How to get into medical school: a year-by-year plan for the 2027 cycle
Understand prerequisite courses, clinical hours, MCAT timing and application dates, with sourced AAMC and AACOM data for MD and DO schools.
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To get into medical school, you need the prerequisite science courses with a strong GPA, a competitive MCAT score, steady clinical and service experience, and an early application through AMCAS for MD schools or AACOMAS for DO schools. In 2025, students starting at US MD schools averaged a 3.81 GPA and a 512.1 MCAT, according to the AAMC. Most students build this over four years of college. They take the MCAT in the spring of junior year or later and submit their application in late May or June. The plan below covers each year and uses the official 2027 cycle dates, so you can see exactly how the timing works.
How do you get into medical school?
Admissions committees want to see four things. You can handle the science. You understand what a doctor's work involves. You've spent real time helping other people. And you can explain clearly why medicine is right for you.
Schools use holistic review, so no single number decides your application. Your GPA and MCAT still matter, though, because they often decide whether a school reads your application closely.
Here's what each part looks like:
- Prerequisite courses. Most schools expect a year each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, with labs, plus biochemistry, English and math or statistics. Requirements vary, so check each school's entry in the AAMC's Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) database.
- GPA. Schools look at your overall GPA and your science GPA, which covers biology, chemistry, physics and math. If your grades improve over time, that counts in your favor.
- MCAT. The exam is scored from 472 to 528 across four sections: biology and biochemistry, chemistry and physics, psychology and sociology, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS).
- Experience. This means clinical work with patients, shadowing physicians, community service and, for many schools, research.
- The application. You'll write a personal statement, list your activities, collect letters of recommendation and answer each school's secondary essays. Many schools also ask for a situational judgment test such as Casper, so check each school's list. Then come interviews.
Year-by-year pre-med plan: freshman to senior year
This plan assumes you'll apply in the summer after junior year and start medical school right after you graduate. Many applicants take one or more gap years instead. If that's you, the steps are the same. You just move the MCAT and the application a year or two later.
| Year | Courses | Experience | MCAT and application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | Bio, gen chem, math | Meet your pre-med advisor. Start one clinical or volunteer role you can keep for years. | Nothing to book yet. Build steady study habits. |
| Sophomore | Organic chem, physics | Add hours working directly with patients, such as scribing, EMT or CNA work, or hospice volunteering. Start shadowing. Ask professors about research openings. | Keep a note of which courses cover MCAT content. |
| Junior (fall) | Biochem, physics, psych | Keep your clinical and service roles going. Get to know the professors who could write your letters. | Register for an MCAT date when the next year's dates open in October. Start studying. |
| Junior (spring) | Remaining prereqs | Ask for letters of recommendation. | Take the MCAT between January and May. Draft your personal statement and activities. |
| Summer after junior year | None | Stay in your clinical role. | Submit AMCAS or AACOMAS as soon as submission opens. Return secondary essays promptly. |
| Senior | Upper-level science | Stay involved. Interviewers will ask what you've done since applying. | Interviews run from late summer through spring. Send coursework updates when the service allows. |
Source: AAMC 2027 AMCAS workbook, AAMC MCAT calendar and AACOM. Last checked: November 13, 2026.
In more detail: as a freshman, take general biology and general chemistry with labs, plus math or statistics. As a sophomore, take organic chemistry with labs, and start physics if your schedule allows. In the fall of junior year, take biochemistry, physics, psychology and sociology. Senior year is for upper-level science and electives.
The AAMC doesn't set a minimum number of clinical hours. Schools look for steady, hands-on time with patients and for what you learned from it. Two or three years in one role, with real responsibility, will usually tell them more than a rush of hours just before you apply.
If you're still in high school, the most useful thing you can do is build a strong base in biology, chemistry and math. AP Biology, AP Chemistry and AP Calculus all help. Some medical schools don't count AP credit toward their prerequisites and ask for college courses instead. Even so, AP work makes freshman science much easier. Medly AI covers AP and SAT, and it marks your practice answers so you can see exactly where you're losing points.
When should you take the MCAT?
Take the MCAT once you've covered the content, and early enough that your score is ready when you submit. For most students, that means spring of the year they apply.
If you're applying in the cycle that opens in spring 2027, you'll use the 2027 test dates. The AAMC calendar lists 35 US test dates in 2027, from January 15 to September 11. There's no testing from October through December. Scores are released about 30 to 35 days after each test, and registration for all 2027 dates opened in October 2026.
Why aim for spring? Many schools review applications as they come in, and they can't complete your file without a score. You can still use a late-summer test date in the current cycle. But schools won't see that score until the fall, when they've already invited many applicants to interview.
AMCAS and AACOMAS dates for the 2027 cycle
The 2027 cycle is for students starting medical school in fall 2027. It opened in May 2026 and has now reached interview season. If you're a junior now, you'll apply in the next cycle, which opens in spring 2027. The AAMC and AACOM publish exact dates each spring, so use the 2027 dates as a guide to the pattern.
| Milestone | AMCAS (MD schools) | AACOMAS (DO schools) |
|---|---|---|
| Application opens | May 5, 2026 | May 4, 2026 |
| Submission begins | May 28, 2026 | May 4, 2026 |
| Schools start receiving applications | June 26, 2026 | May 4, 2026 |
| Early Decision deadline | August 3, 2026 | Set by each school |
| Final submission deadline | Set by each school | April 30, 2027 (most schools close earlier) |
Source: AAMC 2027 cycle presentation, AAMC 2027 AMCAS workbook and AACOM application dates. Last checked: November 13, 2026.
AMCAS checks every application against your transcripts before sending it to schools, so submitting in the first few weeks gets you into the early review. AACOMAS has three windows for adding new grades in the 2027 cycle: September 1 to October 9, 2026, December 14, 2026 to February 12, 2027, and March 15 to June 11, 2027.
Plan for the cost too. The 2027 AMCAS fee is $180, which includes your first school, and each extra school costs $48. If you qualify for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program, it waives AMCAS fees for one application with up to 20 schools and reduces your MCAT fee.
MD vs DO: how admissions differ
MDs and DOs are both fully licensed physicians in the US, and both can train in any specialty. The application process looks very similar. The main differences are the application service, the average scores of admitted students and the training itself.
| MD schools | DO schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Application service | AMCAS (AAMC) | AACOMAS (AACOM) |
| Mean GPA, 2025 entering class | 3.81 | 3.62 |
| Mean science GPA, 2025 entering class | 3.75 | 3.53 |
| Mean MCAT, 2025 entering class | 512.1 | 502.95 |
| Licensing exams | USMLE | COMLEX-USA (many students also take USMLE) |
| Extra training | None beyond the standard curriculum | Osteopathic principles, including osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) |
Source: AAMC FACTS, AAMC enrollment report and AACOM fact sheet. Last checked: November 13, 2026.
If you're thinking about DO schools, shadow a DO early. Some DO schools recommend or require a letter from one. Many applicants apply to both MD and DO schools, which gives them a wider range of options.
How competitive is medical school admission?
It's competitive, and the AAMC numbers show where the bar sits. In 2025, 54,699 people applied to US MD schools and 23,440 started medical school that fall, so about 43% of applicants matriculated. Applicants averaged a 506.3 MCAT and a 3.67 GPA. Students who started averaged 512.1 and 3.81, according to the AAMC's 2025 report.
You can improve your chances in a few practical ways. Compare your GPA and MCAT with each school's range in MSAR before you build your list. Include public schools in your home state, since many of them give priority to residents. And submit as early in the cycle as you can.
Frequently asked questions
What's the easiest way to get into med school?
There's no shortcut, but some choices improve your odds. Apply early in the cycle, choose schools where your GPA and MCAT fall within their usual range, and include in-state public schools and DO schools on your list.
Is 25 too late to start med school?
No. Students who started at US MD schools in 2025 ranged in age from 18 to 60, according to the AAMC. Many applicants take gap years or complete a post-baccalaureate program first.
Is a 3.7 too low for med school?
No. A 3.7 is above the 2025 MD applicant average of 3.67 and the DO entering class average of 3.62, though below the MD entering class average of 3.81. A strong MCAT, an upward grade trend and solid clinical experience can all strengthen your application.
Is it hard to get into a medical school?
Yes. About 43% of 2025 MD applicants started medical school that year, based on AAMC figures. Careful planning across all four years makes a real difference.
Can you start preparing for medical school in high school?
Yes. Strong grades in AP Biology, AP Chemistry and AP Calculus make college science courses easier. To get your AP practice answers marked, try Medly for free. The free plan includes 5 marked questions, 20 AI tutor messages and 1 uploaded paper a day, with no card needed.