First, the good news:  You can’t actually fail the MCAT. You might have received a very low score, but the MCAT score report does not include a “pass/fail” designation. Still, one of the most helpless feelings a student applying to medical school can experience is bombing the MCAT—there’s no doubt about that. After months of hard work, you may feel like you’ve lost any chance at getting into medical school.

Although it is true that a low MCAT score will negatively impact your application, there are still many things you can do to make sure you can still be a competitive applicant. The first thing you should consider is if you really “failed” the MCAT.

Kevin Wang, Dr. Parth Kothari, and Dr. Taylor Purvis contributed to this post.

Aside from the AMCAS, the MCAT is one of the biggest pre-med hurdles to tackle. Some students in combined BS/MD programs can avoid taking the MCAT, as they move on to med school by maintaining a certain GPA.

Some post-baccalaureate pre-medical programs have a similar agreement with “linkage” medical schools, allowing students to glide into medical school the fall after they finish a post-bacc program—without having to take the MCAT.

However, the vast majority of us spend days to months (to years?) of our lives agonizing over the MCAT and wondering, "What score do I need to get to be competitive?"

The MCAT’s scoring system might seem confusing, and at first glance, it is. Why in the world would it range from 472 to 528? Each section is scored from 118 to 132. Still confusing. We know. However, these wonky numbers bring the median score to a 500, which is an easy number to look at to see how well you scored relative to other applicants. 

We've worked with countless students for the MCAT for more than a decade, and through the years — and the changes to the exam — we've had front row seats to the techniques and approaches that yield the greatest score increases.

Here are the top 5 things you can do to get a 520 on the MCAT: 

If you're planning to attend medical school, one of the questions that might be on your mind is when exactly you should start to prepare for the MCAT. This is tied to when you should take the MCAT, but can vary widely by student.

To ensure you're making the best decision for your timeline and goals, you'll want to look at the factors that are unique to you. I find it's most helpful to use the following questions in order to determine when it's best for you to start studying for the MCAT:

As MCAT test day approaches, you may be considering the idea of voiding your exam afterwards. While there are real reasons for voiding your MCAT exam, it’s important to know when voiding is the correct choice.

After finishing every section on the MCAT, you are given the option to void your exam. If you choose to do so, then your exam will be wiped and there will be no record of taking it. This can be risky, as it may delay your medical school application and cause you to continue studying. Still, there are times when voiding the MCAT is the right decision. 

Kevin Wang contributed to this post. 

We have several new MCAT study resources available to help you get started with MCAT prep! If you’re just beginning to study for the MCAT — or aren't quite sure when to get started — you've come to the right place!

Attend Med School Tutors’ MCAT Mondays this November!

Registration for the MCAT testing dates between January 2021 and March 2021 will open on Tuesday, November 10th at noon. Registration for the April, May, and June 2021 test dates will open in February 2021. Registration for the July, August, and September 2021 test dates will open in May 2021.

When it comes to study materials for the MCAT, practice questions are some of the most invaluable resources that can help you test your knowledge while honing your critical thinking skills. Though there are several good third-party MCAT resources out there that can supply you with loads of passage-based questions and full-length exams, none rival those created by the MCAT-developer itself, the AAMC.