MCAT Percentiles Explained (2026): Chart & What’s a Good Score

Your MCAT score only means something in context — and that context is your percentile. A 510 sounds abstract until you know it puts you ahead of roughly 80% of test-takers. This guide explains exactly how MCAT percentiles work, what every score means, what counts as a “good” MCAT score for medical school, and how to move up the chart.

MCAT percentile chart (2026)

The table below shows the approximate percentile rank for each total MCAT score, based on the AAMC’s current percentile ranks (calculated from everyone who tested in 2023, 2024, and 2025). Percentiles shift by a point or two each year, so treat these as close approximations and confirm the exact value on the AAMC’s official percentile ranks page.

How MCAT percentiles work

A percentile rank tells you the percentage of test-takers who scored at or below your score. If your 508 sits at the 74th percentile, you scored as well as or better than about 74% of everyone who took the exam.

Two things are worth understanding about how the AAMC sets these:

• They update every May 1. The AAMC recalculates percentile ranks each year using data from the most recent three years of test-takers. That’s why a 511 might be the 83rd percentile one cycle and the 82nd the next — small, meaningful shifts rather than noise.
• The scaled score is fixed; the percentile is relative. Your 508 is always a 508, but what that 508 means relative to the applicant pool can drift slightly as the pool’s performance changes over time.

Because the scoring is normalized, the distribution is roughly bell-shaped and centered near 500 — which is why the jump from a 500 to a 510 (just ten scaled points) moves you from the 50th percentile all the way to about the 80th.

What the MCAT score distribution looks like

MCAT scores follow a roughly normal (bell-shaped) curve centered near 500. That shape explains a lot of the anxiety around the exam:

• The middle is crowded. Most test-takers cluster between about 494 and 506, so a few scaled points in this range translate into a big percentile swing. Moving from 500 to 504 — four points — jumps you from roughly the 50th to the 62nd percentile.
• The tails are thin. Very high and very low scores are rare. That’s why everything from 525 to 528 sits at essentially the 100th percentile, and why pushing from a 519 to a 522 (top of the curve) takes disproportionate effort for a smaller percentile gain.
• Above ~512, gains get harder. Once you’re past the 85th percentile, each additional point represents a thinner slice of test-takers, so improvement requires sharper, more targeted prep rather than broad content review.

Practically: if you’re sitting in the fat middle of the curve, you have the most to gain from focused studying — a modest score increase moves your percentile a lot. (Curious how tough the exam itself is? See our breakdown of how hard the MCAT is.)

What is a good MCAT score?

“Good” depends on your goal, but here’s the honest framing most pre-meds use:

• 500 (~50th percentile) — average. Workable for some DO and lower-tier MD programs, but below most MD medians.
• 506–509 (~68th–77th) — solid. Competitive for many DO programs and some MD schools, especially with a strong overall application.
• 510–513 (~80th–87th) — good to strong. This is the range most MD applicants aim for; 511–512 is around the median for students who actually get in.
• 515+ (~90th and up) — competitive for the majority of MD programs, including more selective ones.
• 518+ (~95th and up) — competitive even at the most selective schools, where median matriculant scores often sit in the 518–521 range.

One caveat: schools read your MCAT alongside your GPA, clinical experience, research, and personal statement. A 510 with a compelling application can beat a 515 without one. The percentile gets you screened in; the rest of the application gets you interviewed.

What MCAT percentile do you need for medical school?

There’s no universal cutoff, but the matriculant data gives you realistic targets:

• MD programs (US): the median MCAT for accepted students is roughly 511–512 (~83rd–85th percentile). Most successful MD applicants score 508 or higher.
• DO programs (US): medians run lower, commonly around 504–506 (~62nd–68th percentile), making DO a realistic path for strong applicants in the 500–508 range.
• Top-20 MD programs: matriculant medians frequently sit at 518–521 (~95th–98th percentile).

Use your target schools’ published matriculant data (in the MSAR for MD and the AACOMAS profiles for DO) to set a percentile goal — then build a study plan to hit it.

MCAT percentile vs GPA: how schools combine them

Admissions committees rarely look at your MCAT percentile in isolation — they read it next to your GPA, and the two together form the first screen. The AAMC publishes grids showing acceptance rates by MCAT-and-GPA combination, and the pattern is consistent: a strong score can partly offset a lower GPA, and a high GPA can soften a middling score, but being weak on both is the hardest position to recover from.

A useful way to think about it:

• High MCAT + high GPA — the most favorable position; opens the widest range of programs.
• High MCAT + lower GPA — the score signals you can handle the academic rigor; an upward GPA trend or a postbac helps the case.
• Lower MCAT + high GPA — often the situation where a retake pays off most, because the score is the limiting factor.
• Lower on both — DO programs, postbac/SMP programs, and reapplication after improving both metrics become the realistic paths.

The takeaway: your percentile is a lever, not a verdict. Where it’s your weakest metric, it’s also where focused effort changes your odds the most.

Section scores and percentiles

Your total is the sum of four sections, each scored 118–132 (so 125 is the midpoint of each, and 500 is the midpoint overall):

• Chemical and Physical Foundations (Chem/Phys)
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)
• Biological and Biochemical Foundations (Bio/Biochem)
• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations (Psych/Soc)

Admissions committees look at section balance, not just the total. A 510 built on four even 127–128 sections reads better than a 510 propped up by a 132 in one section and a 122 in another, because a low section (especially CARS, which many schools weight heavily) can flag a specific weakness. Aim for an even distribution as well as a strong total.

As a rough per-section guide, the midpoint of each section is 125 (the ~50th percentile for that section), and the section scores roughly map like this:

• 125 — about average for the section.
• 127–128 — good; a balanced set of these lands you around a 508–512 total.
• 129–130 — strong; the range top applicants tend to hit across the board.
• 131–132 — exceptional and uncommon for any single section.

CARS deserves special attention. It’s the section many programs scrutinize most because it can’t be crammed with content review, and it’s also the hardest to raise quickly. If one section is going to drag your percentile, it’s usually CARS — so it’s often where focused practice pays the biggest dividend.

Is an MCAT retake worth it?

A retake makes sense when the percentile gain is large enough to change which schools are realistic — generally a projected improvement of 3+ scaled points, which can move you a full 10–15 percentiles in the meaty middle of the curve (e.g., 504 → 508 jumps roughly from the 62nd to the 74th percentile). It’s usually not worth it if you’re already above your target schools’ medians, or if you can only expect a 1-point bump. Schools see all your scores, and most focus on your highest or most recent — but a big unexplained drop on a retake can hurt, so only retake when you’re confident you’ll improve.

How to move up the percentile chart

Percentiles reward preparation more than raw talent. The students who jump from the 60th to the 85th percentile almost always do it with a structured study plan, full-length practice exams under real conditions, and targeted review of weak sections — not by re-reading content passively.

Keep your percentile in perspective

It’s easy to fixate on a single number, but a few things are worth remembering. Most medical schools practice holistic review — your percentile gets you past the initial screen, but interviews and offers hinge on the whole picture: experiences, fit, letters, and your story. Plenty of applicants below a school’s median get in with a standout application, and plenty above it don’t. Your scores are also valid for several years (see how long MCAT scores last), so a strong result keeps working for you across application cycles. And if your percentile isn’t where you want it, it is one of the few parts of your application you can directly and measurably improve with preparation — unlike a GPA that’s largely locked in. Treat the percentile as feedback, not a final grade.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good MCAT percentile?

A score at the 80th percentile or higher (around a 510) is generally considered good, and the 90th percentile (about a 515) is competitive for most MD programs. The median for students who actually matriculate into MD schools is roughly the 83rd–85th percentile (around 511–512).

What is the average MCAT score?

The average (median) MCAT score among all test-takers is about 500–501, which sits at roughly the 50th percentile. Note that the average score among students who get accepted to medical school is much higher — around 511–512 for MD programs.

Is a 500 MCAT score good?

A 500 is exactly average — about the 50th percentile. It’s workable for some DO programs and a few MD schools, particularly with a strong GPA and application, but it’s below the median for accepted MD students, so most MD applicants aim higher.

What percentile is a 510 on the MCAT?

A 510 is approximately the 80th percentile, meaning you scored as well as or better than about 80% of test-takers. It’s widely viewed as a good, competitive score and is near the lower end of the typical MD matriculant range.

What is the highest MCAT score and percentile?

The highest possible MCAT score is 528, which corresponds to the 100th percentile. Scores of 522 and above all fall within roughly the top 1% of test-takers.

How often do MCAT percentiles change?

The AAMC updates MCAT percentile ranks every year on May 1, using data from the three most recent years of test-takers. Changes are small (usually a percentile or two per score) and reflect real shifts in how the applicant pool performs.

Do medical schools care about percentile or scaled score?

Both, but they ultimately think in percentiles — that’s how they compare you to other applicants. Your scaled score (e.g., 511) is the number on your report; the percentile (e.g., ~83rd) is what tells a committee how you stack up against the pool.

Reviewed by the OnlineCourseing editorial team. Last updated June 2026. Percentile data is drawn from the AAMC’s official percentile ranks (current data from 2023–2025 test-takers); always confirm the exact figure for a given score on the AAMC’s site.