AM VaultYou need 250 on a scale of 0 to 500. That is the pass score in the AMC's September 2025 specification. The part that surprises most candidates is what the number means: 250 is not "half the questions right".
Why it is not a percentage
The AMC MCQ is adaptive, so each candidate gets a different set of questions. A correct answer leads to a harder question, and an incorrect one to an easier one. Because of that, the AMC reports a score based on your estimated ability, which takes into account how hard the questions you were given were. Someone who answered a set of harder questions correctly and someone who answered an easier set correctly have not shown the same thing, even if they got the same number right.
That is why you cannot work out your result by counting your answers, and why no one can honestly tell you "get this many of the 150 right and you pass". The specification does not give a raw mark that equals a pass.
What else the specification says about scoring
- All candidates are measured against the same pass point.
- Incorrect answers are not penalised, so there is no reason to leave a question unanswered.
- A candidate who does not complete all 150 questions may have the result recorded as a fail for insufficient data.
Results arrive through your AMC account, as we explain in when MCQ results come out.
What this means for your practice
Treat practice scores as a guide. Any practice percentage, from any source, is a rough estimate of where you stand. It cannot be converted into the AMC's score with any precision. Use it to see the direction: are you improving from one mock to the next, and are your weaker patient groups catching up?
Look for a trend, not a single result. One good set can be luck. Several full mocks that move steadily upward are much more informative.
Aim for a margin. If your practice results sit right at the edge of what you think a pass looks like, a normal bad day could tip you under. Many candidates prefer to feel comfortable, not just "probably enough".
Balance your preparation. The exam is built from six patient groups with set weights: adult medicine 30 percent, adult surgery 20 percent, and women's health, child health, mental health, and population health and ethics 12.5 percent each. Ignoring one group means giving away a share of the questions on it, so keep all six moving.
About our own score
AM Vault's mock score is an estimate based on how hard the questions you answered were, which is also how the real exam works. It is not the AMC's 0 to 500 scale, so use it to compare one mock with the next.
Questions people ask
Is 250 out of 500 the same as 50 percent?
No. The scale reflects estimated ability, and the difficulty of the questions you were given matters.
Do wrong answers lose marks?
No. The specification says incorrect answers are not penalised.
Can I work out my score from my number of correct answers?
Not reliably. The score depends on the difficulty of the questions the exam gave you, not only on how many you answered correctly.
What happens if I run out of time?
A candidate who does not complete all 150 questions may have the result recorded as a fail for insufficient data, so pace yourself and answer every question.