Medical School Requirements: 8 Key Requirements for Admission

What Are the Common Medical School Requirements?

Medical school requirements vary between institutions, but most MD programs evaluate applicants using the same core criteria.

The most common medical school requirements include:

1. Prerequisite Coursework: Completion of foundational science courses such as biology, chemistry, physics, and biochemistry.
2. Undergraduate GPA: Your cumulative and science GPA demonstrate academic readiness for medical training.
3. MCAT Score: Most medical schools require the Medical College Admission Test to assess scientific knowledge and reasoning.
4. Clinical and Extracurricular Experiences: Activities such as clinical exposure, volunteering, research, and leadership.
5. Letters of Recommendation: Academic or professional references who can evaluate your readiness for medical school.
6. Application Essays: Personal statements and secondary essays that explain your motivations and experiences.
7. Admissions Interviews: Many schools evaluate applicants through traditional interviews or Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs).
8. Situational Judgment Tests: Some schools require assessments such as CASPer or other Acuity Insights tools.

The sections below explain each requirement in detail so you can understand how medical schools evaluate applicants.

Medical School Requirement #1: Premed Education and Prerequisites

Medical schools require applicants to complete a bachelor’s degree and specific prerequisite coursework before they can enroll in a medical program. These prerequisites ensure that applicants have the scientific foundation necessary to succeed in medical training.

Although requirements vary by institution, most MD programs expect coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and biochemistry before applying.

Do You Need a Degree to Get into Med School?

The first requirement to get into medical school is a college degree and completion of any medical school prerequisites. If you’re an ambitious future physician wondering, “Can I get into med school straight out of high school?” the answer is no. But, if you’re set on becoming a doctor from an early age, you may wish to consider a BS/MD program!

Most of the popular premed majors have med school prerequisites baked into the curriculum, but it depends what you major in. In any case, you’ll need to have completed your degree and any required coursework by the time you matriculate to your chosen med school.

While many students choose science majors, medical schools accept applicants from diverse academic backgrounds as long as they complete the required coursework.

Most Common Premed Majors:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Biomedical Sciences
• Neuroscience
• Public Health
• Psychology

Your premed degree doesn't have to be in science. While science majors can provide a strong foundation in medical school prerequisites, you should choose a degree that genuinely interests you. MDs come from a variety of academic backgrounds. Passionate students tend to perform better and are more motivated to maintain a competitive GPA!

While you don’t have to major in science, keep in mind that some fields might give you a stronger foundation in the prerequisites. If you're curious about how different majors impact your chances of acceptance, check out our blog post on medical school acceptance rates by major.

What Are the Medical School Prerequisites?

Medical school prerequisites generally include a set of core science courses that prepare students for the medical curriculum. For instance, some schools mandate specific courses while others, like UCLA Medical School, have no required prerequisites but do recommend certain subjects.

The following courses are commonly required or strongly recommended:

• General Biology with Lab
• General Chemistry with Lab
• Organic Chemistry with Lab
• Inorganic Chemistry with Lab
• Physics with Lab
• Biochemistry
• Mathematics (Calculus or Statistics)
• English or Writing-Intensive Courses
• Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology)

When it comes to selecting your courses during your premed years, one of our MD consultants has this piece of advice:

“Take courses you genuinely enjoy, as opposed to doing them because they are ‘easy.’ Personally, my hardest courses were the ones I had little-to-no interest in, but I ended up enrolling because my friends said they were easy. When you are doing something that you enjoy, you automatically end up going the extra mile, which shows both in the quality of your work as well as the results.” – Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

Medical School Requirement #2: GPA

Undergraduate GPA is one of the primary academic metrics medical schools use to evaluate applicants. Admissions committees review both your cumulative GPA and your science GPA to assess whether you are prepared for the academic rigor of medical training.

Competitive applicants to MD programs often have GPAs in the range of 3.5 to 3.7 or higher, although requirements vary by school.

Medical schools evaluate both your cumulative GPA and your science GPA (also called the BCPM GPA, which includes biology, chemistry, physics, and math coursework).

Medical school acceptance rates highlight the importance of meeting GPA requirements — GPA is one of the first factors admissions officers consider. If your GPA doesn’t meet medical school standards, your application likely won’t advance.

If your GPA isn't where you want it to be, we recommend you focus on improving your premed GPA and creating an upward trend in your grades. Admissions committees often look favorably on students who show consistent improvement over time, even if their overall GPA isn't perfect.

While some medical schools have low accepted GPAs — for instance, Meharry Medical College has a median GPA of 3.58 — a lower GPA can limit the number of schools that will review your application, decreasing your chances of acceptance.

Medical School Requirement #3: MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized exam used by most medical schools to evaluate applicants’ scientific knowledge, critical thinking skills, and readiness for medical training.

Although requirements vary by school, competitive applicants typically score between 510 and 520, with average matriculant scores around 511–512. The AAMC has released recent data for MCAT scores:

1. Average Applicant MCAT Score: The average MCAT score for all applicants is around 506.3, reflecting the broader range of students who apply to medical schools.
2. Average Accepted (Matriculant) MCAT Score: For those who are accepted and matriculate into medical school, the average MCAT score is 512.1, which is significantly higher as it reflects the successful candidates.

Suffice it to say, unless you’re applying exclusively to medical schools that don’t require the MCAT, you'll need a strong score!

While a high MCAT score significantly strengthens your application, it does not guarantee acceptance. However, a low MCAT score can be a red flag, potentially overshadowing other strong aspects of your application.

Would you rather watch a video about medical school requirements?

Medical School Requirement #4: Premed Extracurriculars and Experiences

Medical schools evaluate applicants’ extracurricular experiences to assess their commitment to medicine, service, and leadership. These activities demonstrate your commitment to medicine and help admissions committees assess qualities such as empathy, leadership, and service.

Common experiences evaluated in medical school applications include:

• clinical experience
• volunteer work
• research
• leadership roles
• meaningful extracurricular involvement

These experiences are one of the best ways to set yourself apart from other candidates by demonstrating your commitment and growth personally and professionally.

Your extracurriculars and experiences are captured on your medical school application in the AMCAS work and activities section (for allopathic med school applicants), the AACOMAS activities section (for osteopathic med school applicants) and the TMDSAS activities section (for applicants to Texas medical schools). Depending on where you are applying, get to know how to craft these parts of your application and how to choose the experiences you want to highlight.

Medical School Requirement #5: Letters of Recommendation

Medical schools typically require two to five letters of recommendation from professors or professional mentors who can evaluate your academic ability and readiness for medical training.

Start building relationships with referees early. Attend office hours, seek mentorship opportunities, and engage meaningfully in class to ensure your referees can write strong, personalized letters.

Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, one of our admissions experts and a graduate from the University of Maryland medical school, emphasizes the importance of building relationships with your professors to secure strong letters:

“Most professors are aware that students need letters of recommendation. I would be more willing to provide a letter for a student I had a few [one-on-one] interactions with, so it is always good to try and go to office hours for classes you may want a letter from. I’d also ask professors if they can write the letter soon after taking the class ideally at the end of the semester or within the next semester.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Medical School Requirement #6: Medical School Admissions Essays

Medical schools require applicants to submit several admissions essays, including a personal statement and secondary application essays. Your personal statement is used to gauge your writing and communication skills, and to learn more about who you are as an applicant and why you want to become a doctor.

Your personal statement is the cornerstone of your medical school application, so it needs to be well-written and carefully crafted if you want your application to stand out.

Medical School Secondary Applications

Secondary applications help medical schools to gather additional information not included in the primary application. Most schools send these secondaries to either all applicants or those who pass an initial screening, and students typically have 2 to 4 weeks to complete them.

The med school secondary application includes supplementary essays, and the number of prompts and requirements vary by school. The secondary essay prompts are usually available on each school’s website. Some prompts include “why this medical school?”, the diversity secondary essay, or the gap year secondary essay.

Check out medical school secondary essay examples to see the most common type of prompts so you can work on answering them confidently and effectively.

Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, one of our admissions consultants, says pre-writing is an effective way to cut down on the workload of secondaries:

“Secondaries were a lot of work especially after completing all of the primary application materials. I tried to pre-write secondaries starting in mid-June as there aren’t many changes year to year in prompts which are easily found online. For each school I read their mission statement and tailored my answers to their priorities. Since many essays also overlap between schools I was able to morph different essays based on length to reduce overall writing.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Medical School Requirement #7: Medical School Interviews

Most medical schools require applicants to complete an admissions interview as part of the final stage of the selection process. If you’ve received an interview invite, go ahead and pat yourself on the back. Not all applicants make it this far! Medical school interviews are usually conducted in a traditional panel format or the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format. Be sure to check which one to expect and start preparing with mock medical school interviews!

Medical School Requirement #8: Situational Judgment Tests

Some medical schools require applicants to complete situational judgment tests (SJTs) as part of the admissions process. These assessments are designed to evaluate professional competencies such as ethical decision-making, communication skills, empathy, and professionalism.

Situational judgment tests present applicants with realistic scenarios and ask them to evaluate possible responses or explain how they would handle the situation. Admissions committees use these assessments to gain additional insight into an applicant’s interpersonal skills and readiness for medical training.

Two of the most common situational judgment tests used by medical schools are:

CASPer

CASPer is an online situational judgment test developed by Acuity Insights. It presents applicants with video-based and written scenarios that assess qualities such as empathy, professionalism, collaboration, and ethical reasoning.

AAMC PREview

The AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam is another situational judgment assessment used by some medical schools. It evaluates how applicants respond to professional dilemmas and behavioral scenarios that physicians may encounter in clinical settings.

Not all medical schools require situational judgment tests, and requirements vary by institution. Applicants should always review the admissions requirements of the schools they plan to apply to in order to determine whether these assessments are required.

How DO School Requirements Differ

Although many osteopathic (DO) schools have similar admissions requirements to MD programs, there are some differences.

DO schools generally evaluate the same core components:

• prerequisite coursework
• GPA
• MCAT scores
• clinical and extracurricular experiences
• letters of recommendation
• essays and interviews

However, GPA and MCAT expectations may be slightly lower on average, and some schools encourage applicants to obtain shadowing experience with osteopathic physicians.

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