The UCAT is the University Clinical Aptitude Test, which is the undergraduate equivalent of the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT). The UCAT is issued in both Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom for universities within Australia, New Zealand (UCAT ANZ) and the United Kingdom (UKCAT) respectively, however UCAT applicants can sit the exam in major cities in other locations around the world.Any individual currently studying or has completed Year 12 of secondary schooling is eligible to sit the UCAT. Individuals who have also begun studying a tertiary qualification, such as a bachelor's degree or a diploma, are also eligible to sit the UCAT. Year 11 students and lower, however, are not eligible to sit the UCAT.
Students can sit the UCAT only once a year, however there is no limit on how many times a student can sit the exam. Students who are planning to sit the UCAT ANZ in 2025 must use their results for entry into an ANZ medical school starting in 2026.
The UCAT is known to be full of surprises and 2025 is no exception to this. There have been notable changes to the UCAT's test timings and total number of questions for students sitting the test this academic year.
From the traditional 233 questions over 120 minutes, the new UCAT structure has now come down to 225 questions over a 1 hour 55 minute strapped time period. UCAT Abstract Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Situational Judgement sections have been at the crux of modifications, however, in no way should they affect your UCAT study because these changes are not dramatic but rather minor that can be coped with good practice resources.
The UCAT is used to assess attributes and qualities that universities desire in their medical students. All questions in the UCAT are multiple choice. Between each section, there is a 1-minute instruction section for candidates to read through that is not included in your test time.
Most undergraduate medical programmes in Australia list the UCAT as a prerequisite for entry into medicine - a list of these universities can be found below.
There are two universities that do not require the UCAT - Bond University and James Cook University. However, to be considered for entry into most Australian or New Zealand Universities, students must sit the UCAT ANZ test.
In order to sit the UCAT 2025, you must register through the Pearson VUE website before the set deadline, to be announced in December. There is an exam booking fee of $325 (AUD), though concessions are available.
If you miss this booking deadline, there is another late booking deadline, however this has a $85 (AUD) late booking fee on top of the original exam booking fee.
There is only one exam sitting window and there are testing centres in every major Australian city, so it is usually not difficult to find a suitable location to sit the exam.
We strongly encourage candidates to familiarise themselves with this content in order to better understand the question style of the exam, and the technical aspect of navigating the exam system.
The results of the test are used in conjunction with your academic qualifications, followed by an interview, to determine which individuals are suited to study medicine at an undergraduate level.
The UCAT broadly consists of 233 multiple choice questions which must be answered over a period of 2 hours. These multiple choice questions are broken down into five sub-sections, which assess various attributes and qualities that universities see as essential for prospective medical students: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and the Situational Judgement Test.
The Verbal Reasoning section comprises 44 questions over a 21 minute period. This section is designed to assess general reading comprehension skills. This is an essential quality for all prospective medical and dental students. In both university and the workplace, these students will be tasked with reading complex, often verbose information. As such, success in verbal reasoning may indicate to a university that a candidate has the ability to succeed both academically and in practice.
The Decision Making section comprises 29 questions over a 31 minute period. This section assesses a student’s capacity to logically reason and evaluate quantitative information and qualitative arguments. The ability to quickly evaluate and synthesise information is critical for a future medical practitioner, as it may be necessary to evaluate risks and emergency situations under the pressure of time. Thus, success in the Decision Making subtest shows a university that the student can cope under pressure and be critical of important information.
The Quantitative Reasoning section comprises 36 questions over a 25 minute period. This section looks at the ability of a student to solve problems involving a numeric element. Certain courses during medical studies, and particular professions that may use these qualifications, often rely on the ability to quickly respond to complex mathematical information. Success in this section indicates that a student has the mathematical ability to succeed in these courses and may indicate suitability for a number of areas of medical practice.
The Abstract Reasoning section comprises 50 questions over a 12 minute period. This section requires the identification of patterns and the ability to synthesise geometric information in order to determine what is and is not relevant. This directly applies to the process of diagnosing a patient. Medical professionals will often be asked to consider which information in a patient’s history or presentation is relevant and which should be disregarded.
Furthermore, from an academic perspective, the ability to look objectively at patterns is often crucial in consideration of data and other experimental outcomes. Success in this section suggests that a student will be able to succeed within both practical and more theoretical subjects while studying. Read our Abstract Reasoning FAQ page to answer more questions.
The final section of the UCAT is Situational Management which comprises 69 questions over a 26 minute period. This is the most practical of the sections and asks students to consider real-world situations and identify appropriate responses to them. This section in particular shows university admissions staff that an applicant has what it takes to become a medical professional, as it embodies many of the core elements of medical practice. A student who succeeds in this section is therefore likely to be well-suited to the practical elements of medical practice.
Your overall UCAT score is an aggregate of all the exam sections, and will range from 1800 to 3600. If an individual scored around 2920 in 2022 sitting, they were considered to be in the top 10% (or decile) of all UCAT candidates. Below you will find a graph that shows the candidate total score compared to the decile number, demonstrating where that score was in the field.
Graph of Total UCAT Score vs Decile Number
A good UCAT score is dependent on the decile you score in. Though many Australian and New Zealand medical schools do not disclose a prerequisite score for the UCAT at this stage, a good UCAT score can be considered to be any score within the top quartile (25%) of all UCAT candidates.
Using the UCAT ANZ test statistics from 2021, we can understand that if a student scored a total cognitive scaled score of 2960, they would range in the 9th decile of all UCAT exam-sitters, and thus be in the top 10%.
After sitting the exam, you will receive your UCAT score within 24 hours of your exam sitting. You will receive your scores for each individual section, where it will range from 300 to 900. Below is a table showing the range of scores in each section and how they relate to the candidate decile, which is similar to a percentile.
Graph Of Section Score vs Decile Number
If you are applying for 2026 admission into medical school, you should note that some universities are excluding the Situational Judgement test from their prerequisite eligibility requirements. Currently, there is much debate in Australia and New Zealand whether the SJT is a good indicator of a future medical student as this section relies heavily on an understanding of medical ethics, which is not taught in the national Australian curriculum. See the chart below to understand the mean scoring for each section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UCAT only for Year 12 Students/School Leavers?
Any individual currently studying or has completed Year 12 of secondary schooling is eligible to sit the UCAT.
What is a good UCAT score?
A good UCAT score can vary, however, a score above 2900 is considered high.
How long is the UCAT?
The new UCAT structure has now come down to 225 questions over a 1 hour 55 minute strapped time period.
When will the UCAT Dates for 2026 entry be released?
UCAT ANZ dates for 2026 entry will be announced in December 2025. Watch this space to stay updated.
Don’t Know Where to Begin Your UCAT Prep?
Understanding and preparing for the UCAT can be a stressful period for students, especially for those in year 12 trying to balance their high school commitments. Fraser’s Medical has an abundance of articles to allow students to familiarise themselves and work on their time management.
Fraser’s Medical is committed to providing students with an in-depth UCAT preparation. Discover the wide range of programs we offer and try our FREE LMS system to strengthen your skills in answering UCAT style questions.
