

There's no single "official" #1 pre-med school, but Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University consistently rank at the top due to exceptional advising, research access, clinical opportunities in top hospitals, and high medical school acceptance rates, often exceeding 90% for top applicants. Other perennial contenders include the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Stanford, UPenn, Columbia, and Northwestern, all offering strong science programs and support for aspiring doctors.
 

What is the hardest medical school to get into in the USA?

The hardest US medical schools to get into are consistently top-ranked institutions like NYU Grossman, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Stanford, UPenn, Columbia, UCSF, Mayo Clinic Alix, and Washington University (WashU), known for extremely low acceptance rates (often under 3-4%) and very high average MCAT scores (around 520-523) and GPAs (around 3.9+). These schools attract vast applicant pools, making selectivity incredibly high, with some schools even seeing acceptance rates below 2% or 1%.
 

What is the average MCAT score for Princeton?

Princeton premed acceptance rate and admissions statistics

That's substantially higher than the roughly 36 percent national average. Among those accepted, the average cumulative GPA was 3.64 and the average MCAT was 517.

What is the average MCAT for Johns Hopkins?

Johns Hopkins Medical School MCAT Requirements

Similar to the average GPA for Johns Hopkins, the average MCAT is very high at 521. In our experience, students should have an MCAT of 516 or higher to be competitive for an interview invitation.

Should I retake a 516 MCAT?

Bottom line: If you scored 498 or below, I definitely recommend retaking the MCAT. If you scored 499-505 your first time, you should probably retake the MCAT. If you scored 506-511, you may not need to retake, but you could if you know you'd score much higher — especially if you're applying to Ivy League schools.

What score is 90% correct on the MCAT?

Getting 90% correct on the MCAT isn't a fixed score but roughly translates to a high 120s to low 130s per section, placing you in the 90th percentile (around 515 total score), making you a very strong candidate, though scores vary by section difficulty and question weighting, with 5-10 wrong often being a 128-130 range in practice tests. A 90% accuracy means around 5-10 wrong answers out of ~53 questions in a section, but precise conversions depend on the test's equating. 

Is the MCAT harder than the SAT?

Yes, the MCAT is widely considered significantly harder than the SAT, as it's much longer (nearly 8 hours vs. ~3 hours), requires extensive, specialized science knowledge (biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, psychology, sociology), and tests advanced critical thinking in complex, passage-based scientific contexts, unlike the SAT's high school-level content. The MCAT demands hundreds of hours of dedicated study, making it a formidable challenge even for high-achievers who did well on the SAT.
 

What is the lowest MCAT score for Duke University?

What is the minimum MCAT score? The minimum MCAT score is 500. While the MCAT will be one factor of your application review, we expect a minimum level of academic competency to be able to be successful in the fast-paced curriculum.

Which Ivy League is best for pre-med?

There's no single "best" Ivy for pre-med, as it depends on your needs, but Harvard, UPenn, and Brown are consistently top-tier for their strong advising, research access, and high med school placement rates, with Brown offering unique programs like PLME. Other strong contenders include Yale (flexibility) and Dartmouth (early assurance), while Princeton offers rigor but with potential grade deflation. The ideal choice aligns with your learning style, goals (like BS/MD), and desired campus environment. 

Is it harder to get into law school or med school?

Getting into the top law schools, such as Stanford and Yale, is more difficult, where acceptance rates average 12.6%. The percentage of applicants accepted into medical schools has remained constant over time.

What is the #1 med school in the US?

While rankings vary slightly by source and focus (research vs. primary care), Harvard Medical School consistently ranks #1 for research in most major lists like U.S. News, closely followed by Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania (Perelman), with other top contenders including UCSF, Stanford, and Columbia. These top schools are known for cutting-edge research, vast clinical opportunities, and highly selective admissions, making them leaders in medical education. 

What is the average MCAT score for Dartmouth medicine?

The Admissions Committee considers each application holistically, however applicants should be aware that accepted applications have an average MCAT score of 516 and an average undergraduate GPA of 3.77.

Is Princeton harder than Harvard?

Neither Princeton nor Harvard is definitively "harder"; both are exceptionally competitive, but Harvard is generally harder to get into due to lower acceptance rates (around 3-4%) and more applications, while Princeton is often perceived as academically tougher once you're in, with rigorous courses, potential grade deflation (historically), and a strong undergraduate research focus, though both offer elite education. 

What is the #1 med school in the world?

There isn't one single "No. 1" medical college, as rankings vary, but Harvard Medical School (USA) consistently ranks at or near the top across major lists like QS and U.S. News, often followed closely by institutions like the University of Oxford (UK), Johns Hopkins University (USA), and Stanford University (USA), with other strong contenders including University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of Pennsylvania (Perelman).
 

What is the easiest MD school to get into?

The "easiest" medical schools to get into often have higher acceptance rates, favoring in-state applicants and those with strong but not necessarily top-tier GPAs (around 3.7+) and MCATs (around 500+), with examples including University of Mississippi, ECU Brody School of Medicine, University of North Dakota, and Mercer University School of Medicine, but even these are competitive, requiring dedication to building a strong application with experiences and good scores. Osteopathic (DO) schools like William Carey and Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine are also options, often with lower average stats. 

What is the average MCAT score for Grossman?

Median MCAT Score: 523 (range: 516–527)

What are the top 5 best medical schools?

• Note: Due to concerns with the ranking methodology and its implications, many medical and osteopathic schools have withdrawn from the U.S. News medical school rankings altogether. ...
• Harvard Medical School.
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Duke University School of Medicine.
• UPenn Perelman School of Medicine.

What is the most useful pre-med degree?

Which major is best for pre-med? A major that is closest aligned to pre-med studies is biological science. Biological science majors will more than likely take the medical school prerequisites as part of their standard coursework.

How long is pre-med school at Harvard?

Most premedical/predental/pre-veterinary students will need two years to complete their program requirements, although depending on their credit assignment some are able to do so in one year and a summer. Most pre-PA students will need between two and three years to complete the program.