AMCAS calculates your GPA by converting every grade on every college transcript to a standardized scale, then sorting your courses into two categories: science (called BCPM) and non-science (called All Other). The system produces multiple GPAs that medical schools see on your application, including a cumulative GPA, a science GPA, and year-by-year breakdowns. Understanding how this works can help you interpret your AMCAS GPA before you submit and plan your remaining coursework strategically.
The Two GPA Categories: BCPM and AO
AMCAS splits every course you’ve taken into one of two buckets. The first is BCPM, which stands for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. This is your science GPA, and it carries significant weight in admissions decisions. The second bucket is AO, or “All Other,” which covers everything from English to psychology to business courses.
The BCPM category is broader than many applicants expect. Biology includes not just introductory bio courses but also anatomy, genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, cell biology, immunology, ecology, and physiology. Chemistry covers biochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, thermodynamics, and toxicology. Physics includes astronomy alongside standard physics courses. Mathematics encompasses statistics, biostatistics, calculus, and applied math.
Courses that fall into AO include behavioral and social sciences like psychology, sociology, and economics. Computer science, business courses, communications, humanities, English, foreign languages, health sciences (like public health and nursing), and all other non-BCPM subjects land here. Your AO GPA is reported separately, so medical schools can see how you performed across both science and non-science coursework.
How Grades Convert to the AMCAS Scale
AMCAS doesn’t use the GPA your school calculated. Instead, it converts every letter grade to its own standardized numerical weight. For schools using plus/minus grading, the conversion looks like this:
- A: 4.0
- A-: 3.7
- B+: 3.3
- B: 3.0
- B-: 2.7
- C+: 2.3
- C: 2.0
- C-: 1.7
- D+: 1.3
- D: 1.0
- D-: 0.7
- F: 0.0
If your school uses a half-step grading system (like AB or BC instead of plus/minus), AMCAS assigns different weights. An AB converts to 3.5, a BC to 2.5, and so on. Schools that use only straight letter grades without pluses or minuses follow a simpler A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0 scale.
This standardization matters because it can shift your GPA in either direction compared to what your school reports. If your school doesn’t use minus grades but does use plus grades, your school GPA might be slightly higher than what AMCAS calculates, since AMCAS won’t round a B+ up to an A. The reverse can also happen. The key point is that your AMCAS GPA is often different from the GPA on your transcript.
Repeated Courses Count Every Time
This is one of the most important rules to understand: AMCAS counts every attempt of a repeated course in your GPA. If you earned a D in organic chemistry, then retook it and got an A, both grades factor into your AMCAS GPA. Many colleges have grade replacement or “academic forgiveness” policies that drop the original grade from your transcript GPA, but AMCAS ignores those policies entirely.
Even if your school removes the original grade from your transcript or replaces it with a special symbol, you are required to enter the original grade and its credit hours on your AMCAS application. If you leave the original grade off, AMCAS will return your application for correction, which can delay your submission and potentially cause you to miss deadlines or forfeit fees. This is not a technicality they overlook.
The practical effect is that a low grade never truly disappears from your AMCAS record. Retaking a course can still help by adding a higher grade into the mix and showing an upward trend, but it won’t erase the damage the way it might on your school’s transcript.
What Doesn’t Count Toward Your GPA
Several types of credit are excluded from AMCAS GPA calculations. Advanced Placement (AP) credits, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits, International Baccalaureate credits, and other test-based credits do not receive numerical weights. Instead, the total hours for these categories are reported to medical schools under a separate heading called “Supplemental Hours.” Medical schools can see that you earned the credit, but it won’t raise or lower your GPA.
Pass/Fail courses follow the same principle. Whether you passed or failed, the grade converts to a P or N on your AMCAS application and carries no numerical weight. This means pass/fail courses won’t help your GPA, but a passing grade won’t hurt it either. A failing grade in a pass/fail course also doesn’t factor into the numerical GPA, though it will still be visible to admissions committees.
How AMCAS Reports GPAs to Medical Schools
Medical schools don’t just see one number. AMCAS generates GPAs broken down by academic year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), by coursework level (undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate), and by subject category (BCPM and AO). That means admissions committees can quickly spot trends in your performance over time.
Postbaccalaureate coursework gets its own separate GPA, but those courses are also folded into your Undergraduate Total GPA. So if you completed a post-bacc program to strengthen your science record, those grades will pull your overall undergraduate numbers up (or down) while also being visible as a distinct GPA. Graduate-level coursework is reported under its own GPA category as well.
For each of these breakdowns, AMCAS calculates both a BCPM and an AO GPA. A medical school can look at your sophomore-year science GPA, your post-bacc science GPA, or your cumulative AO GPA across all years. This level of detail means there’s no hiding a weak semester, but it also means strong recent performance is clearly visible.
Calculating Your AMCAS GPA Yourself
To estimate your AMCAS GPA before you apply, follow these steps. First, list every college course you’ve taken, including repeated courses with both the original and retake grades. Assign each grade the AMCAS numerical weight from the conversion scale above. Multiply each weight by the number of credit hours for that course to get quality points. Add up all the quality points, then divide by the total number of credit hours. That gives you your cumulative GPA.
To calculate your BCPM GPA separately, repeat the same process using only courses that fall into the biology, chemistry, physics, or math categories. For your AO GPA, use everything else. Remember to exclude AP credits, CLEP credits, and pass/fail courses from both calculations.
For example, if you took a 4-credit organic chemistry course and earned a B+ (3.3), that contributes 13.2 quality points (3.3 x 4) to your BCPM GPA. A 3-credit psychology course with an A (4.0) adds 12.0 quality points to your AO GPA. Run these calculations across every course, and you’ll have a close approximation of what AMCAS will report. Small differences can still occur depending on how AMCAS classifies specific courses at your school, but the math itself is straightforward.