MCAT Score Converter
New to Old MCAT Score Conversion
In 2015, the MCAT was revamped with a few changes, most notably the scoring system. In understanding the conversion between old and new MCAT scores (and vice versa), let’s first cover a few basics:
MCAT Percentile: The percentage of students whose scores were lower than yours on a specific test.
Old MCAT Scoring System: Range between 3-45. A 50th percentile score approximated 25.
New MCAT Scoring System: Range between 472-528. A 50th percentile score approximates 500.
Below, you’ll find our MCAT Conversion Tool, which allows you to convert bidirectionally, both old to new MCAT, as well as new to old MCAT. Input either the new or old MCAT score and we’ll take care of the rest, including converting the score, as well as providing you the percentile.
MCAT Conversion Tool
A strong MCAT score is crucial to a well-rounded and robust medical school application. Learn how to maximize your score with Med School Insiders.
The Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, is a standardized, multiple-choice exam administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). It is meant to gauge an applicant’s ability to apply knowledge from their pre-medical studies to questions in four different subject areas, with an emphasis on critical thinking. The format of the exam has gone through multiple iterations, but in 2015 it was revised to contain the following four sections:
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (59 questions)
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (59 questions)
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (59 questions)
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (53 questions)
Previously, the exam had only sections on the biological sciences, physical sciences, reading comprehension, and a writing section. Along with reorganizing the content and format of the MCAT in 2015, the AAMC also adjusted the scoring system. Prior to 2015, test-takers received a numerical score of 1-15 for each of the three multiple choice sections with the overall score being a sum of these. The average score was around 25-26.
Today each of the four sections is now scored on a scale ranging 118 to 132, making that new perfect number 528. The exam is scaled to a mean of about 500, with the mean of each section near a score of 125.
You’ll notice in the MCAT Score Converter above that each numerical score has an associated percentile rank denoting the percentage of test-takers scoring below this value. Last year the mean score was 500.2 with a standard deviation of 10.5 points. Scoring 511, or roughly one standard deviation above that year’s mean, would put you in the 85th percentile, ahead of a large majority of test takers.
For context, this score is very close to the average MCAT score (510.4) for all students matriculating to US Medical schools that year. Thus the average matriculating student score was around 85th percentile. The average score for all applicants was 504.7.
Now this example is not to say that it takes a score of 510 to get into medical school. Keep in mind there is a very broad range of scores for students who were accepted to medical school. The matriculating student average itself had a standard deviation of about 6. This means that slightly more than 2/3 of accepted students had scores between 504 and 516, but many also scored higher or lower.
The statistics do illustrate the weight of the exam, in that scores of accepted students are on average higher than scores for the pool of all applicants, which are in turn higher than the average score for everyone taking the test. Regardless of the school you’re aiming for, it helps to maximize your score. Med School Insiders has the resources to maximize your score – get your free consultation here!
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