Nucleus Prep
BlogGPA and coursework

What prerequisites do medical schools require?

The classic set is a year each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics, all with labs. On top of that, add a semester of biochemistry, a year of English or writing-intensive coursework, and usually a semester each of statistics, psychology, and sociology.

More schools are shifting toward competency-based requirements instead of a fixed course list, which sounds more flexible but actually makes it more important to verify each school individually in the MSAR. Don't find out in August, right before secondaries, that one target school specifically wants a semester of calculus you never took.

Stats: 2025–2026 AAMC/AACOM cycle data. Always verify school-specific numbers in the MSAR. Nucleus Prep doesn’t guarantee scores or acceptances.

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