Your science GPA for medical school applications is calculated using only your biology, chemistry, physics, and math courses, weighted by credit hours. This is called your BCPM GPA, and it’s separate from your cumulative GPA. The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) computes it automatically when you submit your application, but knowing how to calculate it yourself helps you track where you stand and plan your remaining coursework strategically.
Which Courses Count as “Science”
AMCAS groups science courses into four categories: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. Only courses that fall into one of these categories factor into your science GPA. Everything else, from English to psychology to economics, goes into your cumulative GPA but not your BCPM.
The biology category is broader than most students expect. It includes anatomy, cell biology, ecology, genetics, histology, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, physiology, and zoology, among others. Chemistry covers general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, thermodynamics, and toxicology. Physics includes both physics and astronomy. Math includes algebra, calculus, geometry, statistics, biostatistics, and applied mathematics.
Courses that seem science-adjacent but don’t fit these four buckets won’t count toward your BCPM. Health sciences, nursing courses, exercise science, and psychology are classified separately by AMCAS, even if your university’s science department offers them.
The Credit-Hour Weighted Formula
Your science GPA isn’t a simple average of your letter grades. Each course is weighted by its credit hours, so a 4-credit organic chemistry course has more impact than a 1-credit lab. Here’s how the math works:
- Step 1: Convert each letter grade to its numeric value on a 4.0 scale. An A is 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, B- is 2.7, C+ is 2.3, C is 2.0, C- is 1.7, D+ is 1.3, D is 1.0, and F is 0.0.
- Step 2: Multiply each course’s numeric grade by its credit hours. The result is the “quality points” (sometimes called honor points) for that course.
- Step 3: Add up all the quality points from every BCPM course you’ve taken.
- Step 4: Add up all the credit hours from those same courses.
- Step 5: Divide total quality points by total credit hours. That’s your science GPA.
A Worked Example
Say you’ve completed five science courses so far:
- General Chemistry I (4 credits, B+): 3.3 × 4 = 13.2 quality points
- General Chemistry II (4 credits, A-): 3.7 × 4 = 14.8 quality points
- Biology I (4 credits, A): 4.0 × 4 = 16.0 quality points
- Calculus I (3 credits, B): 3.0 × 3 = 9.0 quality points
- Physics I (4 credits, B-): 2.7 × 4 = 10.8 quality points
Total quality points: 13.2 + 14.8 + 16.0 + 9.0 + 10.8 = 63.8. Total credit hours: 4 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 19. Divide 63.8 by 19 and you get a science GPA of 3.36.
How Repeated Courses Are Handled
If you retook a science course to improve your grade, both attempts count in your AMCAS science GPA. AMCAS does not use grade replacement, even if your university’s transcript only shows the higher grade. You must report every attempt at every course, including courses removed through academic forgiveness or bankruptcy policies. Both the original grade and the retake grade get factored into the calculation with their full credit hours.
This means retaking a course helps your GPA less than you might think. If you earned a D in General Chemistry (1.0 × 4 = 4.0 quality points) and retook it for an A (4.0 × 4 = 16.0), AMCAS counts both attempts. That’s 20.0 quality points across 8 credit hours, giving you an effective average of 2.5 for that course rather than the 4.0 your transcript might suggest.
AP Credits and Transfer Courses
AP credits count toward your AMCAS coursework only if the credit hours appear on your college transcript. If your university granted you 4 credits of biology based on your AP Biology exam score, you include that on your application. Enter AP courses under the term the college initially awarded the credit. If no specific term is listed, group them with your freshman coursework.
One thing to watch: if you take a college-level course in a subject where you already received AP credit from the same institution, AMCAS treats the college course as a repeat. Both the AP credit and the college course will appear in your record.
For transfer credits, report the coursework as it appears on the transcript from the institution where you actually took the class. If you completed General Chemistry at a community college and later transferred to a four-year university, you enter the course under the community college, not the university. The grade and credit hours from the original institution are what AMCAS uses in the calculation.
Tracking Your Science GPA Over Time
The easiest way to keep a running tally is with a simple spreadsheet. Create columns for course name, credit hours, letter grade, numeric grade, and quality points. Filter to show only BCPM courses, and the totals at the bottom give you everything you need for the formula. Update it each semester as final grades post.
Tracking your science GPA separately from your cumulative GPA lets you see how individual courses shift the number. Because the calculation is weighted by credit hours, a 4-credit A in biochemistry will raise your GPA more than a 3-credit A in statistics. If you’re trying to improve a borderline science GPA, prioritizing higher-credit science courses where you can perform well gives you more leverage per semester.
Keep in mind that AMCAS may classify a course differently than you expect. A course titled “Biomedical Ethics” might feel like science to you, but AMCAS would likely classify it outside BCPM. When in doubt, refer to the AMCAS Course Classification Guide for the official subject lists, and be conservative in your own tracking so you aren’t surprised when your verified GPA comes back slightly different from your estimate.