The MCAT exam: format, questions, scores and MCAT prep
The MCAT exam (Medical College Admission Test) is the AAMC’s standardized test for applicants to medical school and other health professions programs that accept MCAT scores. It has 230 questions in four sections, takes 6 hours 15 minutes of testing time and about 7 hours 30 minutes seated, and is scored from 472 to 528. Standard registration for 2027 test dates costs $360.
- Exam
- Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), administered by the AAMCAAMC 2027 Canadian MCAT schedule, checked 18 October 2026
- Questions
- 230 in four sections (59, 53, 59 and 59)AAMC What’s on the MCAT Exam?, checked 18 October 2026
- Testing time
- 6 hours 15 minutes of content; about 7 hours 30 minutes seatedAAMC What’s on the MCAT Exam?, checked 18 October 2026
- Score range
- 118 to 132 per section; 472 to 528 total (midpoint 500)AAMC MCAT Exam Score Scale, checked 18 October 2026
- Passing score
- None. There is no pass mark; each school decides how it uses scoresAAMC MCAT Exam Scoring and MCAT FAQs, checked 18 October 2026
- Registration fee (2027 dates)
- $360 standard; $145 with AAMC Fee Assistance; plus $130 outside the US, Canada and US territoriesAAMC MCAT Scheduling Fees, checked 18 October 2026
- Attempt limits
- 3 per testing year, 4 over two consecutive years, 7 in a lifetimeAAMC Testing Attempt Limits, checked 18 October 2026
- Score release
- About 30 to 35 days after test day, by 5 p.m. ETAAMC MCAT FAQs, checked 18 October 2026
- Free official practice
- Practice Exam One (scored) and the Unscored Sample Test, 230 questions eachAAMC Free Planning and Study Resources, checked 18 October 2026
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What is the MCAT test?
What is the MCAT test? It is the Medical College Admission Test, the AAMC’s exam for people preparing to apply to a health professions program that accepts MCAT scores, such as medical school. The AAMC’s eligibility requirements for the MCAT are short: you may sit the MCAT exam if you are preparing to apply to and attend such a program and are not currently, or were not previously, enrolled in one. Testing for any other reason needs special permission from the AAMC.
Because the MCAT medical exam is an admissions test, it has no pass mark. You receive five scores, one per section plus a total, and each school decides how it weighs them.
Source: AAMC — Eligible Health Professions Programs and Requesting Special Permission. Checked 18 October 2026.
What is on the MCAT exam?
The MCAT exam has four sections. Three are science sections that combine content knowledge with scientific inquiry and reasoning skills; the fourth, Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS), uses passages from the humanities and social sciences and requires no specific content knowledge.
The AAMC says the science content draws from year-long courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, introductory physics and introductory biology, and from introductory courses in biochemistry, psychology and sociology.
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 59 questions, 95 minutes
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 53 questions, 90 minutes
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 59 questions, 95 minutes
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 59 questions, 95 minutes
Source: AAMC — What’s on the MCAT Exam? (MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2027). Checked 18 October 2026.
How many questions are on the MCAT?
There are 230 questions on the MCAT: 59 in each of the three science sections and 53 in CARS. Testing time adds up to 6 hours 15 minutes, and the AAMC puts total seated time at about 7 hours 30 minutes, not counting check-in.
You get two 10-minute breaks and one 30-minute mid-exam break. All questions on the MCAT are multiple choice, and CARS questions are all passage-based, so reading stamina matters as much as recall. The AAMC’s practice exams use real MCAT exam questions from previously administered exams, which makes them the closest preview of test day.
Source: AAMC — What’s on the MCAT Exam? (MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2027). Checked 18 October 2026.
MCAT exam sign up and test centers
For the MCAT exam sign up you need an AAMC account. Create an AAMC ID through the MCAT Registration System; if you already have an AAMC ID from other AAMC services, you must use that account. You then answer the registration questions and choose a date and an MCAT test center.
Registration for all January to September 2027 MCAT dates opens October 20 to 22, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET, by testing center location. Seats are first-come, first-served, and the AAMC offers the exam at hundreds of test sites in the United States, Canada and around the world. You can change your appointment online until 10 days before test day.
Source: AAMC — Tips for Registration Opening Day 2026. Checked 18 October 2026.
MCAT cost
For 2027 test dates, standard registration is $360 and registration through the AAMC Fee Assistance Program is $145. If you test outside the US, Canada or the US territories, the AAMC adds a $130 international fee. Rescheduling and cancellation fees depend on how many days before the exam you make the change; the Cost page lists them in full.
Source: AAMC — MCAT Scheduling Fees. Checked 18 October 2026.
How MCAT scores work
Your raw score in each section is the number of questions you answer correctly, and there is no penalty for guessing. The AAMC converts each raw score to a scaled score from 118 to 132 through equating, which adjusts for small differences in difficulty between test forms. Your total is the sum of the four section scores, from 472 to 528, with a midpoint of 500.
Scores are released about 30 to 35 days after test day, by 5 p.m. ET. The Exam page covers score ranges, averages, percentiles and test dates in detail.
Source: AAMC — MCAT Exam Scoring. Checked 18 October 2026.
Retaking the MCAT exam
You may attempt the exam no more than three times in a testing year, four times over two consecutive testing years and seven times in your lifetime, counted from the April 2015 test dates. Voids and no-shows count as attempts.
Medical schools see every score from April 2003 onward. According to an AAMC survey of admissions officers, some schools weigh all sets of scores equally, some use only the most recent, some average them and some use only the highest. Generally, schools accept scores from tests taken two to three years ago, but each school sets its own rule.
Source: AAMC — Testing Attempt Limits. Checked 18 October 2026.
AAMC MCAT prep: the official prep hub and practice tests
The AAMC MCAT prep hub, officially the AAMC MCAT Official Prep Hub, is where you open the AAMC’s free resources and any official products you buy. AAMC MCAT practice tests use questions from previously administered MCAT exams: Practice Exam One is free and gives a scaled score and percentile rank like a real exam, and Practice Exams 2 to 6 are paid.
The AAMC MCAT Official Prep Online-Only Bundle combines all online official products, including the CARS Question Bank, for 2,876 unique questions with 365 days of access. It was listed at $336.15 (regular price $405.00) when we checked. Applicants approved for AAMC Fee Assistance receive the bundle as part of their benefits.
Source: AAMC — Practice for the MCAT Exam with Official Low-Cost Products. Checked 18 October 2026.
Free MCAT practice test options and sample MCAT questions
The AAMC publishes two free MCAT practice exams of 230 questions each. Practice Exam One is scored; the Unscored Sample Test has the same length and functionality but gives no scaled score. For a free MCAT practice test, start with these two before buying anything else.
For sample MCAT questions and example MCAT questions in smaller doses, the AAMC’s MCAT Sample Question Guide has 12 questions, three per section, each with the correct answer and an explanation tied to the concepts and skills tested. The free Content Outline course adds 120 practice questions from the retired Official Guide, and the Practice with Exam Features tool has 12 example questions.
If you are looking for an MCAT question of the day, note that we found no official AAMC MCAT question of day feature on the pages we checked. A steady daily set from these free official items and from your own question bank does the same job.
Source: AAMC — Free Planning and Study Resources. Checked 18 October 2026.
MCAT diagnostic test: where to start your MCAT exam prep
The AAMC’s own study-plan guidance uses the free Unscored Sample Test as the MCAT diagnostic test: take it to establish your baseline, then use its Content & Skills Breakdown to identify knowledge gaps. Rate each content area in the Content Outline course as low, medium or high confidence and plan your MCAT test preparation around the low-confidence areas first. Good MCAT exam preparation starts from data, not from a fixed book order.
Take Practice Exam One under test-day timing, review every incorrect or flagged question, and work on your weaknesses before the next full-length exam. A second MCAT diagnostic exam later shows whether your plan is working.
Source: AAMC — Creating Your MCAT Exam Study Plan. Checked 18 October 2026.
MCAT prep resources, companies and CARS practice
The core MCAT prep materials come from the AAMC as test maker: the content outline PDF, the free practice exams, the question packs, the section banks and the CARS Question Bank with 575 passage-based questions. Any MCAT prep company is independent of the AAMC, so check what material it uses and whether its practice is timed like the real exam. Whether you need one of the MCAT prep companies at all depends on your baseline and how you study; MCAT test prep can be built entirely from official material plus targeted practice.
For MCAT CARS practice, the AAMC says no additional coursework is needed. CARS passages are 50% humanities and 50% social sciences, and the skills split is about 30% comprehension, 30% reasoning within the text and 40% reasoning beyond the text, so regular timed passage practice is the most direct preparation.
Source: AAMC — Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Section: Overview. Checked 18 October 2026.
MCAT practice questions
Certsqill’s MCAT practice questions are expert-developed and mapped to the four sections of the exam, so your MCAT practice covers the same mix of science, behavior and CARS that you will see on test day. Use them as practice questions for MCAT study alongside the AAMC’s official practice exams.
Every question comes with an explanation for each answer option, and your results build a readiness score per section, so you can see which areas still need work before test day. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
MCAT questions people ask
What is an MCAT test score used for?
Admission to medical school and other health professions programs that accept MCAT scores. There is no pass mark; each school decides how it uses scores. Source: AAMC, checked 18 October 2026.
How many questions are on the MCAT?
230: 59 each in the three science sections and 53 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. Source: AAMC What’s on the MCAT Exam?, checked 18 October 2026.
How long is the MCAT exam?
6 hours 15 minutes of testing time and about 7 hours 30 minutes seated, not counting check-in. Source: AAMC, checked 18 October 2026.
Where can I find a free MCAT practice test?
The AAMC offers Practice Exam One (scored) and the Unscored Sample Test, 230 questions each, as free MCAT practice exams through its Official Prep Hub. Source: AAMC, checked 18 October 2026.
Is there an MCAT question of the day from the AAMC?
We found no official AAMC question-of-the-day feature on the pages checked on 18 October 2026. The AAMC’s free Sample Question Guide and Content Outline course questions work well for daily practice.
What MCAT study questions are in the AAMC Sample Question Guide?
12 questions, three in each section, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Source: AAMC MCAT Sample Question Guide, checked 18 October 2026.
How do I do the MCAT test sign up?
Create or use your existing AAMC ID, register in the MCAT Registration System and pick a date and test center. Registration for 2027 dates opens October 20 to 22, 2026. Source: AAMC, checked 18 October 2026.
How much does the MCAT exam cost?
$360 standard registration for 2027 dates, $145 with AAMC Fee Assistance, plus $130 if you test outside the US, Canada or US territories. Source: AAMC, checked 18 October 2026.
How many times can I take the MCAT?
Up to three times in a testing year, four times over two consecutive years and seven times in a lifetime. Voids and no-shows count. Source: AAMC, checked 18 October 2026.
