MCAT Percentiles and Score Release Dates

MCAT percentiles tell you what share of test takers scored at or below you. In the percentile ranks AAMC uses from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, a total of 500 is the 48th percentile, 508 the 74th, 510 the 79th and 515 the 91st (AAMC percentile ranks). The mean total across 2023 to 2025 was 500.6 (AAMC).

Below are the total and section tables from AAMC’s report, what moves a percentile, and the 2027 score release dates for US test days.

By Dr. Sahith Valluru. For The Boards Professor, founded by Dr. Sean Moazezi, DO. Published and last updated October 28, 2026.

MCAT scoring at a glance

Checked October 28, 2026. Rules change; the linked page is the authority.

Topic	Official rule	Source
Passing score	None. The MCAT has no pass or fail outcome; AAMC reports a scaled score for each section and a total.	AAMC: MCAT score scale
Scoring	Each of the four sections is scored 118 to 132 (midpoint 125); the total runs 472 to 528 (midpoint 500). Scores are scaled and equated, not curved, and percentile ranks are updated every May 1.	AAMC: MCAT score scale
Results	Official scores are released 30 to 35 days after the exam date.	AAMC: MCAT scores

MCAT total score percentiles

These are AAMC’s figures for selected totals. The full report lists every score from 472 to 528 (AAMC percentile ranks).

In effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. Based on all results from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 testing years.

Total score	Percentile rank
472	<1
480	4
485	11
490	20
495	33
500	48
502	55
505	64
508	74
510	79
512	84
514	89
515	91
518	95
520	97
522	99
525	100

Note how tightly the middle is packed. Going from 500 to 505 moves you from the 48th to the 64th percentile; going from 515 to 520 moves you only from the 91st to the 97th. Near the top, each point buys fewer percentile ranks.

MCAT section score percentiles

Each section is scored 118 to 132 (AAMC score scale). The section means differ: Psychological and Social Foundations averaged 125.9, CARS 124.6 (AAMC). So the same section score can sit at different percentiles.

Percentile rank for each section score, in effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.

Section score	Bio/Biochem	Chem/Phys	Psych/Soc	CARS
118	1	2	1	1
119	4	4	3	3
120	8	9	6	8
121	15	16	10	15
122	23	25	17	25
123	32	35	25	37
124	43	46	34	50
125	53	56	44	62
126	64	67	54	74
127	75	77	65	84
128	84	85	76	90
129	90	91	85	95
130	96	96	92	98
131	98	99	97	99
132	100	100	100	100

A 125 is the 53rd percentile in Bio/Biochem but the 62nd in CARS and the 44th in Psych/Soc. When you compare your sections, compare percentiles, not raw section scores.

How MCAT percentiles are calculated

Your scaled score never changes; your percentile can. AAMC scales and equates scores so a 510 means the same thing on every test form, without a curve against the people in your room (AAMC). The percentile is a separate lookup: the share of all scores from the three most recent testing years that were equal to or lower than yours (AAMC).

AAMC updates the ranks every May 1, so the same 508 can carry a slightly different percentile from one year to the next while the score itself stays put. Schools see your scaled scores, so aim at a score, and use the percentile to understand where it sits.

MCAT score release dates for 2027

Official scores come out 30 to 35 days after the test date (AAMC), by 5:00 p.m. ET on the scheduled release date (AAMC calendar). AAMC’s calendar page now lists the 2027 testing year, January 15 to September 11, 2027. Selected US dates:

From AAMC’s 2027 US calendar. Some dates are offered only at select test centers; check the calendar before you register.

Test date	Score release date
January 15, 2027	February 16
January 21	February 23
March 6	April 6
March 19	April 20
April 9 and 10	May 11
May 1	June 2
May 29	June 29
June 25 and 26	July 27
July 23	August 24
August 14	September 14
September 10 and 11, 2027	October 12

If you are applying in a particular cycle, pick a test date whose release date lands before you want to submit. The calendar page also lists the 60-, 30- and 10-day deadlines for each date; the 10-day deadline is the last day to schedule, reschedule or cancel.

Using practice-test scores to predict your percentile

AAMC’s free Practice Exam One reports a scaled score and percentile rank the way the real exam does, and Practice Exams 2 to 6 are $35 each (AAMC product comparison). These are the most dependable way to see where you would land. Third-party full-lengths are useful practice, but their scales are their own.

Look at the trend across several AAMC exams, not one result, and look at section percentiles to decide where your remaining weeks go. Our MCAT study schedule shows where each practice exam fits.

If you are thinking about a retest

You can test no more than three times in a testing year, four times across two consecutive years and seven times in a lifetime (MCAT Essentials). Plan a retest only when your practice scores show a real, repeatable gain over the score you already have.

If CARS is the section holding your percentile down, see the CARS guide. Our MCAT tutor, Daniel Theng, works through practice-exam results with you and builds the plan for the next sitting.

One-on-one MCAT tutoring with The Boards Professor costs $349 per 50-minute session, online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet). Book a free intro consult.