How AMCAS calculates your GPA
When you apply to most U.S. MD programs through AMCAS, you enter every college course yourself, exactly as it appears on your transcripts. AMCAS then verifies your entries against the official transcripts and calculates standardized GPAs. The rules, from the AAMC’s Grade Conversion Guide:
- One scale for everyone. A+ and A are both 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0, and so on down to D- 0.7 and F 0.0.
- Three GPAs. BCPM covers biology, chemistry, physics and math courses; AO (“all other”) covers everything else; Total combines both.
- By year. GPAs are shown for each academic status (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, post-baccalaureate), plus a cumulative undergraduate GPA. Graduate coursework gets its own GPA.
- Repeated courses all count. Every attempt is included, even if your school drops or forgives the first grade.
- Pass/fail, withdrawals and incompletes are not part of the GPAs; pass/fail hours are listed separately.
- Quarter hours convert to semester hours with the AAMC table (4 quarter hours = 2.7 semester hours), which equals two-thirds rounded to one decimal.
Whether a course is BCPM depends on its content, not the department. You choose a course classification for every course you enter and AMCAS verifies it; a biochemistry course listed under chemistry is BCPM, while a psychology statistics course may not count as math. Follow the AMCAS course classification guide when you are unsure.
The formula
Quality points = AMCAS weight × semester hours GPA = Σ quality points ÷ Σ semester hours (separately for BCPM, AO and Total)
Worked example
The courses pre-filled in the calculator are a typical premed freshman year:
| Course | Type | Grade | Hours | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Chemistry I | BCPM | A- | 4 | 14.8 |
| Biology I | BCPM | B+ | 4 | 13.2 |
| Calculus I | BCPM | B | 4 | 12.0 |
| English Composition | AO | A | 3 | 12.0 |
| Intro Sociology | AO | A+ | 3 | 12.0 |
BCPM: 40.0 ÷ 12 = 3.33. AO: 24.0 ÷ 6 = 4.00. Total: 64.0 ÷ 18 = 3.56. The A+ in sociology counts only as 4.0, and the science GPA trails the total, which is exactly the gap medical schools look at.
Tips for premed students
- Watch your BCPM GPA separately. Admissions committees read it alongside your MCAT score as evidence you can handle the science curriculum.
- Know that retakes don’t erase grades. Repeating a course to replace a C helps your college GPA but AMCAS averages both attempts. Retake only when you need the content or the requirement.
- Show an upward trend. Year-by-year GPAs make improvement visible. A strong junior and senior year, or a post-bacc record, can offset a weak start.
- Compare with real data. The AAMC publishes average GPAs of applicants and matriculants each year in its FACTS tables, overall and for BCPM.
Questions students ask
Does AMCAS count A+ as 4.3?
No. AMCAS treats A+ and A the same, as 4.0.
What courses count as BCPM?
Biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics courses, classified by content. Biochemistry and many statistics courses usually count; check the AMCAS course classification guide for borderline courses.
Do retaken classes count twice on AMCAS?
Yes. All attempts are included in AMCAS GPAs, even if your college replaced the earlier grade.
Do pass/fail courses affect my AMCAS GPA?
No. Pass/fail hours are shown separately and are not part of the BCPM, AO or total GPA.
How are quarter hours converted?
With the AAMC table, which multiplies by two-thirds and rounds to one decimal: 3 quarter hours = 2.0 semester hours, 4 = 2.7, 5 = 3.3.
Sources
Checked: November 2026
Results are estimates for planning. Your school, college or testing organization calculates your official numbers. UpMyGPA is not affiliated with College Board, ACT, LSAC or the AAMC.