Last updated: September 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. Testing limits, void rules, fees, score-release timing and the 2027 calendar re-read directly on the AAMC’s MCAT pages and the MCAT Essentials for 2026 on 21 September 2026. See our review methodology.
THE SHORT ANSWER
You can take the MCAT three times in one testing year, four times across two consecutive testing years and seven times in your lifetime. Voided exams and no-shows count toward every one of those limits, and you can hold only one appointment at a time.
- Schools see every exam you choose to score. The AAMC says retaking does not put you at a disadvantage in itself.
- There is no pass or fail. Totals run from 472 to 528; “good enough” depends on your schools.
- A retake costs the full $355. Scores arrive 30 to 35 days after each exam.
VERIFIED ON AAMC.ORG, 21 SEPTEMBER 2026
| Limit | Maximum attempts | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| One testing year (January to September) | 3 | A fourth sitting has to wait for the next testing year. |
| Two consecutive testing years | 4 | Three this year means only one next year. |
| Lifetime (counted from April 2015) | 7 | Reaching seven closes registration unless the AAMC grants an appeal. |
| Appointments held at once | 1 | You cannot book a backup date while another seat is on your account. |
Source: AAMC MCAT FAQs and the MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2026. The lifetime count starts with the April 2015 test dates, when the current exam began.
Compare MCAT prep courses before a retake →
The three MCAT testing limits, explained
Before you spend money on the wrong online course, read this.
Get the free 2026 Platform Comparison Guide — 12 platforms compared on price, certificates, and refund policies. Instant PDF, plus my honest Tuesday picks.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
The limits stack, so the tightest one applies at any moment. The easiest way to see how they interact is to follow one hypothetical candidate through three testing years.
The single-year limit: three
The MCAT runs on a testing year that goes from January to September. The 2027 testing year opens on 15 January and closes on 11 September. Within those months you can sit the exam three times. There is no fixed gap you must leave between sittings, but because you can hold only one appointment at a time, you cannot line up a second date until the first exam has happened.
The two-year limit: four
Across any two consecutive testing years you get four attempts in total. Use all three in 2027 and you have one left for 2028. Take it once in 2027 and you could, in principle, take it three times in 2028. Most people who hit this rule are retaking in a hurry to meet an application deadline.
The lifetime limit: seven
Seven attempts is the lifetime ceiling. Once you reach it, the AAMC will not let you register again unless it grants an appeal. Appeals exist, but the AAMC decides them at its sole discretion, may ask for documentation, and hears no more than one per testing year.
| Candidate’s plan | 2027 attempts | 2028 attempts | Allowed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test once, retake once | 2 | 0 | Yes |
| Test three times this year | 3 | 1 | Yes, but only one in 2028 |
| Two this year, two next | 2 | 2 | Yes (four across the two years) |
| Three this year, two next | 3 | 2 | No: five in two consecutive years |
What counts as an attempt
This is where people lose attempts without realising it. The AAMC is explicit that three outcomes use one up:
- A scored exam. The ordinary case.
- A voided exam. At the end of the test you get one chance to score or void it. Voiding keeps the exam off your record, but it still counts toward all three limits, and the choice cannot be reversed.
- A no-show. That includes arriving with ID that does not match the first and last name on your registration. The AAMC treats that as a no-show, keeps the fee and counts the appointment.
What does not count is a seat you release in time. You can reschedule or cancel up to the 10-day deadline, with fees that rise as the date gets closer, and a reservation you cancel is not an attempt. Inside 10 days, no changes are allowed at all, so your options narrow to sitting the exam or not showing up.
SHOULD YOU VOID?
Void only when something on the day clearly broke your performance: illness, a disrupted room, a panic that cost you a section. The AAMC leaves that judgement to you. Voiding because the exam “felt hard” is usually a mistake, since almost everyone feels that way, and it spends an attempt with nothing to show for it.
Do medical schools see every attempt?
Schools see every exam you chose to score. They do not see voided exams. What they do with multiple scores is up to each school: some weigh the most recent score, some the highest, and some consider all of them together. The AAMC’s Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) guide records each school’s policy, and it is worth checking your shortlist before you decide to retake.
On the question most people are really asking, the AAMC’s own advice is reassuring. In its guide to choosing when to test, it says many examinees take the exam more than once and that taking it more than once “does not put you at a disadvantage.” The risk is not the second attempt. It is a second attempt that does not move the score.
Should you retake the MCAT? Four questions to decide
There is no pass mark, so a retake decision is really a comparison between your score and the schools you are applying to. Work through these in order.
1. Is your score below the range your schools admit?
Look up the median MCAT of admitted students at each school on your list in MSAR. If you are comfortably inside the range at most of them, a retake has little to gain. If you are several points below at nearly all of them, it probably does. For context, the AAMC’s current percentile table puts a 500 at the 48th percentile, a 508 at the 74th, a 510 at the 79th and a 515 at the 91st. Our guide to MCAT percentiles has the full table.
2. Is one section dragging the total down?
Each section is scored from 118 to 132. A total in range can still hide one weak section, and some schools look for balance. A single weak area is also the easiest thing to fix, because you know exactly where the extra study hours should go.
3. Do you know what went wrong?
This is the question that predicts whether a retake works. “I ran out of time in CARS” or “I never reviewed biochemistry properly” are problems with a fix. “I don’t know, it just felt hard” is not yet a reason to book another $355 exam. Your score report breaks each section down; use it, and compare it against the AAMC’s full-length practice exams before you commit.
4. Can you change how you prepare, not just how long?
Repeating the same plan for another month tends to produce the same score. A retake that works usually changes the method: more full-length exams under real timing, a proper review of every missed question, a structured course or a tutor for the weak section. If nothing about your preparation will be different, wait until it can be.
See Kaplan’s on-demand MCAT course →
How soon can you retake the MCAT?
The AAMC sets no minimum gap. The real constraints are the calendar and the scores. Results are released 30 to 35 days after each exam, by 5 p.m. Eastern on the scheduled date, and you can hold only one appointment at a time. That makes the sensible sequence: sit the exam, wait for the score, decide, then book.
The 2027 US calendar shows how that works in practice. These dates come straight from the AAMC’s scheduling and score-release calendar:
| If you test on | Scores arrive | A realistic retake date | 10-day deadline for that date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2027 | 16 February | 9 April | 30 March |
| 19 March 2027 | 20 April | 29 May | 19 May |
| 1 May 2027 | 2 June | 23 July | 13 July |
| 11 June 2027 | 13 July | 20 August | 10 August |
Two things follow. First, if you think you might need a second attempt, test early in the testing year. The AAMC gives exactly that advice, because it leaves room to see your score and still find a seat. Second, the last dates of the year, 10 and 11 September 2027, leave no room at all: their scores arrive on 12 October, after the testing year has closed.
Registration for every 2027 date opens on 20, 21 or 22 October 2026, depending on where your test centre is. The AAMC’s 2027 registration page lists which states open on which day.
What a retake costs
Every attempt is a full registration. These are the AAMC’s fees for the 2026 testing year:
| Item | Standard | With Fee Assistance |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | $355 | $145 |
| International fee (outside the US, Canada and US territories) | +$130 | +$130 |
| Reschedule 60 or more days out | $55 | $25 |
| Reschedule 30 to 59 days out | $110 | $45 |
| Reschedule 10 to 29 days out | $210 | $85 |
| Refund if you cancel 30 or more days out | $175 | $75 |
| Refund if you cancel 10 to 29 days out | $0 | $0 |
The AAMC Fee Assistance Program cuts the registration fee to $145 and adds free MCAT Official Prep materials. You must be approved before you book, so apply early if you think you qualify. Beyond the fees, the real cost of a retake is preparation time, and for many people another month or two before an application cycle.
How many people take the MCAT?
The AAMC’s percentile ranks in effect from May 2026 to April 2027 are built from 305,494 scored exams across the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years, or roughly 100,000 a year. Two caveats matter. That figure counts exams, not people, because a retaker appears once for every scored attempt. And voided exams are not in it at all. The same table puts the average total score at 500.6, with a standard deviation of 11.2.
Check where your MCAT score sits →
Can you fail the MCAT?
No. The MCAT has no pass mark. Each of the four sections is scored from 118 to 132 and the total from 472 to 528, and the AAMC scales and equates every form of the exam so a score means the same thing whichever date you sat. What exists instead is a score that is competitive, or not, for a particular school. That is the comparison to make before deciding to retake.
The exam itself is long, which is part of why a first attempt can go wrong. The AAMC’s section overviews (for example Biological and Biochemical Foundations and CARS) set the structure:
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems | 59 | 95 minutes |
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) | 53 | 90 minutes |
| Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems | 59 | 95 minutes |
| Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior | 59 | 95 minutes |
| Total | 230 | 6 hours 15 minutes, plus optional breaks of 10, 30 and 10 minutes |
Breaks are optional, and any time you skip or finish early does not carry over. For a fuller look at why the exam is hard, see how hard is the MCAT.
A retake plan that changes the result
- Read your score report section by section. Identify the one or two areas that cost you most, not just the total.
- Take a fresh AAMC full-length under real timing. The AAMC’s own practice exams are the closest thing to the real test and give you a new baseline.
- Review every missed and flagged question. Write down why you missed it (content gap, misread, timing) and what you will do differently.
- Spend the gap between practice exams on your weaknesses. The AAMC’s study-plan guidance says the same: work on a significant share of your weak areas before the next full-length.
- Add structure if self-study failed you. A course or a tutor makes sense when the first plan lacked accountability or coverage, not as a default.
- Book the retake only when your practice scores have moved. If two consecutive full-lengths are not above your real score, the date is too early.
If a structured course is the missing piece, Kaplan’s on-demand MCAT course is listed from $1,599 on its site (checked 21 September 2026), and Kaplan offers a higher-score-or-money-back guarantee with conditions attached. For one weak section, Kaplan’s tutoring is the more targeted spend. Our best MCAT prep courses guide compares Kaplan with Blueprint, the Princeton Review and the free routes.
Compare Kaplan’s MCAT tutoring →
If your score still does not move
Two or three attempts at the same score is information. Before spending a fourth, consider the alternatives:
- Change the school list. Your score may already be competitive somewhere; MSAR is the place to find out.
- Strengthen the rest of the application. Clinical experience, research and a stronger personal statement all carry weight while your MCAT stays valid; the AAMC notes most schools accept scores from the past two or three years.
- Look at programs that do not require the MCAT. A small number exist, mostly early-assurance and combined degrees. See medical schools that don’t require the MCAT.
- Consider a different route into healthcare. Roles such as medical assistant get you into clinical work in months, not years.
MCAT retake FAQs
How many times can you take the MCAT?
Three times in one testing year, four times across two consecutive testing years, and seven times in your lifetime. The AAMC counts voided exams and no-shows toward all three limits, and you can hold only one appointment at a time.
Can you take the MCAT more than seven times?
Not without an exception. The AAMC may consider an appeal of the testing limits and can ask for supporting documentation, but approval is at its sole discretion and it will not consider more than one appeal in a testing year. Plan as if seven is a hard ceiling.
Does a voided MCAT count as an attempt?
Yes. At the end of the exam you get one chance to score or void it, and the decision cannot be reversed. A voided exam is not scored or sent to schools, but it still uses one of your attempts. A no-show counts the same way, including being turned away because your ID does not match your registration.
How soon can you retake the MCAT?
The AAMC sets no waiting period, but you can hold only one appointment at a time and scores take 30 to 35 days to arrive. In practice, most retakers wait for their scores, then book a date at least a few weeks out. Plenty of 2027 dates sit six to ten weeks apart, which leaves time to score, decide and study.
Do medical schools see all your MCAT scores?
They see every exam you chose to score. Voided exams are not reported. Each school sets its own policy for multiple scores: some weigh the most recent, some the highest, some look at all of them. The AAMC’s Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) guide lists each school’s approach.
Is it bad to take the MCAT twice?
Not in itself. The AAMC says taking the exam more than once does not put you at a disadvantage, and that many examinees test more than once. What schools read is the pattern: a clear improvement tells a good story, while a repeat at the same score, or a drop, is harder to explain.
Can you fail the MCAT?
No. There is no pass mark. Each of the four sections is scored from 118 to 132 and the total from 472 to 528. Whether a score is good enough depends on the schools you apply to, which is why comparing your score with their admitted-student ranges matters more than any single cutoff.
How much does it cost to retake the MCAT?
The same as the first time: $355 in 2026, or $145 with AAMC Fee Assistance, plus a $130 international fee outside the US, Canada and US territories. Moving a date costs $55 at 60 or more days out, $110 at 30 to 59 days and $210 at 10 to 29 days. No changes are allowed inside 10 days.
How many people take the MCAT each year?
The AAMC does not publish a single yearly headcount on its percentile tables, but those tables are built from 305,494 scored exams across the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years, or roughly 100,000 a year. That counts exams rather than people, because a retaker appears once for every scored attempt.
Bottom line
Three a year, four in two years, seven for life, and voids and no-shows count against all of them. Within those limits, a retake is not a black mark: the AAMC says so plainly, and most schools care far more about where you finish than how many sittings it took. Retake when you can name what went wrong and change how you prepare, test early in the year so there is room for another attempt, and check your schools’ policies in MSAR before you book.
Start a structured MCAT retake plan →
Related MCAT guides: When to start studying · When MCAT scores come out · How long MCAT scores last · MCAT percentiles · How hard is the MCAT · What to bring on test day · Best MCAT resources · Kaplan vs Princeton Review · All test prep guides