How to Calculate Your AMCAS GPA for Medical School
Applying to medical school is one of the most competitive academic processes in the world. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) requires you to submit a highly standardized transcript through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). According to the official AMCAS Grade Conversion Guide, all courses are standardized to a 4.0 scale. Our AMCAS GPA Calculator uses the exact same algorithm that the official AMCAS application uses to verify your grades.
Medical school admissions committees don't just look at your cumulative GPA. They heavily scrutinize your science GPA, officially known as the BCPM GPA.
- BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math): This is your core science GPA. If a class falls under these disciplines, you must mark it as a BCPM course. Medical schools use this to determine if you can handle the rigorous science curriculum.
- AO (All Other): This encompasses the rest of your coursework (English, History, Psychology, etc.). While important, your AO GPA generally carries less weight than your BCPM GPA.
No. The AMCAS grading system strictly caps grades at 4.0. Even if your undergraduate institution uses a 4.3 grading scale where an A+ boosts your GPA, AMCAS will convert all A+ grades down to a 4.0. If you are unsure of your university's specific grading scale, you can check our College GPA Calculator directory to see how your school specifically handles grades.
Unlike some undergraduate systems that offer "grade forgiveness" by replacing your old grade with the new one, AMCAS averages both attempts. You must enter both the original failing/poor grade and the new grade into the calculator to get an accurate projection.
Frequently Asked Questions
For allopathic (MD) medical schools in the US, a competitive applicant typically possesses a BCPM GPA of 3.7+ and a Cumulative GPA of 3.8+. However, a slightly lower GPA can be offset by an exceptionally high MCAT score.
Generally, no. Engineering, computer science, and health science courses (like nursing or kinesiology) are typically classified as AO (All Other), unless a specific course was strictly fundamentally math or physics based.