What is a good CARS score?
CARS, the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section, is 53 questions in 90 minutes on passages from the humanities and social sciences. It is scored from 118 to 132 like every section, and a 124 is at the 50th percentile on the current AAMC table.
Pick a CARS score
124 in CARS is at the 50th percentile.
A 124 in CARS is exactly the median
A 124 in CARS is at the 50th percentile, the middle of test takers, and close to the section mean of 124.6. It meets Emory's 124 and Alberta's 124 for Alberta applicants, and Toronto accepts it as your one section below 125. It misses Queen's 125 and the CARS 128 that Alberta and Calgary ask of non-Alberta applicants. A 124 usually reflects a reader who gets the main idea but loses points on subtle wording.
What CARS tests
53 questions in 90 minutes
9 passage sets of 5 to 7 questions each; every question is passage-based.
CARS tests how well you comprehend, analyze, and reason about what you read. Passages run about 500 to 600 words and come half from the humanities and half from the social sciences, including ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, and population health. AAMC weights the questions at 30% comprehension, 30% reasoning within the text, and 40% reasoning beyond the text.
CARS is the one section that needs no science: AAMC says no additional coursework or specific knowledge is required, and everything you need to answer is in the passages and questions.
What AAMC says it tests
Foundations of Comprehension (30% of the section): understanding what the passage says, including the meaning of key terms and ideas in context.
Reasoning Within the Text (30%): tying together parts of the passage that sit far apart to reach a broader interpretation of its meaning.
Reasoning Beyond the Text (40%): applying the passage's ideas to new situations, or judging how new information in a question would affect the passage.
Passages of about 500 to 600 words from the humanities and social sciences, including ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, and population health. AAMC says no additional coursework is needed, since everything you need is in the passages and questions.
Every CARS score from 118 to 132
Percentiles from the AAMC, Summary of MCAT Total and Section Scores, in effect May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. Source
130 to 132: Top of the scale
A CARS score from 130 to 132 is at the 98th to 100th percentile, the top of the scale for this section.
- 132100th
A 132 is a perfect CARS score
132 is the highest CARS score and sits at the 100th percentile on the current AAMC table. It is 7.4 points above the section mean of 124.6, the widest gap between a top score and the mean of any section, because CARS has the lowest mean. It meets every section minimum in our school data and shows complete command of the reading and reasoning skills CARS tests.
Next step: No more CARS study is needed. Put your time into any section that is still below the requirements of your target schools.
- 13199th
A 131 in CARS is one point from the top
CARS 131 is at the 99th percentile, one point from the top of the scale. It is 6.4 points above the 124.6 mean and meets every section minimum in our school data. A score this high shows that you can follow a dense 500 to 600 word argument, see what it assumes, and apply it to a new case with very few errors.
Next step: Treat CARS as maintenance: a timed passage now and then, reviewed only for misses, while your main hours go to other sections.
- 13098th
A 130 in CARS is at the 98th percentile
A 130 in CARS is at the 98th percentile, 5.4 points above the section mean and 2 points above the highest CARS rule in our school data. Because CARS has the lowest mean of the four sections, a 130 here ranks higher than a 130 in Bio/Biochem (96th) or Psych/Soc (92nd). It reflects fast, accurate reading of unfamiliar arguments from the humanities and social sciences.
Next step: Keep reading challenging essays for pleasure and do one timed passage a week; heavy CARS review is not needed at this level.
127 to 129: Strong
A CARS score from 127 to 129 is at the 84th to 95th percentile, so most test takers scored the same or lower. A 128 meets the 128 CARS minimum that Alberta and Calgary set for non-Alberta applicants, the highest single-section rule in our data.
- 12995th
A 129 in CARS is in the top 5 percent
CARS 129 is at the 95th percentile, so 5 percent of test takers scored higher. It clears every section minimum in our school data, with a point to spare over the highest, the CARS 128 for non-Alberta applicants at Alberta and Calgary. At this score all three CARS skills are working together: comprehension, reasoning within the text, and reasoning beyond it.
Next step: Keep one timed CARS set a week so your pacing does not drift, and use the rest of your study time on the science sections.
- 12890th
A 128 in CARS meets every section minimum
A 128 in CARS is at the 90th percentile, 3.4 points above the 124.6 mean. It is the lowest CARS score that meets every section minimum in our school data, because Alberta and Calgary ask non-Alberta applicants for exactly 128. Readers at this level usually build an accurate picture of the author's view on the first read and rarely lose points to timing.
Next step: Keep one or two timed passages a week to hold your pace, review only misses, and give the rest of your hours to a lower section.
- 12784th
A 127 in CARS is a strong score
CARS 127 is at the 84th percentile, a strong result in the section with the lowest mean. It meets every section minimum in our school data except one: Alberta and Calgary ask non-Alberta applicants for a CARS 128. Alberta applicants need 124 in CARS at Alberta and face no CARS cutoff at Calgary, so a 127 clears both for them. This score signals that you reason within and beyond the text reliably under time pressure.
Next step: Protect your timing with two or three timed passages a week, including the free weekly WizePrep CARS passage, and review only your misses.
125 to 126: Around the midpoint
A CARS score of 125 or 126 is at the 62nd to 74th percentile. A 125 meets Toronto's and Queen's section minimums, and a 126 also meets Western's minimum outside its designated pathways, the highest every-section rule in our data. CARS has one higher bar: Alberta and Calgary ask non-Alberta applicants for 128.
- 12674th
A 126 in CARS is at the 74th percentile
A CARS 126 is at the 74th percentile, 1.4 points above the section mean. It meets Western's 126 outside designated pathways and matches the CARS 126 that Memorial gives out-of-province applicants as advisory guidance, not a requirement. It is still 2 points below the CARS 128 that Alberta and Calgary require of non-Alberta applicants. At this score you read efficiently and miss mostly on close calls between two plausible answers.
Next step: When you narrow a question to two choices, write down what in the passage rules one out. Build that habit on every timed passage you do.
- 12562nd
A 125 in CARS is above the median
CARS 125 is the scale midpoint, yet it sits at the 62nd percentile because CARS has the lowest section mean, 124.6. It meets the 125 that Toronto, Queen's, and Western's designated pathways list, but not Western's 126 outside those pathways, and it is 3 points below the CARS 128 that Alberta and Calgary ask of non-Alberta applicants. A 125 usually means steady comprehension with a few misses on the hardest passages.
Next step: Hold your pace at about 10 minutes a passage, and in each practice set review the one passage where you missed the most questions.
123 to 124: Just below the midpoint
A CARS score of 123 or 124 is at the 37th to 50th percentile, just under the scale midpoint of 125. A 123 meets the section minimums at Baptist Health Sciences University, SFU, Dalhousie and Saskatchewan; a 124 also meets Emory's and Alberta's. Both sit below the 125 that Toronto and Queen's ask for, although Toronto lets one section be 124.
- 12450th
A 124 in CARS is exactly the median
A 124 in CARS is at the 50th percentile, the middle of test takers, and close to the section mean of 124.6. It meets Emory's 124 and Alberta's 124 for Alberta applicants, and Toronto accepts it as your one section below 125. It misses Queen's 125 and the CARS 128 that Alberta and Calgary ask of non-Alberta applicants. A 124 usually reflects a reader who gets the main idea but loses points on subtle wording.
Next step: Do timed passages three or four times a week, and sort wrong answers by pattern: extreme wording, claims outside the passage, or answers that are true but do not answer the question.
- 12337th
A 123 in CARS is just under the section mean
CARS 123 is at the 37th percentile. It meets the 123 at Baptist Health, SFU, Dalhousie, and Saskatchewan, but not Emory's 124 or Toronto's 125, where only one section may be 124. At 1.6 points below the mean, a 123 often means comprehension is solid while questions that ask you to apply the passage to a new situation, or weigh new information against it, still cause misses.
Next step: Spend a week on Reasoning Beyond the Text questions only, and state the passage's principle in your own words before you read the answer choices.
118 to 122: Low range
A CARS score from 118 to 122 is at the 1st to 25th percentile. That is below almost every published section minimum in our data, which run from 121 at the University of Mississippi to 126 at Western, so a score here usually needs a retake before you apply to schools that set one.
- 12225th
A 122 in CARS is at the 25th percentile
A CARS 122 is at the 25th percentile, 2.6 points below the 124.6 mean. It clears Mississippi's 121, and Saskatchewan allows one section at 122 for 2027 entry, but it misses Baptist Health's 123 and Emory's 124. Readers at 122 can often follow a passage sentence by sentence but struggle to hold the author's argument together across 500 to 600 words of dense text.
Next step: After each paragraph, jot a few words on what it does in the argument, then answer from that map instead of rereading the whole passage.
- 12115th
A 121 in CARS meets only the lowest minimum
CARS 121 is at the 15th percentile. It meets Mississippi's 121 but falls short of the 123 listed by Baptist Health, SFU, Dalhousie (for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI applicants), and Saskatchewan, and of Emory's 124. At this level students often handle simple comprehension questions but lose many Reasoning Beyond the Text questions, which AAMC weights at 40% of the section.
Next step: Do the free weekly WizePrep CARS passage and label each question by skill: comprehension, reasoning within the text, or reasoning beyond it. The label that collects the most misses is your first target.
- 1208th
A 120 in CARS misses every section minimum
A 120 in CARS is at the 8th percentile and 4.6 points under the 124.6 mean. It misses every section minimum in our school data, including Mississippi's 121 by a single point. Since AAMC says CARS needs no outside knowledge, the gap usually comes from reading habits, such as skimming past the argument or choosing answers that sound true but are not supported by the passage.
Next step: For every miss, find the exact line that supports the right answer. If you cannot find it, reread the paragraph slowly before you move on.
- 1193rd
A 119 in CARS is at the 3rd percentile
CARS 119 is at the 3rd percentile, so 97 percent of test takers scored higher. It is 2 points short of Mississippi's 121 and further from Baptist Health's 123 and Emory's 124. With 53 questions across 9 passages in 90 minutes, a 119 often reflects running out of time as well as losing the thread of the author's argument, since every CARS question depends on the passage.
Next step: Build a daily timed reading habit: one passage in about 10 minutes, then state the author's main claim in one sentence before you look at the answers.
- 1181st
A 118 is the lowest CARS score
A CARS 118 is the bottom of the scale, at the 1st percentile. It is 6.6 points below the CARS mean of 124.6, the lowest mean of the four sections, and below every section minimum in our school data, starting with Mississippi's 121. A score this low usually means the passages themselves were hard to follow, so questions about the author's point or tone felt like guesses.
Next step: Read one dense essay or long article every day and summarize its main argument in two sentences. Do the free weekly WizePrep CARS passage untimed at first, and time it only once your summaries match the answers.
See where a 124 in CARS leaves you
CARS is one of four numbers schools read. Add your GPA, your other sections, your residency and your background in the free Fit Check to see the rest of your profile against your school list.
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How schools use your CARS score
Schools receive your CARS score as its own number, next to your total and the other three sections. 11 schools in our data publish a minimum that applies to CARS, listed below. Most are Canadian, many apply only to some applicants, and they change from cycle to cycle, so check each school's current requirements before you apply. Schools without a published minimum still see the section and read it next to the rest of your application.
Published minimums that include CARS
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (Non-Alberta applicants, one sitting)
128 in CARS
SourceUniversity of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine (Non-Alberta applicants)
128 in CARS
SourceWestern University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry (Outside designated pathways; 125 in designated pathways)
126 in CARS
SourceQueen's University School of Medicine (2026-27 eligibility)
125 in CARS
SourceUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine
125 in CARS, one section may be 124
SourceEmory University School of Medicine
124 in CARS
SourceUniversity of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (Alberta applicants)
124 in CARS
SourceBaptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
123 in CARS
SourceDalhousie University Faculty of Medicine (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI applicants)
123 in CARS
SourceSFU Stephens Family School of Medicine (GPA and MCAT route (MCAT-only route needs 510 total))
123 in CARS
SourceUniversity of Saskatchewan College of Medicine (2027 entry)
123 in CARS, one section may be 122
SourceUniversity of Mississippi School of Medicine
121 in CARS
Source
CARS is one of four section scores that add up to your total, so every point here is a point on your total. A weak CARS score pulls the total down and stands out on a score report even when the other three sections are strong.
Reading CARS on your score report
CARS appears on your score report as its own score from 118 to 132, with a percentile rank and a confidence band like the other sections. Because CARS has the lowest mean of the four sections (124.6), the same number often carries a higher percentile rank in CARS than elsewhere, so compare sections by percentile rank, not raw score. AAMC's score profile shows your strengths and weaknesses across all four sections, which makes a low CARS score easy to spot.
How to raise your CARS score
A study plan in three stages
In the early weeks, build the reading habit before you worry about speed. Read one dense essay or article a day from the humanities or social sciences, and summarize its argument in two sentences. Do the free weekly WizePrep CARS passage untimed, and for each question find the line in the passage that supports the right answer before you check it.
In the middle weeks, add time pressure. Work passages at about 10 minutes each, since the section gives you 90 minutes for 9 passages, and label every miss by skill: comprehension, reasoning within the text, or reasoning beyond it. Reasoning Beyond the Text is 40% of the section, so if that label collects most of your misses, spend a full week on it.
In the final weeks, take the full CARS section, 53 questions in 90 minutes, inside full-length practice exams so you practice reading well while tired. Keep doing a few passages on the days between tests so your pace does not slip. Review for patterns in the wrong answers you pick, such as extreme wording or claims the passage never makes.
Mistakes that cost CARS points
Choosing answers that are true in the real world but not supported by the passage.
Bringing in outside knowledge, even though AAMC says everything you need is in the passages and questions.
Spending too long on one hard passage and rushing the last ones, when 90 minutes for 9 passages is about 10 minutes each.
Checking the answer key without finding the line in the passage that makes the right answer right.