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2025 MCAT Score Release Dates & Time

William Cohen
Published by William Cohen
Last Updated On: January 1, 2023

As soon as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is done, the waiting game begins. The most pressing question every student has is: When will the MCAT results come out?

The waiting time can be nerve-wracking, but one thing that can help is knowing the exact MCAT score release date.

I’ve helped countless students get ready for the MCAT, and I’ve been following the score release dates for a while now.

Here’s everything you should know about MCAT scores, including score release dates and times.

How Long Does It Take To Get MCAT Results?

  • MCAT scores are released by 5:00 p.m. on score release date.
  • The scores are sent about 30 to 35 days after the test day, and can be seen on the official AAMC website.
  • The final results candidates get aren’t graded on a curve, but are scaled and equated.

When Do MCAT Scores Come Out?

Student answering an exam

Standard MCAT exams begin at 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at every testing location in the US, while scores are released by 5:00 p.m. ET on the scheduled score release date.

The MCAT scores are released 30 to 35 days after the test day.

The AAMC can sometimes release the MCAT scores one or two days earlier, but don’t count on it, as it rarely happens.

So, why does it take so long for the MCAT score release? It’s because the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) scales and equates MCAT exams after each MCAT test date, and this takes about a month.

This is done to account for differences in the difficulty of the test questions in various MCAT versions.

Also, the AAMC offers enough time for students to submit any concerns about exam questions and test conditions. They need to review each concern, which takes some time as well.

2021 MCAT Test Dates

Here are all the MCAT test dates and dates of releasing the scores [1].

2021 MCAT Test Dates Score Release Dates
Friday, January 15 Tuesday, February 2
Saturday, January 16 Tuesday, February 2
Thursday, January 21 Tuesday, February 9
Monday, January 25 Tuesday, February 9
Saturday, March 13 Tuesday, April 13
Friday, March 26 Tuesday, April 27
Saturday, April 10 Tuesday, May 11
Friday, April 23 Tuesday, May 25
Friday, April 30 Tuesday, June 1
Saturday, May 1 Tuesday, June 1
Friday, May 14 Tuesday, June 15
Saturday, May 15 Tuesday, June 15
Thursday, May 20 Tuesday, June 22
Friday, May 28 Tuesday, June 22
Friday, June 4 Wednesday, July 7
Friday, June 18 Tuesday, July 20
Saturday, June 19 Tuesday, July 20
Saturday, June 26 Tuesday, July 27
Wednesday, June 30 Friday, July 30
Saturday, July 17 Tuesday, August 17
Friday, July 30 Tuesday, August 31
Saturday, August 7 Wednesday, September 8
Friday, August 13 Tuesday, September 14
Saturday, August 21 Tuesday, September 21
Thursday, August 26 Tuesday, September 28
Thursday, September 2 Tuesday, October 5
Friday, September 3 Tuesday, October 5
Friday, September 10 Tuesday, October 12
Saturday, September 11 Tuesday, October 12

Once the AAMC releases the scores, you’ll be able to see them through the MCAT score reporting system on the AAMC official website.

To make sure you see the scores as soon as they’re released, follow the AAMC MCAT Twitter account for announcements.

How are MCAT Scores Graded?

Exam sheet illustration with graded mark

On the scheduled date for score results, students will receive the score report with five scores.

Four scores are for each of the multiple-choice sections, and the fifth is the total score.

The MCAT isn’t graded on a curve; it’s scaled and equated.

“There is no curve associated with the MCAT exam. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test.”
- Official AAMC website

Here’s how AAMC scales and equates the exam [2]:

  1. They count the questions you answered correctly in all four sections, so the score for each section is based on the number of correct answers.
  2. The number of correct answers is converted to an MCAT scaled score, which goes from 118 (the lowest) to 132 (the highest).
  3. The scaled scores for each section are added together to get the total score, ranging from 472 (lowest) to 528 (highest).

Pro tip: Answer all the questions on the exam, as there’s no penalty for wrong or unanswered questions.

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How to Register for the MCAT

A person signing up for MCAT

If you want to take the MCAT, you can register online through the MCAT Registration System on the AAMC official website.

Here are the registration steps:

  1. Create an account on the AAMC website before registration opens.
  2. Write down your username, password, and security questions, as you’ll need them when you log in next time.
  3. Fill in all the personal info so it matches your government-issued ID.
  4. Choose a test date and location.
  5. Click on “find seat” to see the availability.
  6. If there are available seats, you can register. If not, look for other locations or test dates.
  7. Pay the initial MCAT registration fee.

Note: Don’t put off the test registration, or you may not find an available seat since the seats fill up very quickly.

Registering as soon as possible and knowing your test date way ahead will allow you to start your MCAT preparation early.

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When Should You Take the MCAT?

Planning for an exam schedule

When you should take the MCAT depends on a few different factors. Think about these questions:

  • Are you applying to medical schools immediately after the fourth year of college, or are you taking a gap year?
  • How much MCAT prep you’ll need?
  • Do you have solid biological and biochemical foundations?

Make sure to choose a date that gives you enough time for solid MCAT preparation. Also, check if the score date gives you enough time to submit the scores to your desired medical school.

If you don’t think you have sufficient knowledge in all the courses to ace the medical school application, schedule the exam at the end of the third year. This way, you’ll have enough time to take the exam again if you’re unhappy with the results.

When Will You See Your MCAT Scores?

You’ll see your MCAT scores about a month after the exam date, by 5:00 p.m. on the score release date. Check when the scores are released in the table above, and follow AAMC channels to get notified when the scores are out.

Try not to worry too much about the scores after the exam is finished; rather, focus on the proper MCAT prep before the exam.

Make sure you have sound biological foundations and physical foundations of biological systems and work on your critical analysis and reasoning skills.

After the exam, you have to be patient and wait between 30 and 35 days to receive your MCAT score.


References:

  1. https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/11336/download
  2. https://students-residents.aamc.org/mcat-scores/your-questions-answered-mcat-scoring-process

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