General Should I retake 511 MCAT?

[Question]

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The 2025-2026 cycle hasn't really gone well for me. I have a 511 MCAT score (130/123/129/129).

I was wondering if I should start preemptively studying for the MCAT again or not?

Do you guys have any advice on what I should do moving forward? I know many people say that 511 is already a good score and that the other parts of my application may have been the problem.

— Experts please respond to this post —

 

[GoSpursGo]

A big part of the reason it is not recommended to retake a 510+ is that it’s very hard to improve on a score that’s already in the top 20%. Furthermore, you have to start studying from scratch. This is a huge undertaking of hundreds of hours of MCAT prep without any guarantee of successfully improving your score.

It is likely better to spend that time shoring up other weak spots in your app, including making sure you apply early and to a broad set of schools in your stat range

 

[Goro]

Answer: no.
Your MCAT score is one point below the median for matriculants to MD schools. So, you're fine. Just make sure that you have a strategic list. For example do not apply to Stanford or Harvard class schools.

 

[Dral]

I'd say probably not. However, if you can take an unbiased practice test, then work on CARS (along with maintaining everything else), and then take other unbiased practice tests with all of them showing consistent relatively significant improvement on CARS, then it might be worth it.

A better strategy might be to keep working on other aspects of your app and make sure you add in some good DO schools next year - if you didn't this year and are not successful this year.