UCAT Score & Results Guide

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Waiting on your UCAT ^® results or unsure what your UCAT ^® score means? Your UCAT ANZ score report gives scaled scores for the three cognitive subtests (total 900–2700 ), a separate Situational Judgement score, and — after the testing window — your UCAT ^® percentile rank against the ANZ cohort. This guide covers UCAT ^® score conversion, UCAT ^® deciles, UCAT ^® test statistics, what is a good UCAT ^® score, and how universities use your UCAT ^® score for medicine applications.

For current subtest counts and timing, see UCAT ^® format and structure. For 2026 registration and result release dates, see UCAT ^® 2026.

UCAT Score Explained: Scaled Scores & Percentiles

Your UCAT ^® scaled score for the three cognitive subtests — Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning — is reported as 300–900 per subtest, summed to a cognitive total of 900–2700. Situational Judgement is scored separately on a 300–900 scale. Abstract Reasoning is not part of the current UCAT ANZ format. You cannot derive your scaled score from raw marks alone; scaling depends on cohort performance and item difficulty.

Your UCAT ^® percentile score ranks you against other UCAT ANZ candidates in your testing cycle. It is released after the testing window closes and cannot be calculated precisely from your scaled score alone, because percentile cut-offs shift with each cohort. The UCAT ^® percentile is often the most important number for medicine applications, though universities also weigh ATAR, interview performance, rural or equity schemes, and subtest rules differently.

UCAT Scaled Scores

The three cognitive UCAT ^® subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning) each scale from 300–900. Your total cognitive scaled score is the sum of those three subtests (900–2700). Situational Judgement is reported separately. Pearson VUE provides scaled scores within 24 hours of completing the exam.

The following table shows how scores are reported for each current subtest:

UCAT Subtest Scores

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UCAT ^® Situational Judgement is scored and reported separately from the cognitive total on a 300–900 scale. Some universities weight SJT lightly or not at all; others apply minimum score rules — check each school's current admissions guide.

What do my UCAT scores mean?

The UCAT ^® score is not a ‘mark’. It is a scaled score that has taken into account the difficulty of the exam. This raw scaled score is converted to a UCAT ^® percentile.

A percentile ranks you amongst all the applicants in Australia and New Zealand. This means that the UCAT ^® percentile conversions from UCAT ^® raw scores will change every year depending on how well the applicant pool has performed. For example, an extremely strong cohort will increase the scaled score required to achieve a 90th percentile. Conversely, a poorly performing cohort will decrease the scaled score. For further details, see below.

This means that there is no fixed pass mark in the UCAT ^® exam. You are ranked competitively against other applicants. Interview offers depend on percentile competitiveness, ATAR, and university-specific rules. For a broader overview, see what is the UCAT ^®.

Why is my UCAT score decreasing?

There are many reasons as to why your UCAT ^® score may be decreasing. Most of the time, it is unrelated to you ‘regressing’ in your progress.

The UCAT ^® score is based on a percentile, and this means that you are ranked against other applicants in your cohort. The UCAT ^® institution will utilise statistical methods to ensure a fair and competitive process for determining your UCAT ^® percentile.

As each year passes, there will be more re-takers for the UCAT ^® and your cohort will become more competitive. This means the cut-off for each ‘percentile bracket’ will shift accordingly, due to a shift in the bell curve.

Furthermore, if the test was determined to be easier, then you would have a lower scaled score and hence percentile. As you are not provided with the ‘raw score’, but only the ‘scaled score’, you are unable to determine if the test you sat was easier or harder than usual.

Many students find Verbal Reasoning to be the most difficult subtest of the UCAT ^® . Check out our guide on UCAT ^® Verbal Reasoning to learn more about this challenging section and how to prepare for it.

How are UCAT Scores Calculated?

UCAT ^® scores are reported in two stages: scaled scores (available within 24 hours) and percentile ranks (released after the testing window). Your cognitive scaled score is the sum of Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Reasoning (300–900 each, total 900–2700). Situational Judgement is scored separately. You will not see your raw marks in the official score report.

The official UCAT ANZ scoring page confirms there is no negative marking. Raw marks are converted to scaled scores because the number and type of questions differ across subtests, so a raw mark in Verbal Reasoning cannot be compared directly with a raw mark in Quantitative Reasoning.

Indicative UCAT ^® score conversion patterns can be inferred from published test statistics, but exact raw-to-scaled mappings change every cycle because scaling uses cohort performance and item difficulty.

UCAT Raw Score Scaling Conversion

UCAT ^® raw score conversion is not published as a fixed table because conversions depend on question difficulty and the performance of each cohort. The statistical approach is commonly described as item response theory (IRT) . Without the performance of the testing cohort, it is impossible to generate an exact raw-to-scaled score conversion table.

The official scoring guide also notes that UCAT ^® Decision Making includes single-answer questions, two-mark multiple-statement questions, and partial marks on some multiple-statement questions. Because raw marks are not shown in your score report, use raw-score conversion tables only as rough practice diagnostics — not as a way to predict your official UCAT ^® percentile.

UCAT Raw Scores by Section (Current Format)

The current UCAT ANZ has four subtests. Question counts below match the official test format; some items may be unscored trial questions — treat every item as scored. For timing and structure detail, see UCAT ^® structure.

You will be able to find speculative UCAT ^® score converters on the internet. The historical table below uses released UCAT ^® UK statistics from 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 to show how previous cohorts roughly converted raw marks into scaled scores. The total marks stated in the score column do not include unscaled items.

Such statistics are not released for UCAT ^® ANZ candidates at item level. Please note that UK historical data predates the 2025 UCAT ANZ removal of Abstract Reasoning and may not reliably represent current ANZ UCAT ^® score conversion.

UCAT (UK) Raw Score Percentile Correlations

Official UCAT ^® test statistics and a percentile look-up calculator are published after each testing cycle on the UCAT ANZ Test Statistics page. Use that tool for the most current UCAT ^® score conversion to percentiles.

UCAT ANZ 90th Percentile — Current and Historical Context

For standard (non-rural) medicine pathways, many universities effectively require roughly the 90th percentile or higher. In UCAT ^® 2025 test statistics, the 9th decile (90th percentile) cognitive total was 2310 (out of 2700). Rural, bonded, regional and high-ATAR pathways may accept lower percentiles — see UCAT ^® for medicine for university-specific context.

Note: Totals before 2025 included four cognitive subtests (with Abstract Reasoning), so historical totals near 2900–3000 are not directly comparable to the current 900–2700 scale. The table below shows legacy 90th-percentile subtest scores from 2019–2022 for trend context only.

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When are UCAT Scores Released?

Your UCAT ^® results are released in stages. Pearson VUE emails instructions within 24 hours of your exam; preliminary statistics usually follow in late August, with summary statistics and percentile lookup in early September. Results are then delivered automatically to consortium universities. For exact dates each cycle, see UCAT ^® 2026.

UCAT results release date

What is a Good UCAT Score?

There is no universal pass mark — a good UCAT ^® score depends on your target course, state, ATAR and pathway (standard, rural, bonded, regional). As a conservative guide for standard domestic medicine places, aim for roughly the 90th percentile or above. Official UCAT ^® 2025 test statistics placed the 9th decile at a cognitive total of 2310 (VR + DM + QR, out of 2700). The 80th percentile was 2190; the median (5th decile) was 1930.

Percentile cut-offs shift every year as cohort performance changes. Rural and equity schemes, dentistry, and some high-ATAR or in-state pathways may accept lower percentiles. Always check the current university guide and the official percentile calculator rather than relying on a single number.

For how universities apply scores in practice, see UCAT ^® score for medicine and UCAT ^® dentistry requirements.

UCAT Score Statistics (2025 — Current Format)

The table below uses published UCAT ^® ANZ 2025 summary statistics (three cognitive subtests, total 900–2700). Values show the lowest total cognitive scaled score in each decile band.

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2025 mean scores by subtest: Verbal Reasoning 620, Decision Making 642, Quantitative Reasoning 679, Situational Judgement 586 (SJT reported separately).

Legacy UCAT Score Statistics (2019–2022, Four Cognitive Subtests)

The tables below are from the era when Abstract Reasoning was included (cognitive total range 1200–3600). They are retained for historical trend context only — do not compare these totals directly to current 900–2700 scores.

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*The scores represent the lowest in each decile

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This information is available from released UCAT ^® ANZ statistics.

UCAT Percentile Look Up

Your UCAT ^® ANZ percentile can be found via the official UCAT ^® test statistics page. Use the percentile look-up tool and enter your total cognitive scaled score (900–2700).

UCAT Max Score

The maximum cognitive scaled score is 2700 (900 in each of Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning). Situational Judgement has its own scale/bands. Legacy summary statistics from when four cognitive subtests were counted (e.g. a reported maximum near 3530 in 2019) used a different total range and are not comparable to the current format.

What if my UCAT score is not very high?

If your UCAT ^® score is not very high, it is alright! The medical school admissions process has always been extremely competitive in Australia. You can always try again next year, and many people do not get in on their first try. If you are nearing the completion of your degree, you can also consider sitting the GAMSAT ^® exam in addition to the UCAT ^® , for graduate medicine options. Check out our comprehensive guide on What is the GAMSAT ^® to learn more.

The UCAT ^® is only needed for undergraduate universities. By reflecting on your mistakes for the year and looking at different ways of practising questions, you will be able to better prepare for the UCAT ^® and achieve a higher UCAT ^® result for next year.

UCAT Score Cut-offs

Although UCAT ^® cut-off scores shift every admissions cycle, the tables below give indicative percentile thresholds reported for past interview rounds (not raw scaled-score minima). They are speculative guides only — always confirm current rules on official university sites and in published UCAT ^® test statistics. For school-by-school context, see UCAT ^® medicine requirements.

This only includes universities that require a UCAT ^® score. This table also does not include any special considerations (eg. rural, monash guarantee scheme, EAS/SEAS, Broadway, Indigenous, etc.).

Interview Cutoffs - Non-Rural

Interview Cutoffs - Rural

Note 1: It is important to note that the UCAT ^® was only introduced in 2019 for the 2020 admissions cycle.
Note 2: For University of Western Sydney/Charles Sturt University, some historical guides speculated a weighted subtest formula emphasising Verbal Reasoning (including Abstract Reasoning when it was still tested). Verify current JPM weightings directly with the university — do not assume legacy formulas still apply after the 2025 format change.
Note 3: University of Western Sydney/Charles Sturt University also provides special considerations for people living in “Greater Western Sydney” for the past 5 years. This includes a lower UCAT ^® cutoff.
Note 4: In 2021 and 2022, interview invites were sent based solely on the UCAT ^® only and before ATAR release due to disruptions by COVID-19. It is expected that many universities will follow this pattern for 2023 and onwards.
Note 5: University of Queensland and University of Western Australia is a provisional undergraduate entry that is only offered to school leavers. University and post-graduates are unable to apply via this scheme.
Note 6: In the 2021 admissions cycle, you can see some universities are starting to prefer ‘in-state’ applicants, which usually indicates a reduced UCAT ^® cutoff. This means inter-state applicants are at a disadvantage, with a higher cut-off.
Note 7: Please keep in mind that these cutoffs are only speculatory data and do not represent official information from the universities.
Note 8: N/A indicates there was not enough reported data to form speculation.

UCAT Score for Medicine — Undergraduate Admissions

Your UCAT ^® score for medicine is one part of a competitive undergraduate application alongside ATAR, interviews and pathway rules. Treat the summary below as pathway context rather than a current cut-off list, because universities update score weightings, interview rules and special-entry categories each cycle. For detailed requirements, see UCAT ^® medicine and our overview of Australian medical schools.

Note: these numbers reflect entry requirements of domestic students. Further requirements may be necessary for overseas applicants. The ranking of the Universities is according to 2022 rankings for Australian medicine provided by Times Higher Education. Number of places available are approximate.

Note: Cut-offs may represent university specified cut-off marks for interview offers OR may represent the minimum mark required to gain entry in a previous year.

Summary of Undergraduate Medicine Universities

Delivering UCAT Results to Universities

You DO NOT pass on test results to universities yourself

Within 24 hours of your examination, you will receive an email from Pearson VUE. This email will contain instructions for accessing your UCAT ^® ANZ score report.

UCAT ^® will communicate your results directly to all the universities within the consortium. Your UCAT ^® ANZ ID number (in the form ANZ12345678) should be used in your university applications and this will be used to match your application to your UCAT ^® result. You do not and can not send test results to universities yourself.

Check out our comprehensive guide for more information about Australian medical schools.

Currency of UCAT Results

Your UCAT results are only valid for one year

Your UCAT ^® results are only valid for applications made during the year you sit the exam, to commence your studies in the following year. After your UCAT ^® examination, if you wish to take a year off before applying to medical school, you will need to retake the UCAT ^® examination.

There is a single test cycle per year and candidates are able to sit the UCAT ^® once a year. There is no limit to the amount of times a candidate can sit the examination overall.

Improving your UCAT Score — Free Resources

Once you understand your target UCAT ^® percentile, set a goal and build a prep plan. These GradReady resources may help:

Further UCAT preparation resources

1. What is the UCAT ^®?

   Meaning, who needs UCAT ANZ, registration overview, and how the exam fits undergraduate applications.

2. UCAT ^® format and structure

   Four subtests, question counts, subtest times, and scoring overview (900–2700 cognitive total).

3. UCAT ^® 2026 dates and fees

   Booking windows, concessions, and the 2026 testing period.

4. How to prepare for the UCAT ^®

   UCAT preparation strategy, study plan, timelines, and tips across all four current subtests.

5. Free UCAT ^® preparation materials

   Free practice and reading links to start without a paid course.

6. UCAT ^® Verbal Reasoning

   Question types, timing, and preparation tips for the first subtest.

7. UCAT ^® Decision Making

   Question types, timing, and preparation tips for the second subtest.

8. UCAT ^® Quantitative Reasoning

   Numerical reasoning strategy, timing, and practice approach.

9. UCAT ^® Situational Judgement

   Scenario-based judgement questions and how SJT is scored separately (300–900).

10. UCAT ^® for medicine

    University requirements and pathways for undergraduate medicine entry.