Is the Average MCAT^® Score Good Enough?

Barely. Over six cycles, the average MD matriculant score moved by six tenths of a point. GPAs climbed steadily over the same stretch.

The averages come from AAMC FACTS Table A-16. The applicant average stayed between 505.9 and 506.5 throughout. So the MCAT^® bar for MD schools has held steady while the GPA bar rose about a tenth of a point.

DO averages have been flat, too. AACOM's applicant and matriculant report put the 2024 averages at 502.43 for applicants and 502.97 for matriculants, close to the 502.95 for 2025.

For MD schools, it's about a coin flip. A 506 matches the average MD applicant, and across all GPAs, 47.1 percent of applicants in the 506 to 509 band were accepted somewhere over the last three cycles, according to the AAMC's MCAT and GPA grid (Table A-23). For DO schools, a 506 is already three points above the matriculant average.

A score at the matriculant average does better: 62.4 percent of applicants in the 510 to 513 band were accepted. Keep in mind that an average is a middle, not a floor. Plenty of students enroll below 512.1, and the 3.7 GPA and 508 MCAT breakdown walks through what that looks like for one common profile.

The AAMC also reports average scores by undergraduate major. Among 2025 MD matriculants, math and statistics majors averaged the highest and specialized health sciences majors the lowest, though every major averaged within four points of the overall 512.1.

Biological sciences finished just under the overall average. The table can't tell you whether a major causes the difference or just attracts different students, so it's no reason to switch. It does show that no major locks you out of an average-or-better score.

• You're near 512: You're at the MD matriculant average. Build a broad list that includes schools whose averages are at or below your score.
• You're near 506: Apply to both MD and DO schools. The MD vs DO breakdown covers how the two differ after admission.
• You're near 501: You're at the test-taker average, below both matriculant averages. The retake data can help you decide whether another attempt would move you.

To see the percentile for any total or section score, use the PurpleCAT MCAT score guide.

Last verified October 29, 2026. MD averages are from the 2025–26 AAMC FACTS tables; DO averages from AACOM's 2024 report and 2025 entering class profile.