Kat Thomson

MCAT Score Conversion

MCAT score conversion - image by Magoosh

Along with an added section and its heavy focus on biochemistry, the new MCAT also has a new scoring system that is different in some key ways. In this post, I’ll walk you through the basics of how the new MCAT score conversion relates to old scores.

You’ll also find an MCAT score conversion calculator if you’re taking the shortened version of the MCAT this year. I did the number crunching for you, because you have more important, exciting things to do, like memorizing amino acid codes and reaction tendencies, right?

I’ll be quick, but first let’s anchor some terms:

Your MCAT Raw Score: The number of questions you answered correctly, which could hypothetically be as high as 230, since that’s how many questions are on the new MCAT.

Your MCAT Percentile: The percentage of students whose raw scores were lower than yours on a specific test.

Old MCAT Scaled Score: A number between 3-45, wherein students in the 50th percentile received a score of approximately 25.

New MCAT Scaled Score: A number between 472-528, with a 50th percentile score that hovers around 500.

 


 

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New MCAT Score Conversion Basics

A rundown of the MCAT scoring system is covered in more depth in the “How the New MCAT is Scored” post, but here’s the quick version: The old MCAT had three sections of multiple choice and a writing section, with the score in each multiple choice section ranging from 1 to 15 for a total score of 3 to 45. The new MCAT has four sections, each ranging from 118 to 132 with a median of 124-125 per section.

Officially, the AAMC says that direct comparisons between the old scores and new scores are “impossible.” Why the massive overhaul? The new test is meant to cover a broader range of material and better equip medical schools with ways of more completely assessing applicants.

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Can I convert MCAT scores?

Yes! We’ve put together a handy conversion table for you to use to go back and forth between new and old MCAT scores.

Old MCAT Score New MCAT Score Percentile
39+ 523+ 100
38 521-522 99
37 519-520 98
36 518 97
35 517 96
34 515 94
33 513-514 91
32 512 88
31 509-510 83
30 508 79
29 506 73
28 504 67
27 502-503 61
26 500-501 55
25 499 49
24 497-498 43
23 495-496 37
22 494 32
21 492-493 27
20 491 23
19 489-490 19
18 487-488 15
17 486 12
16 485 10
15 484 8
14 483 6
13 482 5
12 480 3
11 479 2
10 478 2
9 477 1
8 476 1
7 (or less) 475 (or less) 0

The AAMC provides no official means of converting the scores between the two systems. However, both the old MCAT and the new MCAT are still standardized exams. As standardized exams, they have percentiles, so the scores can be converted, albeit roughly, by using the MCAT score percentiles. Medical schools will also be using percentiles to assess applicants.

The AAMC has released final percentiles and score correlations for both the old MCAT and the new MCAT (May 2020-April 2021). We can see that the 50th percentiles for the old and new MCAT were about 25 and 501, respectively. This means that a 25 in the old scoring system would be roughly 501 in the new scoring system. The 99th percentile for the old and the new are 38 and 522-523, respectively.

Anyway, the point is that by using percentiles on these two charts, you can convert your scores between the two systems.

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Shortened MCAT Score Conversion

If you took the shortened MCAT for 2020, or practiced with a shortened exam, it’s helpful to know how your score stacks up, particularly if you’re retaking the (full-length) exam in 2021. To find your scores, first start with a practice test specifically designed for the shortened MCAT.

How to Use the Shortened MCAT Score Conversion Table

To use this MCAT score conversion table, find the number of questions you got right for the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section, then find its corresponding scaled score and percentile. (For example, if you got 42 questions right in this section, your scaled score would be 130, in the 90th percentile.) Repeat until you have the scaled scores for all sections of the test. Add them up to get your total score, which ranges from 472–528, just like the full-length MCAT.

Note: This table scrolls from left to right. If you’re looking for a particular section in this MCAT converter, scroll to find the corresponding column.

Scaled score Percentile Chemical & Physical CARS Biological & Biochemical Psychological & Social
132 100 46-48 47-48 46-48 47-48
131 99 44-45 45-46 44-45 45-46
130 98 42-43 43-44 42-43 43-44
129 97 39-41 41 40-41 41-42
128 96 37-38 39-40 38-39 39-40
127 94 34-36 37-38 36-37 37-38
126 91 32-33 35-36 33-35 34-36
125 88 29-31 33-34 31-32 32-33
124 83 26-28 31-32 29-30 30-31
123 79 23-25 28-30 25-28 26-29
122 73 20-22 25-27 22-24 23-25
121 67 17-19 22-24 20-21 20-22
120 61 15-16 19-21 16-19 17-19
119 55 13-14 14-18 14-15 14-15
118 49 1-12 1-13 1-13 1-13

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Other resources for converting scores

There are numerous other websites that have charts or MCAT score conversion calculators that can (again, roughly) convert the scores. As the new scoring system becomes the new norm, the need for conversion will disappear.

Some schools have adopted a policy of accepting any MCAT scores that were taken within the 3 years prior to admission, regardless of the version. Therefore, having an understanding of how the two types of scores compare can be useful. Or maybe you’re reading this post to see how your score on the new MCAT compares with that of the brother/sister/boyfriend/girlfriend/cousin who took the version prior to 2015, who knows?

I do know that a portion of you are looking for study resources for the MCAT or are considering retaking it, so consider checking out Magoosh’s MCAT course to help prepare. We offer 300 video lessons and over 700 questions, which can be taken as practice tests or split up for review. Plus, you have email access to MCAT experts as part of your subscription.

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Kat Thomson is the Magoosh MCAT curriculum manager and has a PhD in medical sociology from UC San Francisco. This blog post also contains contributions from Burton Shen, who recently finished his residency and now practices internal medicine and pediatrics.

Author

  • Kat Thomson

    Kat is the Senior Curriculum Manager at Magoosh with a specialty in the MCAT. She has a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned the Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Kat has been teaching premed and nursing students since 2005 as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco, Bowdoin, and the University of California, Berkeley, while collaborating on multiple research projects and publications. In addition to the MCAT, Kat has taught courses in Research Methods, Gender, Global and Environmental Health, and others. She is passionate about increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and helping students get into the medical schools of their dreams. You can join Kat on Instagram and YouTube.

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