The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

A report of the results of your performance on the MCAT is sent to you, to the medical schools selected, and, with your agreement, to your Premedical Advisor, usually within six to eight weeks of taking the exam.

The score sheet will list the results of each of the four subtests. The score for the three multiple-choice subtests (but not the Writing Sample) is based on the number of correct answers. (Thus, guessing wrong will not induce a lowering of the score.)

The scores for three of the subtests — physical sciences, biological sciences, and verbal reasoning — are reported on a 1 to 15 scale. These scaled scores when reported are converted from raw scores (see chart on page 211). (The conversation factor varies with different exams and compensates for minor variations in difficulty between exams.)

The scaled scores earned are best interpreted in relation to the performance of other examinees by means of three data sheets, namely, means (and standard deviations) for each subtest, percentile rank ranges, and percentages of students receiving each scaled score, which are sent along with your scores.