Understanding Your score Report

Your MCAT score report provides a great deal of information designed to highlight your strengths and weaknesses. Understanding the components of your score report is not only important for you personally, but also because this is the same information that admissions committees will be using to evaluate your readiness for success in the medical school curricula.

Percentile Ranks

Percentile ranks show how your scores compare to other examinees who took the new version of the MCAT as you. You will receive percentile ranks for each individual section score and for your overall total score.

Confidence Bands

Confidence bands show the accuracy of your section and total scores. Similar to the past version of the MCAT exam and other standardized tests, scores from the MCAT exam will not be perfectly precise. Scores can be affected or influenced by many factors. Confidence bands mark the ranges in which your "true scores" likely lie. Confidence bands help signal the inaccuracy of test scores and are intended to discourage distinctions between applicants with similar scores.

Score Profiles

Score profiles are included to show you your strengths and weaknesses across all four sections of the exam. This section of the score report can be used to help you determine areas to focus on, should you decide to retake the exam.

How long does it take to receive scores?

Scores are released approximately 30-35 days after each test day. Scores are released by 5 p.m. ET on release days.

How are multiple MCAT scores used?

According to a survey of medical school admissions officers, schools use multiple sets of MCAT scores in several ways:

• Some schools weigh all sets of scores equally and note improvements.
• Other schools consider only the most recent set of scores.
• Still others take an average of all sets of scores.
• Some schools use only the highest set of scores or the highest individual sections scores.

How you score on the MCAT exam, therefore, is not reflective of the particular exam you took—including the time of day, the test date, or the time of year—since any difference in difficulty level is accounted for when calculating your scale scores.

How often can I take the MCAT Exam?

Since April 2015, there are now new limits on how many attempts you have to take the MCAT exam. Remember that you can only be registered for one seat at a time and that no-shows and voids count as attempts.

Single testing year:

• The MCAT exam can be taking up to 3 times.

Two consecutive-year period:

• The MCAT exam can be taken up to 4 times.

Lifetime:

• The MCAT exam can be taken up to 7 times in a lifetime.

How long are MCAT score valid?

Medical schools usually accept scores dating back two or three years. If you have taken the exam previously, we recommend that you consult the AAMC to check the application policies of each school to which you intend to apply.