MCAT Score Statistics (2026): Averages and Percentiles

The average MCAT score is 500.6, across 305,494 scores from 2023 to 2025 (AAMC). Students admitted to US MD medical schools score much higher: the fall 2025 entering class averaged 512.1, about the 84th percentile, according to AAMC FACTS Table A-16. Applicants scoring above 517 were accepted 79.9% of the time.

Every number on this page comes from the Association of American Medical Colleges, which runs the MCAT and publishes admissions data for US MD-granting schools. For advice on what score to aim for, see our guide to MCAT scores and medical school admissions.

Average MCAT score

The average MCAT total is 500.6 out of 528, and each of the four sections averages about 125 out of 132.

• The MCAT total runs from 472 to 528, and each section from 118 to 132 (AAMC percentile table).
• The mean total score is 500.6 with a standard deviation of 11.2, based on all 305,494 scores from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years combined. It counts every exam administered in those years (AAMC, 2026).
• Section means: Chemical and Physical Foundations 124.9, Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) 124.6, Biological and Biochemical Foundations 125.1, and Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations 125.9 (AAMC, 2026).
• CARS has the lowest mean and the narrowest spread, a standard deviation of 2.9 against 3.2 to 3.3 for the other sections. A 124 in CARS is exactly the 50th percentile (AAMC, 2026).
• The AAMC updates percentile ranks every May 1 using the three most recent testing years. The current table covers May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027 (AAMC, 2026).

MCAT percentiles: what each score means

A 510 beats about 4 in 5 test takers, and a 515 puts you in the top 10%.

• The middle of the distribution is crowded: each point between 495 and 505 moves you about 3 percentile points. Going from 500 (48th) to 505 (64th) passes 16% of test takers (AAMC, 2026).
• At the top it thins out: 522, 523 and 524 are all the 99th percentile, and 525 and above are the 100th (AAMC, 2026).
• The average applicant score (506.3) sits at about the 67th percentile, and the average matriculant score (512.1) at about the 84th (our reading of the AAMC table using the nearest whole score).

Average MCAT score for medical school applicants and matriculants

Applicants average about 506 and admitted students about 512, and neither figure has changed much since 2020.

• Matriculants for fall 2025 averaged 512.1 (SD 6.5), with section means of 128.0, 127.0, 128.2 and 129.0 (AAMC FACTS Table A-16).
• Their mean GPA was 3.81 overall and 3.75 in science courses, up from 3.73 and 3.66 in 2020-2021. GPAs have risen every year while MCAT averages stayed flat (AAMC Table A-16).
• Applicants averaged 506.3 (SD 10.0) and a GPA of 3.67 (AAMC Table A-16).
• About 2% of applicants apply without an MCAT score each year, and from 2025-2026 the AAMC counts MCAT scores through August instead of April, which slightly changes comparisons with earlier years (AAMC Table A-16 notes).

Medical school acceptance rate by MCAT score

Fewer than half of US MD applicants get in, and the odds climb from under 1% to about 80% as MCAT scores rise.

• Over the three cycles from 2023-2024 to 2025-2026, 70,289 of 155,940 applicants were accepted, a rate of 45.1% (AAMC FACTS Table A-23).
• Above 517, 79.9% were accepted. At 510 to 513, 62.4%. At 506 to 509, roughly the applicant average, 47.1%. At 498 to 501, the national average, 22.2% (AAMC Table A-23).
• Below 486, only 37 of 6,116 applicants were accepted, 0.6% (AAMC Table A-23).
• For fall 2025, 24,300 of 54,699 applicants were accepted (44.4%), and 23,440 enrolled. First-time applicants rose 8.4% to 41,830 (AAMC FACTS Table A-7.2).
• Applications peaked at 62,443 for fall 2021 entry, then fell for three years before rising again in 2025-2026 (AAMC Table A-7.2).

MCAT and GPA together

A high MCAT can't fully make up for a low GPA, and vice versa. Acceptance rates for selected combinations, 2023-2024 to 2025-2026 combined:

• An applicant with a GPA of 3.00 to 3.19 and an MCAT above 517 had lower odds (46.5%) than an applicant with a GPA above 3.79 and an MCAT of only 506 to 509 (57.1%) (AAMC Table A-23).
• The largest single group of applicants had a GPA above 3.79: 67,816 of 155,940, of whom 63.7% were accepted (AAMC Table A-23).

MCAT scores by college major

Math and physical science majors score highest on the MCAT, but most matriculants still major in biology.

• Among fall 2025 matriculants, math and statistics majors averaged 515.8, physical sciences 513.8, humanities 513.0, social sciences 512.2, biological sciences 511.9 and specialized health sciences 511.1 (AAMC FACTS Table A-17).
• Among applicants, the gap was bigger: math majors averaged 511.6 and humanities majors 508.8, against 506.3 for biology majors and 504.0 for specialized health sciences majors (AAMC Table A-17).
• Humanities majors averaged 126.9 in CARS among applicants, against 125.8 for all applicants and 125.7 for biology majors; only math and statistics majors scored higher (127.0) (AAMC Table A-17).

Who applies to medical school

• Women were 57.2% of US MD applicants and 55.0% of matriculants for fall 2025. In 2016-2017, men were the majority of applicants, at 51.4% (AAMC FACTS Table A-7.2).
• Applicant numbers rose 5.3% in 2025-2026 while acceptances rose only 0.5%, from 24,172 to 24,300 (AAMC Table A-7.2).

Common misreadings of MCAT statistics

• "The average MCAT score is 512." That is the average of students who got into MD schools. The average of everyone who takes the test is 500.6, and the average applicant scores 506.3.
• "A 510 is the minimum to get in." There is no national cutoff. 22.2% of applicants scoring 498 to 501 were accepted somewhere, and 30.6% of those with that score and a GPA above 3.79 (AAMC Table A-23). Schools publish their own medians.
• "A higher MCAT guarantees admission." Even above 517, about 1 in 5 applicants were not accepted (AAMC Table A-23).

If you are preparing now, our MCAT study guide covers how to plan your prep, and our medical student Anki statistics cover what happens after you get in.

Methodology

All figures come from the AAMC: the MCAT percentile ranks in effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, and the 2025 FACTS tables on applicants and matriculants to US MD-granting medical schools (published for the 2025-2026 cycle). DO schools, Caribbean schools and Canadian schools are not included. Percentile readings for the applicant and matriculant averages use the nearest whole score in the AAMC table. All figures were checked against the AAMC files in October 2026.

Sources

1. Association of American Medical Colleges (2026). Summary of MCAT Total and Section Scores: Percentile Ranks in Effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.
2. Association of American Medical Colleges (2025). FACTS Table A-16: MCAT Scores and GPAs for Applicants and Matriculants to U.S. MD-Granting Medical Schools, 2020-2021 through 2025-2026.
3. Association of American Medical Colleges (2025). FACTS Table A-7.2: Applicants, First-Time Applicants, Acceptees, and Matriculants to U.S. MD-Granting Medical Schools by Gender, 2016-2017 through 2025-2026.
4. Association of American Medical Colleges (2025). FACTS Table A-17: MCAT and GPAs for Applicants and Matriculants by Primary Undergraduate Major, 2025-2026.
5. Association of American Medical Colleges (2025). FACTS Table A-23: MCAT and GPA Grid for Applicants and Acceptees to U.S. MD-Granting Medical Schools, 2023-2024 through 2025-2026.
6. Association of American Medical Colleges. 2025 FACTS: Applicants and Matriculants Data.

Cite this page

You are welcome to use these statistics in your own writing. Please credit StudyCards AI with a link to this page.

APA

Groves, C. (2026). MCAT Score Statistics: Averages and Percentiles. StudyCards AI. https://studycardsai.com/blog/mcat-score-statistics

HTML link

<a href="https://studycardsai.com/blog/mcat-score-statistics">MCAT Score Statistics: Averages and Percentiles</a> Copy HTML

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average MCAT score?

500.6, with a standard deviation of 11.2, across 305,494 MCAT scores from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years (AAMC percentile ranks in effect May 2026 to April 2027). A score of 500 sits at the 48th percentile and 501 at the 52nd, so the median is about 501.

What is the average MCAT score for medical school?

Students who started at US MD-granting medical schools in fall 2025 averaged 512.1 on the MCAT, according to AAMC FACTS Table A-16 (23,440 matriculants). The average applicant scored 506.3. Matriculant averages have stayed between 511.5 and 512.1 since 2020-2021.

What MCAT score is the 90th percentile?

515 is the 91st percentile and 514 the 89th, so a score of about 515 puts you in the top 10% (AAMC, percentile ranks in effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027). 510 is the 79th percentile, 520 the 97th, and 522 the 99th.

What percentile is a 527 on the MCAT?

The 100th. In the AAMC table in effect from May 2026, every score from 525 to 528 is listed at the 100th percentile, because almost every score from the 2023 to 2025 testing years was at or below it. 528 is the maximum possible score.

What MCAT score do you need to get into medical school?

There is no cutoff, but odds rise steeply with score. From 2023-2024 to 2025-2026, 79.9% of US MD applicants scoring above 517 were accepted, 47.1% of those scoring 506 to 509 and 22.2% of those scoring 498 to 501 (AAMC Table A-23, 155,940 applicants).