What is the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)?
The UCAT is a 2-hour computer-based test which assesses your mental ability, characteristics, attitudes and professional behaviours required for the medical profession. The test format is multiple-choice questions and is separated into five timed subtests. The test can only be taken once per year, so the score you obtain will be used on your UCAS application; therefore, sufficient preparation is advised before undertaking the exam.
The UCAT assesses a range of mental abilities identified by university medical and dental schools as important.
The test consists of four separately timed subtests in multiple-choice format:
- Verbal Reasoning assesses your ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form
- Decision Making assesses your ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information
- Quantitative Reasoning assesses your ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form
- Situational Judgement measures your capacity to understand real-world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them
The standard test is just under 2 hours. Once the test has started, it cannot be paused, but each subtest is preceded by a timed instruction section.
|
Subtest |
Questions |
Instruction section |
UCAT Subtest Time |
Scoring |
|
Verbal Reasoning |
44 |
1 minute 30 seconds |
22 minutes |
300-900 |
|
Decision Making |
35 |
1 minute 30 seconds |
37 minutes |
300-900 |
|
Quantitative Reasoning |
36 |
2 minutes |
26 minutes |
300-900 |
|
Situational Judgement |
69 |
1 minute 30 seconds |
26 minutes |
Bands 1-4 |
Which medical schools use the UCAT?
The majority of UK medical schools include an admissions exam as part of their entry criteria and UCAT is the most widely used.
What is the lowest UCAT score accepted?
Many of the UCAT universities don’t provide a minimum UCAT score that they accept. Often, the threshold UCAT score changes each year depending on candidate performance, or universities rank candidates, so again, the lowest UCAT score which is accepted will change each year. Some medical schools also use a combination of your UCAT score and other achievements (i.e. academic) to determine if you’ll be selected for an interview.
Why Is It important to know the exam format?
- Knowing what each section includes and how long you have will increase your confidence on test day.
- It’s very easy to lose track of time in the exam. If you’re aware of how long each section is, you can use a ‘time stamps’ strategy.
- On top of this, each section has unique difficulties. Check out the rest of our tips to get a deeper insight into how to approach each section.
UCAT exam tools
As the UCAT is computer-based, there are lots of handy keyboard shortcuts that can save you time.
Learn these shortcuts and practise using them when you do mock exams and practice questions, as you need to commit them to muscle memory.
| Action | Shortcut | Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Previous Question | Alt + P | Next Question | Alt + N |
| Flag the Question | Alt + F | Open Calculator | Alt + C |
| Review Flagged Questions | Alt + V | Review Incomplete Questions | Alt + I |
| Review all Questions | Alt + A | Return to Review Screen | Alt + S |
| End the Review | Alt + E | Use Keypad on Keyboard | Num Lock |
From 2021, you can also use your keyboard to select the answers in the UCAT.
For example, if you think that an answer to a question is ‘C’, you can pross ‘C’ on your keyboard, which can be faster than using your mouse to select the answer. Note that the drag-and-drop questions must still be answered using a mouse.
Plan your UCAT preparation
Aim to start your preparation at least eight weeks before your UCAT exam date. This will give you enough time to prepare for the exam while balancing your other commitments, including school study and work experience.
Give yourself a target number of questions to answer and mocks to do.
WHY CHOOSE BACK BENCHERS?
For aspiring medical students applying to universities in the United Kingdom, the UCAT is crucial. Registration opens in May, with bookings starting in June.
Our UCAT preparation includes:
- 20 classes (1.5 hours each) focusing on abstract reasoning, decision-making, and situational judgment.
- 8 full-length tests with analytics to track progress.
- Learning available as one-on-one or batch sessions.
UCAT Mythbusters
Only medical geniuses can score well on the UCAT.
The UCAT tests reasoning skills, not medical knowledge — anyone can improve with practice.
You need months of daily study to succeed.
Focused, quality practice for a few weeks can be more effective than endless studying.
The UCAT has negative marking.
There’s no negative marking — guessing is better than leaving a question blank.
You must answer every question correctly to get a good score.
High scores are possible without 100% accuracy; strategy matters more.
You can’t prepare for UCAT.
The test measures skills that improve with targeted preparation.
UCAT is an IQ test.
It assesses decision-making and reasoning under time pressure, not fixed intelligence.
You should spend equal time on every question.
Some questions are worth skipping quickly to save time for easier ones.
You can only take the UCAT after finishing school.
Many students take it in their penultimate year to prepare early.
All sections are equally difficult for everyone.
Strengths vary — tailor your practice to your weaker areas.
The UCAT is the same as the BMAT.
They’re different — UCAT is computer-based and speed-focused; BMAT includes essays and science.
You can’t go back to previous questions.
In UCAT, you can revisit and change answers within a section before time runs out.
You need expensive coaching to pass.
Free resources and self-practice can be just as effective with discipline.
Reading speed is all that matters in Verbal Reasoning.
Comprehension and scanning strategies are more important than speed alone.