What is the minimum MCAT score for medical school 2025 application?

There's no single minimum MCAT score for all medical schools, but scores below 500 are generally considered low, while the average for accepted students (matriculants) is around 511-512, with some competitive programs expecting much higher. Some schools, like University of Missouri, set a minimum like 500, while others, like Harvard, have no official minimum but expect excellence, and Case Western Reserve sets a 495. Focus on the AAMC's MSAR for specific school data, as scores vary widely by institution.

What is the MCAT score for 2025?

MCAT Percentiles for 2025-2026

The average total score was 500.5 and the standard deviation was 11.2. MCAT percentiles from <1 (472) to 100 (524+), based on 2022, 2023 and 2024 data.

When should I take the MCAT if I want to start medical school in 2025?

You should plan to take the MCAT for the final time between January and April of your application year. For instance, if you'd like to enroll in medical school in August 2026, you'll want to take your MCAT during the first four months of 2025—that is, no later than April 2025.

What is the lowest MCAT score to get into medical school?

What Is the Lowest MCAT Score Accepted By a Med School? The lowest MCAT score accepted by most medical schools in the US is 490-495. Scores below 490 are seldom accepted. That said, just meeting the minimum won't make you competitive.

Can I get into med school with a 495 MCAT?

In general: MCAT scores below 502 are considered below-average. Scores between 490–500 fall on the lower end for both MD and DO schools. Below 490 is unlikely to be competitive at accredited U.S. or Canadian schools.

Low MCAT Score? These 8 Medical Schools Still Want You

Should I retake the MCAT if I scored 499?

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.

Is a 480 bad on the MCAT?

Yes, a 480 is generally considered a low and below-average MCAT score, placing you in the 3rd percentile, far below the ~500 average and significantly below the 511+ competitive range for most MD programs, making a retake highly recommended to improve your chances for acceptance. While some DO schools or unique circumstances might accept it, it puts you at a major disadvantage against the typical applicant pool, with most scoring under 500 not even applying due to low odds. 

What is the easiest MD medical school to get into?

There are no truly "easy" medical schools, but some have higher acceptance rates or lower average GPA/MCAT scores, often focusing on regional needs or specific missions, like University of Mississippi, East Carolina University (Brody), University of North Dakota, Mercer University, Meharry Medical College, University of North Dakota, and University of New Mexico. Osteopathic (DO) schools like William Carey, Arkansas COM, Pikeville KYCOM, and Lincoln Memorial are also frequently listed as having higher acceptance rates than top MD programs. 

What is the average MCAT score for Mayo Clinic?

Applicants should aim for an MCAT around 521. A minimum of 508 is required for secondary application consideration.

Should I still apply with a low MCAT?

It's crucial to understand that an MCAT score doesn't define your potential to excel in medicine. There are alternative pathways that not only embrace applicants with lower MCAT scores but also provide robust medical education, leading to successful and fulfilling careers.

What month is the easiest MCAT?

Our average examinee score is highest in January (515.5) and lowest in May (511.4). January has been our most popular month (28% of examinees) and August testers achieve the largest ratio of very high scores (28% achieved a 520+). Trying to manage MCAT during the semester is definitely challenging.

Is the MCAT changing in 2025?

For 2025, the MCAT mainly saw interface improvements (zoom, background colors) and a shift in question style towards integrated reasoning (less pure recall, more passage application) within the same format, while medical school policies started showing trends towards test-optional approaches, but the core structure (sections, times) remained consistent. The biggest shift is a greater emphasis on applying knowledge with passage context, particularly in Psychology & Sociology (P/S) and content areas like biochemistry, reflecting changes in medical education.
 

Is MCAT harder than 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.
 

When should I take my MCAT for the 2025 cycle?

Match Your Test Date to Your Application Timeline

If you're applying to medical schools in the 2025–2026 cycle, your MCAT score should be ready before you submit your primary application in June 2025. The latest test dates for this group are typically in April or May 2025.

What is the average MCAT score for Albert Einstein?

Accepted students at Einstein have an average MCAT score of 516. The 10th-90th percentile range is 511-520.

Is 512 MCAT too low?

No, a 512 MCAT score is not bad; it's a strong, competitive score, generally around the 84th percentile, meaning you scored better than most test-takers and are competitive for many MD programs, with averages often around 511-512 for admitted students, though higher scores (515+) boost chances for top-tier schools. It's a solid score that allows for broad applications, but consider your overall profile (GPA, experiences) and target schools, as very selective programs may prefer scores above 515. 

What is the average MCAT score 2025?

The average MCAT score for all medical school applicants in 2025-2026 is 506.1. The average MCAT score for all medical school enrollees was 511.8. As of 2025, the average score for the psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior section is 125.9, the highest of all sections.

What is the average MCAT score for John Hopkins medical school?

Johns Hopkins University Medical School Admissions Statistics: Johns Hopkins Medical School Average GPA: 3.96. Johns Hopkins Medical School Average MCAT: 521 (130 chemical & physical / 130 critical analysis / 131 biological & biochemical / 131 psychological, social)

What is the average MCAT score for Vanderbilt?

Vanderbilt Medical School Admissions Statistics

Average MCAT: 521 (with a median of 521.2) Applications received: 6,873. Acceptance rate: ~1.5%

What is the least competitive doctor to become?

With that in mind, the five least competitive medical specialties are:

• Family medicine.
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation.
• Anesthesiology.
• Pediatrics.
• Psychiatry.

What is the 32 hour rule for medical school?

The "32-hour rule" in medical school admissions refers to a policy where some medical schools focus on an applicant's GPA from their most recent 32 credit hours, often in science courses, instead of their entire undergraduate GPA, benefiting students with a strong upward trend or a solid post-baccalaureate performance. Schools like Wayne State University and LSU Health New Orleans use variations of this to give more weight to recent academic efforts, allowing strong performance in later coursework or post-bacc programs to shine. 

What MD program has the highest acceptance rate?

That said, based on the data provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the schools with the highest acceptance rates for the most recent year are: CUNY School of Medicine: 100% acceptance rate. University of Mississippi: 46.29% acceptance rate. Mercer University: 14.37% acceptance rate.

What is a good first time MCAT score?

A good MCAT score is a score of 511 or higher, which would put you in at least the 82nd percentile rank among all test takers. The average MCAT score is a score of 501, and a “perfect” MCAT score is the maximum score of 528.

Should I retake the MCAT if I got a 500?

If you score a 500, it's a good idea to retake the MCAT—after you seek tutoring and develop more effective study strategies. However, if you score a 513, you could easily slip down to a 510 on a retake.

How many questions can you miss to get a 520 on the MCAT?

To get a 520 on the MCAT, you generally need to miss very few questions, perhaps only a handful across the entire test, but the exact number isn't fixed because scoring is scaled and depends on the test's overall difficulty and other test-takers' performance, meaning you could miss a few and still score high (around 97th percentile) or need near perfection. You can miss one or two questions per section and still score a perfect 132 on that section, but hitting a 520 (which requires high section scores like 130+) means extreme accuracy, often under 10 errors total for the whole exam.