What is the MCAT?

A good MCAT score is 127 out of 132 in any one section, or 508 out of 528 for all four sections. The MCAT is scored on a scale, with a lowpoint of 118 and highpoint of 132 available for each of the four sections. The midpoint is 125.

Your four MCAT scaled scores are combined to create a total score ranging from a lowest possible 472 to a highest possible 528, with a midpoint of 500. Different medical schools have different pass rates.

Medical school admission committees only use scaled scores to evaluate the MCAT component of the admissions process (not percentage, not percentile). Sounds complicated? We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you understand how pass rates are calculated.

The MCAT started as a paper-based standardized test. In 2007, it became a computer-based test. To keep pace with the changes in medicine and science, the AAMC changed the exam again in April 2015. The current MCAT tests not only what examinees know, but also how they can use their knowledge to reason.

Read our section-by-section comparison between the old and new MCAT exams

Section-by-section MCAT exam breakdown

Keep in mind that in real life, the boundary between sciences is artificial. A molecule does not know if it is a matter of physics, chemistry or biology. You were trained to put that molecule into a box depending on the course code. The current MCAT blurs the boundary. After all, the molecule is physics, is chemistry, can be biology, and may have psychological or sociological implications.

The current MCAT sections cut across scientific disciplines (physics, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry and biology) that interact in living or biological systems. The Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior section seeks to test your grasp of the interplay between psychology, sociology and biology with the context being basic research methods. The latter is also consistent with DSM-5 (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition).

In other words, the new MCAT is not for those who can cram four years' worth of study into three months. It is for those students who can take scientific facts and make sense of them enough to solve particular problems. To do this, you will need to stick to a study schedule. We have put together two and three-month schedules to inspire you.
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I’d say they are 'foundations' and 'systems'. Just as it takes different elements to create a foundation and it takes all sorts of concepts to comprise a system, so the new MCAT will test your knowledge of how each scientific discipline interacts, interplays and influences other scientific disciplines.

The current MCAT is hard, yes. Its purpose is to ensure that the students who get accepted to medical school not only have a good foundation of scientific facts and relevant formulae, but also the mental agility to look holistically at the sciences (take in the big picture), and yet be comfortable at critically analyzing scientific data with depth of perception (focus on the necessary details).

Not only that, the test also seeks to probe what you know about how your thoughts, feelings and functioning impact your actions and behavior (psychology and social sciences section). Sounds complicated, doesn't it?

Well, it is complicated. The science of life and the science of medicine are complicated. Medical technology and medical knowledge are exponentially expanding, and this further complicates what you already know about the science of life. The doctors of tomorrow need to have the mental agility to cope with fast-changing developments in science and technology and yet learn to deal with patients as people and not as mere medical conditions – that is what good doctors are supposed to do. And that is how good medical schools propose to train their students to become the doctors of the future.

The four MCAT sections are:

• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (MCAT CARS)
• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

The table below provides a breakdown of the four sections of the current exam with a comparison to the previous version.

Comparison by Total Number of Questions per MCAT Subject (approx.)

* "CARS" is the acronym for the current MCAT verbal section (Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills). CARS is the same as the old MCAT Verbal Reasoning except that it is longer and it does NOT contain natural sciences-themed passages.

** This is an oversimplification. The ‘old’ MCAT Biological Sciences section actually did contain an unspecified number of questions that would now be considered Biochemistry including biological molecules (Organic Chemistry) and basic metabolism (Biology: glycolysis, Krebs cycle, etc.). However, the current MCAT Biochemistry also includes the pentose pathway, lipid metabolism, gluconeogenesis and other typical first semester college topics.

Note: the above summary does not take into account the fact that many questions in the non-CARS sections will involve basic research methods and statistics in the passages and/or questions.

The AAMC has designed the MCAT to be longer. That is, 7 hours and 30 minutes long. The table below provides a breakdown of the four MCAT sections, the subjects included in the MCAT exam, the time allotted for you to answer them, as well as the breaks between sections.

You may use your optional break to go on to the next MCAT section if you are done with the previous section earlier than the required time. But, the unused time from the previous section will not carry over to the next exam section.

Note: The total time does not include check-in time upon arrival at the test center. In 2012, 65 to 67 questions were planned for the 95- and 90-minute new MCAT sections which would have been proportional to the timing provided for the old version of the exam. However, for the current MCAT the AAMC has allocated only 59 questions for 95 minutes. Because of this subtle change, the new MCAT has more working time per question than the old version of the exam. This means that overall, you will have more time to read passages, consider options and make decisions about your answer choices.

MCAT Changes

The MCAT started as a paper-based standardized test. In 2007, it became a computer-based test. To keep pace with the changes in medicine and science, the AAMC changed the exam again in April 2015. The current MCAT tests not only what examinees know but also how they can use their knowledge to reason.

Section by Section Comparison between the 2 MCAT Versions

* Note: The correct answers for this section can either be found directly in the passage or by applying information from the passage to new content presented in the questions.

What can you expect from the current version of the MCAT exam?

• The current MCAT is broad, but at the same time, it is a precision tool to assess your grasp of the sciences. Keep in mind that in real life, the boundary between sciences is artificial. A molecule does not know if it is a matter of physics, chemistry or biology. You were trained to put that molecule into a box depending on the course code. The current MCAT blurs the boundary. After all, the molecule is physics, is chemistry, can be biology, and may have psychological or sociological implications.

• The current MCAT sections cut across scientific disciplines (Physics, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Biology) which interact in living or biological systems. The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section seeks to test your grasp of the interplay between Psychology, Sociology and Biology with the context being basic research methods. The latter is also consistent with DSM-5 (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition).

  
  
  

  The keywords for the new exam are 'foundations' and 'systems'. Just as it takes different elements to create a foundation and it takes all sorts of concepts to comprise a system, so the new MCAT will test your knowledge of how each scientific discipline interacts, interplays and influences other scientific disciplines.

• The current MCAT is hard. First, it is comprehensive as there are more topics included (Psychology, Sociology, Biochemistry and Statistics). Second, the MCAT sections are organized along different criteria that span all the subjects. Third, the purpose is to ensure that the students who do get accepted to medical school not only have a good foundation of scientific facts and relevant formulae, but also the mental agility to look holistically at the sciences (take in the big picture), and yet be comfortable at critically analyzing scientific data with depth of perception (focus on the necessary details).

  In other words, the new MCAT is not for those who can cram four years' worth of study into three months. It is for those students who can take scientific facts presented to them and make sense of them enough to solve particular problems. All of this is compounded by the fact that the test seeks to probe what you know about how your thoughts, feelings and functioning impact your actions and behavior (Psychology and Social Sciences section). Sounds complicated, doesn't it?

  Well, it is complicated. The science of life and the science of medicine are complicated. Medical technology and medical knowledge are exponentially expanding, and this further complicates what you already know about the science of life. The doctors of tomorrow need to have mental agility to cope with the fast-changing developments in science and technology and yet learn to deal with patients as people and not as mere medical conditions – that is what good doctors are supposed to do. And that is how good medical schools propose to train their students to become the doctors of the future.