You can take the MCAT up to three times in one testing year, four times across two consecutive testing years and seven times in your lifetime, and you can hold only one appointment at a time (MCAT Essentials 2027). Voids and no-shows count toward those limits (AAMC MCAT FAQs), and medical schools see every exam you choose to have scored.
This page covers how the three limits interact, what counts as an attempt, how a retake appears on your application, and how to tell whether a second sitting is likely to raise your score.
MCAT retake rules at a glance
| Topic | Official rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Testing limits | One appointment at a time; no more than three attempts in a testing year, four over two consecutive testing years, and seven in a lifetime (counting from the April 2015 test dates). | AAMC: MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2027 (PDF) |
| Voids and no-shows | Voids and no-shows count toward your lifetime limits. | AAMC: MCAT FAQs |
| Void option | On test day you can choose to void your exam so it is not scored. The choice is final and cannot be reversed. | AAMC: MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2027 (PDF) |
| What schools see | Full disclosure policy since April 2003: every scored exam is included in score reports and pulled into your AMCAS application. You cannot leave a scored exam out. | AAMC: MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2027 (PDF) |
| Appeals | The AAMC may consider appeals of the limits: one request for an additional attempt per test year if you are under the lifetime limit, and one request in total once you reach it. | AAMC: MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2027 (PDF) |
| Results | Official scores are released 30 to 35 days after the exam date. | AAMC: MCAT scores |
| Fee | $360 standard registration for 2027 test dates ($145 with the Fee Assistance Program), plus $130 when testing outside the US, Canada and US territories. | AAMC: MCAT scheduling and fees |
How the three limits work together
All three caps apply at once, and the tightest one decides what you can book. Say you sit the exam in March 2027 and again in July 2027. A third 2027 attempt is still allowed by the yearly cap. But the two-year cap now matters: with three attempts in 2027, you would have only one left for 2028. Every scored, voided or missed appointment also uses one of your seven lifetime attempts.
The one-appointment rule has a practical side. You cannot hold a backup seat while you wait for a score. Because official scores take 30 to 35 days (AAMC), a student who tests in mid-summer may have to choose a retake date before the first score arrives.
What counts as an attempt
- A scored exam. Counts, and is reported.
- A voided exam. Counts toward your limits (AAMC MCAT FAQs). You choose to void at the end of test day, and that choice cannot be reversed (MCAT Essentials 2027).
- A no-show. Counts toward your limits as well.
Voiding is for a day that clearly went wrong: illness, a disruption at the test center, a section you know you abandoned. It is a poor tool for a day that merely felt hard, because most test days feel hard and the attempt is used either way.
What medical schools see
The AAMC has followed a full disclosure policy since April 2003. Every exam you have scored is included in your score reports, and AMCAS pulls your scores into your application automatically on the release date. You cannot leave out a scored exam or send schools only your best one (MCAT Essentials 2027).
How a school weighs several scores is the school’s decision, and policies differ. Check the admissions pages of the schools on your list, or ask your prehealth advisor, before deciding a retake is worth it.
Is a retake worth it?
Start with where your score sits. Sections are scored 118 to 132 and the total 472 to 528 (AAMC score scale). Across the 2023 to 2025 testing years the mean total was 500.6 (AAMC percentile ranks), and the percentile table in use until April 2027 puts these totals at these ranks (AAMC):
| Total score | Percentile rank |
|---|---|
| 500 | 48th |
| 505 | 64th |
| 508 | 74th |
| 510 | 79th |
| 515 | 91st |
| 520 | 97th |
A retake tends to pay off when the first score clearly undersold your practice results, or when one section pulled the total down for a reason you can fix, such as running out of time in CARS. It is less likely to help if you would prepare the same way and your practice scores already sat where your real score landed. Before booking, take a fresh full-length practice exam: if it is not clearly above your official score, the plan needs to change before the date does.
Timing a retake
For 2027 the U.S. test dates run from January 15 to September 11 (AAMC 2027 calendar). The AAMC suggests testing earlier in the testing year if you think you may retest, so you have time to see your score, decide and find another seat (AAMC MCAT FAQs). Each sitting costs the full registration fee, $360 for standard registration in 2027 (AAMC fees).
Give yourself enough weeks between attempts to change something real: a new approach to CARS passages, a content area rebuilt from scratch, or a pacing plan tested on full-length exams. Our guide to how long the MCAT is includes a sample 12-week plan you can adapt.
If you reach a limit
The AAMC may consider appeals. While you are under the lifetime limit, it will consider one request for an additional attempt per test year; once you reach the lifetime limit, it will consider one request and no further appeals (MCAT Essentials 2027). Approval is at the AAMC’s discretion, so treat this as a last resort rather than part of the plan.
Building the second attempt
Read the first score report section by section. A low CARS score with solid science scores calls for daily timed passages and a review of how you read, not more content. A low Chemical and Physical Foundations score usually traces back to specific topics or to math under time pressure. Then set checkpoints: an AAMC full-length every week or two in the final month, reviewed the next day, with the retake date confirmed only when the practice scores hold.
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