Understanding the MCAT: Sections, Scoring, and When to Take It
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 18, 2026 • Graduate & Professional School
The MCAT has 4 sections, runs 7.5 hours, and scores from 472 to 528. Take it early enough that scores post before you submit your AMCAS application.
🎓 4 sections: biology/biochemistry, chemistry/physics, psychology/sociology, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS).
💵 Registration fee is $355 through AAMC.
📩 230 questions total across the full exam.
⏱️ Aim to test by spring of your application year so your score is ready when AMCAS opens.
What the MCAT Tests
The Medical College Admission Test is a standardized exam almost every US medical school requires for admission. It measures your grasp of the science coursework medical school builds on and your ability to reason through dense passages under time pressure, not memorized trivia.
The exam runs about 7.5 hours including breaks and includes 230 scored and pretest questions across four sections, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges , which owns and administers the test.
The Four Sections
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems. Cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry, the kind of material covered in intro biology and biochemistry courses.
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems. General chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics as they apply to living systems.
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. Psychology and sociology concepts tied to health, behavior, and social determinants of health.
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS). Reading passages from humanities and social science, with no outside science knowledge needed. This section trips up the most students because it rewards reading comprehension speed, not content review.
How Scoring Works
Each section is scored on its own scale from 118 to 132, with 125 as the midpoint. Add all four section scores together and you get your total score, which runs from 472 to 528. A total around 500 sits near the midpoint of recent test takers, according to AAMC's score scale explanation .
Because the raw-to-scaled conversion adjusts slightly for each test date's difficulty, two people who answer the same number of questions correctly on different dates can end up with marginally different scaled scores. This is intentional and keeps scores comparable across administrations.
| Section | Score Range |
|---|---|
| Each of the 4 sections | 118-132 |
| Total score | 472-528 |
Registration and Fees
The standard registration fee is $355, according to AAMC's MCAT scheduling fees page . That fee covers your seat at a test center and delivery of your score to the medical schools you designate through AMCAS. AAMC runs a Fee Assistance Program for students who qualify based on financial need, which lowers the registration cost and adds other application benefits. Check current eligibility and amounts directly on the AAMC site before you register, since income thresholds and discounts change by cycle.
When to Take the MCAT
Work backward from the application cycle you plan to apply in. AMCAS, the centralized application most MD schools use, opens for submissions in early May and starts transmitting verified applications to schools in late June. Because many schools review applications on a rolling basis, submitting close to when AMCAS opens gives you an edge, and your MCAT score needs to already be posted by then.
That means testing in the winter or early spring of your application year is typically the latest safe window. Testing earlier, in the fall or winter before you apply, gives you a buffer to retake the exam if your first score falls short of your target schools' ranges. Give yourself at least 3 months of dedicated study time before your test date, and use full-length practice exams to build stamina for the 7.5 hour sitting.
If you retake the MCAT, medical schools can see all your attempts within the past several years, so treat the first sitting as your real attempt rather than a practice run.