Average MCAT Scores

MCAT

MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is conducted 22 times in a year by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges). The MCAT is administered in MCAT test centers situated in the US, Canada and various other countries. Most medical colleges accept the MCAT scores along with the applications for admissions to courses offered by them. The MCAT scores are considered along with other criteria for evaluation of the suitability of a candidate for admission.

MCAT is a computerized test and it consists of four sections, i.e. Physical Sciences section, Verbal Reasoning section, Writing Sample section and the Biological Sciences section. Your MCAT score report will consist of your individual scores in each of these sections and the total MCAT score.

MCAT Scores

As the MCAT score report consists of the section wise scores, it is important for you to do well in all the sections. Getting a high score in one or two of the sections will not suffice. You have to build up a high total MCAT score in order to get considered by the medical college admission committees for admissions. Low MCAT scores do not necessarily mean that you will not be able to get admission to a desired medical college program, as your undergraduate grades also carry a lot of weight age. However, exceptionally high MCAT scores may make the medical college admission committees consider you for admission in spite of not having done well in your undergraduate studies.

The scores of the Physical Sciences section, Verbal Reasoning section and the Biological Sciences section range from 1(low) to 15(high). You are given raw scores after evaluating each section and calculating the number of correct answers. These raw scores are then converted to scaled scores ranging from 1 to 15. These scaled scores ensure that two students having the same level of the skills being tested get the same scores irrespective of giving correct answers that are slightly different in number.

The Writing Sample section of the MCAT requires you to write two essays. Each essay is evaluated by two readers. Each of these scores ranges from 1 to 6. Therefore, you get four raw scores and the total of these scores is converted to an alphabetical scale ranging from J (low) to T (high). Two students who have got different individual scores may end up with the same scaled alphabetical score for the Writing Sample section.

Average MCAT scores

Students taking the MCAT are very curious to know the average MCAT scores attained by the ones who took the MCAT recently. This gives them an idea of the level of improvement needed after they get their scores by taking MCAT practice tests. At this point, it is important to bring out the fact that your MCAT practice test scores may not be an indication of your actual scores in the MCAT. The MCAT practice tests merely succeed in giving you practice in solving problems specific to the MCAT within the specified time frame. You should aim to score as high as possible in the MCAT rather than investigating the average MCAT scores of students who have taken the MCAT recently.

The maximum scaled score that you can get in each of the Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning and Biological Sciences sections is 15. The average MCAT score for each of these sections is 8. The average MCAT score for the Writing Sample section is N. However, you should not aim for scoring the average MCAT scores while preparing for the MCAT. This may lead to average MCAT scores that are much lower than anticipated. You should put in a lot of hard work in your MCAT prep with an aim to score as high as possible. Do not worry about the national average MCAT scores as they have no bearing on your probability of selection to a desired medical college program.

You may not be able to get admission to a reputed medical college program in spite of having a high MCAT score if you have a poor GPA. Some medical colleges take the total of your GPA and MCAT scores while considering you for admission. Therefore, if you have a low MCAT sore but have done exceedingly well in your undergraduate studies then you have a good chance of being selected. However, if you have a low GPA, then it is vital for you to score high in the MCAT if you want to get selected for a desired medical college program. Therefore, do not get influenced by the average MCAT scores as they are nothing more than an indication of the average performance of the MCAT test takers as a whole.

Go to page: Average Mcat Score - Page 1 : Average Mcat Score - Page 2

Free MCAT Practice Tests

Free MCAT Software Downloads

Best MCAT Books

MCAT Study Material

Latest Medical Schools Ranking

Medical Schools - Financial Aid Info