MCAT Percentiles: What Scaled Scores and Percentile Ranks Mean

MCAT scores come in two forms: scaled scores and percentile ranks. The percentile rank tells you where a score sits relative to other test takers.

Score ranges

The total is the sum of the four section scores. Scaled scores are designed so the midpoint sits near the middle of the range.

What a percentile rank is

A percentile rank is the percentage of test takers who scored at or below that score. A 90th percentile rank means about 90 percent scored the same or lower.

Why percentiles change

AAMC publishes percentile tables based on recent test takers, and updates them over time. The same scaled score can map to a slightly different percentile from one table to the next. Look up the current AAMC percentile table before relying on a specific number from a blog or old resource.

Using percentiles

• Compare scores against the median of the schools you are targeting, which AAMC data lists.
• A one-point change near the middle of the scale moves the percentile more than a one-point change near the extremes, because most scores cluster around the center.
• A balanced profile and a lopsided profile can have the same total.

Common traps

• Treating percentile as percent correct. They are unrelated.
• Using an old table.
• Adding percentiles. Add scaled scores, not percentiles.

One-minute recap

• Sections 118 to 132; total 472 to 528.
• Percentile means at or below.
• Check the current AAMC table.