Rezory Blog / AAMC 2027 Updates

AAMC MCAT Updates for 2027: What Changed and What Didn't

A source-backed summary of every official AAMC change for the 2027 testing year: the new CARS Question Pack, retired prep products, the October registration opening, and the exam content that is not changing.

Official Guidance · 6 min read · Published 2026-09-28

What Is Not Changing for 2027

The most important update is the one that isn't: AAMC has announced no changes to the MCAT exam itself for the 2027 testing year. The four sections—Chemical and Physical Foundations, CARS, Biological and Biochemical Foundations, and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations—keep the same content outline, the same 7.5-hour seated length, and the same 472–528 scoring scale.

That means every content review resource, practice question bank, and study schedule built for the current exam remains fully valid. If anyone tells you that you need to relearn topics for 2027, they are confusing prep-product updates with exam changes.

Same four sections and content outline.
Same exam length and scoring scale.
Same registration fee of $355 (standard).
Same reschedule tiers: $55 / $110 / $210 by zone.

Your study plan does not need to change for 2027—only your calendar does.

New CARS Question Pack (September 30, 2026)

The headline product change is a brand-new CARS Question Pack, released September 30, 2026. CARS is the section students struggle with most, and it is also the one section where no content review book can substitute for practice—so fresh official passages are genuinely valuable.

If you are testing in early 2027, plan your CARS practice around this release: hold the new pack for the final 4–6 weeks before your test date, when official passages are the best predictor of your real score.

Save the new official CARS pack for the final stretch of prep, closest to your test date.

CARS Question Packs Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Are Retired

With the new pack's release, AAMC has retired CARS Question Packs Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. If you already own them, your access continues—but they are no longer sold, and the new pack is now the current official CARS practice product.

Practical implication: if you are building a practice schedule today, count the new CARS pack as your official CARS material and treat any older volumes you already own as bonus practice, not as part of the current lineup.

Registration Opens October 20–22 — Fees Unchanged

Scheduling for all 2027 test dates opens October 20, 21, and 22, 2026 at noon Eastern, with your opening day determined by testing-center location. Fees stay at current levels: $355 standard registration, rescheduling at $55 / $110 / $210 depending on how far out you move, and a $175 partial refund if you cancel before the 10-day cutoff.

Because fees are unchanged, the only financial decision that matters is timing: every reschedule and cancellation deadline is tied to your test date, so book early and know your zone deadlines from day one.

Registration: $355 (standard).
Reschedule: $55 (Gold), $110 (Silver), $210 (Bronze zone).
Cancellation refund: $175 before the 10-day deadline, $0 after.

What This Means for Your Prep

For most students, the 2027 updates change nothing about how to study—only when to act. Register on your assigned October opening day, keep your current content plan, and slot the new CARS pack into the final month of prep.

The one group that should adjust: students who were planning to buy the retired CARS volumes. Buy the new pack instead, and use free AAMC resources plus your question bank for the rest of CARS practice.