How Many Times Can (And Should) You Take the MCAT?

How many times can you take the MCAT? That’s the wrong question. The one worth asking is: how many times should you?

The MCAT is 7.5 hours long and widely regarded as one of the most challenging tests a student can take. Retaking it isn’t a decision to make lightly, and it’s not always the right call. The answer depends on how much time you have before applying, the schools you’re targeting, and the strength of the rest of your application.

In this post, we break down how many times you can technically take the MCAT, how many times you should, and the key factors to consider before making that call.

How Many Times Can You Take the MCAT?

The AAMC allows students to take the MCAT up to 3 times per year, 4 times over 2 years, and 7 times in a lifetime. Each scored attempt will appear on your record, which means each of your MCAT scores will be seen by admissions committees.

Since every medical school you apply to will see the results of all of your tests, it’s not recommended that you take the MCAT repeatedly.

How Many Times Should You Take the MCAT?

The answer is once. Just because you can take the MCAT three times in the same year or seven times in a lifetime doesn’t mean you should, and we’d advise against taking it that many times.

Time is the issue. As a premed, it’s an incredibly valuable resource, and you only have so much of it. The MCAT is only one part of your application. You still need an engaging personal statement, strong letters of recommendation, and meaningful extracurricular experience, all while completing your prerequisites with stellar grades. We’ve seen students put in months studying for an MCAT retake, only to receive a similar or only slightly higher score, and every one of those months costs them elsewhere in their application.

If you don’t significantly change your study habits and methods, you could end up with a worse score than before. And even if you do improve, medical schools will still see every attempt on your record.

So aim to take it once. But if you dropped the ball the first time or nerves got the better of you, a retake may make sense. Here are the three factors to consider before making that call.

Should You Retake the MCAT?

1 | Do You NEED a Higher Score?

Scoring in the 99th percentile on the MCAT is an incredible feeling, but if you’ve already taken the MCAT without achieving a score you’re proud of, it’s time to take a look at the scores you actually need for acceptance at your top choice schools.

Many programs, especially the most selective ones, have GPA and MCAT cutoffs, but that’s not enough. The free Medical School Chance Predictor compares your GPA and MCAT against admissions data from every US medical school, so you can see exactly where you stand at the schools you’re targeting before deciding whether a retake is worth it.

What does the data tell you?

In determining whether or not you need a higher score, you must also factor in the rest of your application. Do you have another weak area? If you’re going in with an average or slightly below-average MCAT score, the rest of your application must pick up the slack.

For example, if your GPA is below average and you don’t have a chance to improve it at this point, getting an above-average MCAT score will help offset it. Or maybe you’re not as confident with another area of your application, which means every other piece must be spectacular.

With how much time and energy the MCAT takes, carefully consider whether you actually need a higher score before automatically jumping into the retake process.

2 | Can You Improve Your Score?

Knowing you need a higher score and actually achieving one are two different things. There is no point in retaking the MCAT if you can’t improve your score. Scoring lower on your retake of the MCAT is a noticeable stain on your application and must be avoided at all costs.

If you use the same strategies and methods you used the previous time or only change a few small aspects of your approach, you will not be able to notably improve your score. Improving depends on your ability to adjust and adapt your approach to the MCAT.

You can’t study in the exact same way and expect different results on your next MCAT. The key to an improved score is figuring out what prevented you from achieving your desired score and what you should do differently this time around. Was it your test day nerves that got the better of you? Did you completely flub the CARS section of the MCAT? Did you dedicate enough time to studying? Did you utilize your time wisely?

What can and will you do differently this time around if you decide to retake the MCAT?

3 | Do You Have Time to Improve Your Score?

No amount of energy or strategy will improve your MCAT score if you don’t have enough time to adequately prepare.

We recommend about three months of full-time studying (40-50 hours per week) or five to six months of part-time studying (20-25 hours per week) when studying for the MCAT for the first time. You need less time when retaking since you’re building on material you’ve already covered, but you still need plenty of it. You’re not aiming for a slightly higher score. You’re aiming for a significantly higher one, which means you have to treat the retake with the same seriousness as the first attempt.

There are only 24 hours in a day. Based on your class load, your application demands, and your extracurriculars, do you actually have enough time to move the needle? Studying for the MCAT doesn’t only take time. It requires energy and focus, which you won’t have if you’re not sleeping, eating well, and staying active.

If the honest answer is that you don’t have enough time to prepare properly, that’s your answer. A rushed retake that yields a similar or lower score is worse than staying put.

How to Approach the MCAT the Right Way

What most premeds don’t realize is that doing well on the MCAT isn’t a matter of how smart you are or how long you study. It’s the quality of your resources, your study strategies, and your personal life that contribute most to how you perform on the MCAT.

After helping thousands of students approach the MCAT with this mindset, we created the Med School Insiders MCAT Course, which comes with the industry’s first-ever honest 510 score guarantee, gold-standard content, three full-length and two half-length practice tests, and guidance from those who scored in the 100th percentile. We’re so confident you’ll find incredible value in our course that, on top of the 510 score guarantee, we offer a 10-day 100% money-back guarantee. Try it at zero risk.

FAQ: How Many Times Can You Take the MCAT?

How many times can you take the MCAT?

The AAMC allows you to take the MCAT up to 3 times per calendar year, 4 times over two consecutive years, and 7 times in a lifetime. That said, the number of times you can take it and the number of times you should are very different questions.

Do medical schools see all your MCAT scores?

Yes. Every scored attempt appears on your record and will be seen by every medical school you apply to. Some schools use the highest score, others average them, and some review all attempts holistically. You should assume all of your scores will be considered.

Can you retake the MCAT in the same year?

Yes, up to three times in the same calendar year. But retaking within the same cycle is rarely advisable unless you have a clear, specific plan for meaningful improvement. Rushing into a retake without changing your approach is how you end up with the same score twice.

What is the MCAT lifetime attempt limit?

Seven attempts over a lifetime. Most applicants will never come close to that number, and you shouldn’t be planning around it. If you’re approaching multiple attempts, the more important question is whether you’ve honestly diagnosed what went wrong and whether a retake is still the right use of your time.

Does retaking the MCAT hurt your application?

It depends. A significant improvement shows resilience and capability. A flat or lower score raises questions about your readiness. The risk isn’t the retake itself; it’s retaking without making meaningful changes to your preparation. Medical schools see all of your scores, so a poorly planned retake can do more damage than staying put.

How many points can you improve on the MCAT?

According to AAMC data, roughly half of retakers improve their score, about a quarter score lower, and about a quarter score roughly the same. Among those who do improve, the average gain is modest, typically in the 1-3 point range.

That average, though, is nearly meaningless in isolation. It includes students who changed little in their preparation and those who completely overhauled their approach. A 1-3 point average across all retakers tells you nothing about what’s possible for you specifically.

The more useful question is: What went wrong the first time? Score improvement on a retake comes down to three things: content knowledge, study materials, and test-taking strategy. Students who accurately diagnose which of these fell short and systematically address them tend to see much larger gains than the average suggests. Students who scored well below their ability due to test anxiety, illness, or insufficient prep time have more room to recover than someone who was simply at the ceiling of their current preparation.

How much you can improve comes down to how honestly you diagnose what went wrong the first time.