MCAT Percentiles: Full Statistics

While the national average MCAT score is 500.7 for the 2024-2025 academic year, prospective students need a 512 — a score closer to the 85th percentile — to have a real shot at getting into medical school.

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Jane Nam is a staff writer for BestColleges' Data Center. Before her work on higher education data trends, Jane was a news writer and the managing editor for an academic journal. She has graduate degrees in social and political philosophy and women's...

Updated on June 4, 2024

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Lyss Welding is a higher education analyst and senior editor for BestColleges who specializes in translating massive data sets and finding statistics that matter to students. Lyss has worked in academic research, curriculum design, and program evalua...

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Data Summary

To score in the 90th percentile of any given MCAT section, you'll need at least a 125-126, depending on the section.^{Note Reference [1]}
To have scored in the 75th percentile, you must have scored greater than 508.^{Note Reference [1]}
To have an MCAT score in the 50th percentile, you must have scored greater than 500.^{Note Reference [1]}
Scoring 492 or below means you are in the 25th percentile or below.^{Note Reference [1]}

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 is 500.7. Percentile rankings are based on MCAT results from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 testing years combined. The AAMC uses these scores to calculate percentile rankings through April 30, 2024, until the next update on May 1 of the following year.^{Note Reference [1]}

To be in the 75th percentile, you must score greater than 508.
To be in the 50th percentile, you must score greater than 500.
To score in the 25th percentile, you must achieve a result of 492.
Scoring below 492 means you are in the bottom quarter of test takers.

MCAT Total Scores and Percentiles, 2024-2025
Total Score	Percentile Rank
524-528	100
522-523	99
521	98
520	97
519	96
518	95
517	94
516	92
515	91
514	89
513	87
512	84
511	82
510	79
509	76
508	73
507	70
506	67
505	64
504	61
503	58
502	54
501	51
500	48
499	45

The average total MCAT score has increased since 2015 when a new version of the exam was released.^{Note Reference [2]} This means that the 50th percentile, which reflects the median score of test takers, has gone up. In 2015, a score of 500 was the 50th percentile, whereas the number is now 500.7 in 2024-2025.

MCAT Percentiles Broken Down by Section

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

The only section score averages that have increased since 2015 are the biological and biochemical foundations of living systems (BBLS) section and the psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior (PSBB) section.

Since 2015, the section score averages of the chemical and physical foundations of biological systems (CPBS) and critical analysis and reasoning skills (CARS) sections have remained the same.

MCAT Percentiles for the CPBS Section

To score in the 50th percentile for the CPBS section, you must have scored 124.9 in 2024-2025.
To score in the 90th percentile, you must have scored above 128.

MCAT Scores and Percentiles for the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Section, 2024-2025
Section Score	Percentile Rank
132	100
131	99
130	96
129	92
128	85
127	77
126	67
125	56
124	46
123	34
122	24
121	16
120	9
119	4
118	2

MCAT Percentiles for the CARS Section

The average MCAT score for the CARS section was 124.6 in 2024-2025.
To score in the 90th percentile, you must have scored 128 or higher.

MCAT Scores and Percentiles for the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Section, 2024-2025
Section Score	Percentile Rank
132	100
131	99
130	98
129	95
128	90
127	83
126	73
125	61
124	49
123	36
122	25
121	15
120	8
119	3
118	1

MCAT Percentiles for the BBLS Section

The average MCAT score for the BBLS section has increased by 0.2 points in the past nine years.

To score in the 50th percentile for the BBLS section, you must have scored 125.2 in 2024-2025, 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 90th. Another big drop occurs between a section score of 127, which puts you in the 75th percentile, and a section score of 126, which puts you in the 64th percentile.

MCAT Scores and Percentiles for the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Section, 2024-2025
Section Score	Percentile Rank
132	100
131	99
130	96
129	90
128	83
127	75
126	64
125	53
124	42
123	31
122	23
121	14
120	8
119	4
118	2

MCAT Percentiles for the PSBB Section

The average MCAT score for the PSBB section has gone up the most.

To score in the 50th percentile for the PSBB section, you must have scored 125.9 in 2024-2025, up from 125 in 2015.
This is a 0.9 point increase in nine years.
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.

MCAT Scores and Percentiles for the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Section (2024-2025)
Section Score	Percentile Rank
132	100
131	97
130	93
129	85
128	76
127	65
126	54
125	43
124	33
123	24
122	16
121	10
120	5
119	2
118	1

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.^{Note Reference [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 125 in each of the four sections and have a total score of 500 are strong contenders to succeed in medical school. 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.^{Note Reference [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?

Since the 2015 revision of the exam, more questions have been added to give what the AAMC claims to be more reliable scores.^{Note Reference [4]}

Percentile Ranks for the MCAT Exam. AAMC. Accessed May 2024. (back to footnote 1 in content ⤶)
Changing the MCAT Exam. AAMC. Accessed May 2024. (back to footnote 2 in content ⤶)
The MCAT Score Scale. AAMC. Accessed May 2024. (back to footnote 3 in content ⤶)
Looking at an Applicant's MCAT Score Profile. AAMC. Accessed May 2024. (back to footnote 4 in content ⤶)

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MCAT Percentiles: Full Statistics | BestColleges (2024)