Who it is for

Any student looking to apply or study in a UK university that includes UCAT in their application process needs to sit in the exam. There are 34 universities in the country that follow the exam scores, along with other criteria such as GCSE grades, personal statements, and interviews. Candidates seeking admission to universities in Australia or New Zealand need to sit the UCAT ANZ.

what it is for

The UCAT is essentially conducted to assess the cognitive powers and other valuable attributes that make candidates relevant for working as healthcare professionals. Since the exam does not have a curriculum or science content, it is more of a measure of a candidate’s aptitude and skills.

Exam Pattern

The UCAT comprises 228 MCQs divided into five sections. These include-

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning

• Abstract Reasoning
• Decision Making
• Situational Judgement

Here are the details for weightage and timelines for each section-

Scoring is done according to the number of correct answers for each subtest. The number is converted into a scaled score, ranging from 300 to 900 for each subtest. The scaled scores for each subtest are added to get the overall score and give a percentile rank to the students. The percentile rank ranges between 1 and 99, with 50 being the average score.

Application fees

Here are the details of the fees.

• Taken within the UK- £70

• Taken outside the UK- £115

A bursary covers the exam fee for eligible candidates.

Important Dates

The UCAT test is organized between July and October each year. Here are thekey dates for the 2023 exam-

International Students

International students can appear for the exam. While the score range may vary from year to year, a UCAT score above 650 is considered good for international candidates. Eligibility criteria are similar, but these students need to pay £120 as the application fees. 

Eligibility streams courses

The eligibility criteria for candidates to appear in the exam include-

• Completion of the final year of higher secondary/higher education, depending on the programme to be pursued
• Eligibility to apply for medical programmesat UK universities
• No age limit applies to candidates

Practice exam

Students can attempt UCAT mock tests as a part of exam prep. Mock tests are available online,

Registration Procedure

• Registration for UCAT 2023 will start in early May
• Candidates can register online by creating an account on the official website. 
• They need to provide the personal information asked for in the form. 
• The test is conducted at authorised test centres in the UK and Australia. 
• Students can choose the preferred date and location when registering for the test.