Should You Retake the MCAT? A 2027 Applicant’s Guide

Getting an MCAT score below your target can leave you with a difficult decision: apply with the score you have or prepare for another attempt.

Retaking the MCAT can strengthen your medical school application when there is a realistic reason to expect meaningful improvement. But another attempt is not automatically the right choice, especially if your existing score already makes you competitive for the schools you plan to target.

The decision should depend on your score, practice-test performance, academic record, target schools, previous preparation and how much you can realistically improve.

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When Should You Consider Retaking the MCAT?

A retake may make sense if your current score is significantly below the typical range for the medical schools you want to attend.

According to the latest AAMC data, the mean MCAT score for students matriculating at U.S. MD-granting medical schools in 2025–26 was around 512, while applicant scores were lower on average. However, national averages should only be used as context. Individual medical schools vary considerably in their academic profiles.

Consider retaking if:

• Your score is well below the range of your target schools
• Your official score was substantially lower than your recent practice-test scores
• One section is considerably weaker than the others
• Illness, anxiety or another significant issue affected your test day
• You now have enough time to prepare differently
• You can identify specific weaknesses that can realistically be improved

The most important question is not simply, “Is my score low?”

It is: “Can I realistically earn a meaningfully stronger score on another attempt?”

Do Medical Schools See Multiple MCAT Attempts?

Yes. Medical schools receiving your MCAT scores can see your scored MCAT examinations, and different schools may evaluate multiple attempts differently.

According to the AAMC, some admissions committees consider the most recent score, some consider the highest score, others examine all attempts equally, and some may average multiple scores. This makes improvement particularly important.

A second attempt that demonstrates clear progress may strengthen your academic profile. Repeated attempts with little or no improvement may be harder to explain.

Before scheduling another exam, check the policies of the schools you are considering whenever possible.

How Many Times Can You Take the MCAT?

The AAMC currently allows applicants to take the MCAT:

• Up to three times in one testing year
• Up to four times across two consecutive testing years
• Up to seven times during a lifetime

Voided examinations and no-shows also count toward the testing limits, even though medical schools do not see those attempts. These are maximum limits, not recommended targets.

You should ideally approach every scored attempt with the expectation that you are prepared to improve.

Compare Your Score With Your Target Schools, Not Just the National Average

A national MCAT average cannot tell you whether you should retake.

Suppose you scored 509. That score might be below the median at highly selective schools but competitive at other MD programs and many DO programs. Retaking purely because you did not score above 515 could introduce unnecessary risk if the rest of your application and school list are already well aligned.

Instead, compare your current score with:

• Median MCAT scores at schools you are genuinely considering
• Your GPA
• Your state residency
• Your clinical and service experiences
• Your research background
• Your overall school list

A strategic medical school list is often a better solution than automatically retaking a respectable MCAT score.

Pay Attention to Your Practice-Test Scores

Your recent full-length practice examinations are one of the most useful indicators when deciding whether another attempt is worthwhile.

If you consistently scored 512–514 under realistic testing conditions but earned a 505 on test day, your official result may not reflect your demonstrated preparation.

That can be a reasonable case for retesting. The opposite situation deserves caution. If your official score was 506 and your recent full-length practice exams were consistently around 505–508, simply retaking the exam is unlikely to produce a major improvement unless something fundamental changes in your preparation.

Before registering again, you should ideally demonstrate improved performance during practice.

Do Not Repeat the Same MCAT Study Strategy

A retake should involve more than simply studying for another few weeks.

Identify why the first attempt produced the score it did. Was the problem:

• Content knowledge?
• CARS performance?
• Timing?
• Test endurance?
• Anxiety?
• Insufficient practice questions?
• Too few full-length examinations?
• Studying passively rather than applying concepts?
• Taking the exam before you were ready?

Once you identify the problem, redesign your preparation around it.

The AAMC recommends taking the MCAT when you genuinely feel prepared rather than simply because you believe you are supposed to test by a particular date.

Look at Your Section Scores, Not Just the Total

The MCAT contains four sections, each scored from 118 to 132, producing a total score between 472 and 528.

Two students can therefore have the same total score while having very different score profiles.

For example:

• Student A: 128 / 128 / 128 / 128 = 512
• Student B: 131 / 123 / 129 / 129 = 512

Student B's low section score may deserve additional consideration, particularly if prospective schools have screening policies or expectations around individual sections.

Check each school's admissions criteria before assuming that the total score tells the whole story.

Understand Your MCAT Percentile

MCAT percentile rankings show how your score compares with other examinees.

The AAMC updates these rankings every May using results from the most recent three testing years. The percentiles in effect from May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027 are based on students who tested in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and they are the percentile rankings used for 2027 applicants.

Percentiles provide useful context, but admissions committees do not evaluate MCAT scores in isolation.

The AAMC encourages schools to consider MCAT scores alongside academic performance, experiences, attributes and other evidence of readiness for medical school.

Could Strengthening Another Part of Your Application Be Better?

Sometimes the best move is not another MCAT attempt.

If your score is already competitive, your time might be better spent strengthening another area of your application.

That could include:

• Improving your GPA
• Completing meaningful clinical experience
• Building a sustained service commitment
• Conducting research
• Strengthening your personal statement
• Preparing for interviews
• Developing stronger relationships with recommenders

Clinical experience in particular can help you demonstrate that your interest in medicine is informed by real exposure to healthcare.

Structured pre-health and pre-med internships abroad can give students exposure to clinical environments, healthcare teams and different approaches to patient care.

Experiences in resource-constrained healthcare settings may also help students understand how factors such as access, infrastructure and socioeconomic conditions affect patient outcomes. The value of these experiences lies in the insight and reflection they generate, rather than simply adding another activity to an application.

Should You Delay Your Application to Retake the MCAT?

Possibly, but only when the potential benefit outweighs the cost of delaying.

MCAT scores are generally released about 30 to 35 days after the examination, so a late retake can affect when your application becomes complete at schools waiting for the new result.

If your current score is unlikely to make you competitive and you have strong evidence that additional preparation can improve it, delaying an application cycle may be more sensible than rushing into both the application and the retake.

If your existing score is already competitive, however, postponing an entire cycle solely to chase a few extra MCAT points may provide little benefit.

A Simple MCAT Retake Decision Checklist

A retake becomes more reasonable when you can answer yes to most of these questions:

• Is my current score limiting the schools where I can realistically apply?
• Did I previously perform substantially better on full-length practice exams?
• Do I clearly understand what went wrong?
• Have I changed my study strategy?
• Do I have enough preparation time?
• Am I now consistently scoring higher than my previous official score?
• Would the potential improvement materially strengthen my application?

If most answers are no, consider improving another part of your application or adjusting your school list instead.

Final Takeaway

There is no single MCAT score at which every applicant should automatically retake.

A 505 may justify another attempt for one student but be workable for another. Likewise, someone with a 512 may have little reason to retest unless their target schools typically matriculate students with significantly higher scores and their practice results show they can realistically improve.

Retake the MCAT when you have both a reason and a realistic path to a better result.

Do not retake simply because you are disappointed that your score was not perfect.

Frequently Asked Questions 

#1. Is it bad to take the MCAT twice?

No. Taking the MCAT twice does not automatically hurt your application. Medical schools can see scored attempts, but the AAMC notes that schools use different approaches to evaluating multiple MCAT scores.

#2. How many times can you retake the MCAT?

You can take the MCAT up to three times in one testing year, four times over two consecutive testing years and seven times in your lifetime.

#3. Should I retake a 510 MCAT?

Not automatically. A 510 may be competitive at many medical schools. Compare it with the academic profiles of your target programs, your GPA and the strength of your overall application before deciding.

#4. Should I retake the MCAT if my practice scores were higher?

Potentially. If several recent full-length exams taken under realistic conditions were consistently higher than your official score, a retake may be reasonable after identifying what affected your test-day performance.

#5. Will medical schools see my old MCAT scores?

Yes. Medical schools receive your scored MCAT attempts. However, they may evaluate multiple scores differently, including considering the highest, most recent, average or full score history.

#6. When should I retake the MCAT?

Retake when you have identified what limited your first performance, changed your preparation strategy and can consistently demonstrate stronger results in realistic practice conditions. The AAMC recommends testing when you are prepared rather than simply following an arbitrary timeline.

Article Details

Categories

Recent Articles , MCAT/MSAR/USMLE, Pre-health, Med Schools,

Author: Tatina Himes

Date Published: Sep 8, 2026