A 505 is a real score. It is in the 64th percentile on the official AAMC percentile table, which means 64% of all MCAT scores were equal to or lower. Whether it is the right score for you depends entirely on your goals.
Percentile ranks come from the official AAMC percentile table in effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, based on all MCAT results from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 testing years combined (N = 305,494).
Is a 505 good?
Honestly: it depends on context, and anyone who gives you a one word answer is skipping the important part. A 505 sits 4 points above the national mean. For some applicants and some programs, that is workable alongside a strong overall application. For others, target programs may typically expect more.
The right reference point is not the national average but the expectations of the specific schools you are aiming for. Check their published class profiles, and weigh your score in the context of your GPA, experiences, and story.
Section balance matters more here than anywhere
Two students can both score a 505 and be in very different positions. A balanced 505 across C/P, CARS, B/B, and P/S reads differently than a 505 with one section well below the others, because admissions readers see the section split alongside the total.
A useful rule of thumb: if one section sits three or more points below the rest, that section is where the retake case starts, and the project is contained. That is genuinely good news. It gives a retake a clear target instead of a vague mandate to "do better at everything."
If you are weighing a retake
The question that matters is not "can I score higher?" but "what specifically would change?" A retake that repeats the first prep usually repeats the first result. At this band the misses are rarely content blanks. They cluster in Partial Truth and Scope Mismatch, the answer that is almost right or right about slightly the wrong thing. That is trainable, but only if your review names the pattern every time it shows up.
A targeted retake from this range usually runs ten to fourteen weeks: a short foundation stretch, a full pass through the official material in the weak section, and full lengths spaced with dedicated review days. There is also a real cost to weigh, in time, money, and the risk that a similar score adds little. If your score already fits your school list, your hours may be better spent elsewhere in the application. If it does not, and you can name what would change, this is a path many students have walked before you.
Common questions about a 505
Is a 505 MCAT score good?
A 505 sits in the 64th percentile on the official AAMC percentile table, meaning 64% of MCAT scores were equal to or lower. Whether it is "good" depends on your goals, your target programs, and the rest of your application.
What percentile is a 505 MCAT score?
On the AAMC percentile table in effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, a total score of 505 is in the 64th percentile. That means 64% of scores were equal to or lower than 505.
Should I retake the MCAT with a 505?
It depends on your target programs and the rest of your application. A 505 is 4 points above the national mean of 500.6. If your target schools typically expect higher scores and you can name specifically what you would change in your prep, a retake can make sense. If your score already fits your school list, your time may be better spent elsewhere in your application.
Explore nearby scores and next steps
Score context changes quickly on this part of the scale. Compare: is a 503 good? · is a 504 good? · is a 506 good? · is a 507 good?
Planning a retake from a 505? See what these jumps involve: 505 to 510 · 505 to 513 · 505 to 515
For a personalized read on your situation, the free Retaker Calculator is the place to start, and The Retaker Course is the full system when you are ready to build the plan.
Reading this as a parent? We wrote a whole section for you, starting with MCAT scores explained for parents, at pillartestprep.com/parents.