MCAT Percentiles: Full Statistics

Medical schools use the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) to evaluate prospective medical students' readiness for graduate school. Schools use MCAT scores, along with GPAs, as a way to compare applicants.

This article focuses on test takers pursuing medical degrees (MDs) at medical school, but podiatry school, anesthesiology school, MD/PHD programs, and osteopathic schools also use the MCAT for admissions.

Read on to find out more about national MCAT percentiles, broken down by total scores and section scores.

MCAT Percentiles

The MCAT score ranges from 472-528. The average MCAT score was 501.5 for those who took the test between May 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022.^{Note Reference [1]}

• To be in the 75th percentile, you must score higher than a 509.^{Note Reference [1]}
• To be in the 50th percentile, you must score greater than a 501.6.^{Note Reference [1]}
• To score in or above the 25th percentile, you must achieve a result above 493.^{Note Reference [1]}
• Scoring 493 or below means you are in the bottom quarter of test takers.^{Note Reference [1]}

Note that you cannot score in the 100th or 0th percentiles, as these are just theoretical. They act as placeholders, however, and can be useful in better understanding the score range. 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.^[2] This means that the 50th percentile, which reflects the median score of test takers, has gone up. In 2015, a score of 500.0 was the 50th percentile, whereas the number is now 501.5 in 2021-2022.

MCAT Percentiles Broken Down by Section

The MCAT exam has four sections, all scored on a scale of 118-132.

All section score averages have gone up since 2015, except for the critical analysis and reasoning skills (CARS) section.

MCAT Percentiles for the CPBS Section

• To score in the 50th percentile for the chemical and physical foundations of biological systems (CPBS) section, you must have scored 125.2 in 2021-2022, up from 125.0 in 2015.
• To score in the 90th percentile, you must have scored above 128.

MCAT Percentiles for the CARS Section

The average MCAT score for the critical analysis and reasoning skills (CARS) section is the only average section score to have gone down in the past six years.

• To score in the 50th percentile for the CARS section, you must have scored 124.8 in 2021-2022, down from 124.9 in 2015.
• To score in the 90th percentile, you must have scored 128 or higher.

MCAT Percentiles for the BBLS Section

The average MCAT score for the biological and biochemical foundations of living systems (BBLS) section has increased by 0.5 points in the past six years.

• To score in the 50th percentile for the BBLS section, you must have scored 125.5 in 2021-2022, up from 125.0 in 2015.
• To score in the 90th percentile, you must have scored at least 129.

Note the drastic percentile drop from getting a section score of 130 versus 129. Although just a one-point difference, the percentile drops from 96th to 89th. Another big drop occurs between a section score of 127, which puts you in the 71st percentile, and a section score of 126, which puts you in the 60th percentile.

MCAT Percentiles for the PSBB Section

The average MCAT score for the psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior (PSBB) section has gone up the most.

• To score in the 50th percentile for the PSBB section, you must have scored 126.0 in 2021-2022, up from 125.1 in 2015. This is a 0.9 point increase.
• The PSBB section has the highest average score, meaning that test takers tend to score the highest in this section.
• To score in the 90th percentile, you must have scored higher than 129.

Frequently Asked Questions About the MCAT

How is the MCAT scored?

The MCAT has four sections, and each section is graded on a scale from 118-132.^[3] The sums of the four section scores are then added up to calculate the total score.

According to the AAMC, students who score about a 125 in each of the four sections and have a total score of 500 are strong contenders to succeed in medical school.^{Note Reference [3]} As past MCAT exam research shows, they will likely get accepted into medical school, graduate in four or five years, and pass their licensing exams on the first try.^{Note Reference [3]}

What will an MCAT score profile tell me?

Section scores highlight an applicant's strengths and weaknesses. Medical schools look at an applicant's reported scores for each section and compare them with their course grades and courses taken. This way, the institutions gain a better sense of what a prospective student might find to be more or less challenging during their graduate studies.^[4]

Section scores can also be compared with national percentiles to see how a student compares to other test takers of the same year. Are they in the top half of test takers? Are they in the 90th percentile?