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If you are planning undergraduate medicine or dentistry in Australia or New Zealand, one of the first questions is usually what is UCAT? The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT ®) — often called UCAT ANZ in this region — is the computer-based admissions test used by the UCAT ANZ Consortium of universities for most undergraduate medical, dental, and clinical science programmes.
Delivered at Pearson VUE test centres, the UCAT ® exam lasts just under two hours and assesses verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, and situational judgement. Universities use UCAT ® alongside academic results and interviews; it is not a science-content exam like the GAMSAT . The annual testing window usually runs from early July to early August — for 2026 dates, fees, and booking steps see UCAT ® 2026.
The UCAT ® ANZ exam is required for entry to most undergraduate medical and dental schools in Australia and New Zealand. A small number of pathways do not use UCAT ® (for example Bond University medicine, or some University of Sydney high-achiever routes) — always confirm against the university’s current admissions guide.
Sitting UCAT ® maximises your options across undergraduate medicine pathways (including New Zealand) and UCAT for dentistry programmes. For school-by-school medicine context, see our UCAT medicine guide.
What does UCAT stand for? UCAT ® means University Clinical Aptitude Test. In Australia and New Zealand the exam is marketed as UCAT ANZ to distinguish it from the UK UCAT sitting. If you are applying to Australian medical schools (or New Zealand undergraduate medicine/dentistry that list UCAT ANZ), you need the ANZ test — not the UK version. Unless we say otherwise, “UCAT ®” on GradReady means UCAT ® ANZ.
University Clinical Aptitude Test
Verbal Reasoning
Decision Making
Quantitative Reasoning
Situational Judgement
The UCAT ® exam is just under two hours, and is a computer based exam comprising 184 multiple choice questions (MCQs). These questions are divided into three cognitive subtests ( Verbal Reasoning , Decision Making , Quantitative Reasoning ) and Situational Judgement — each designed to assess different skills. Subtests run in a fixed order; the Consortium also includes a small share of unscored trial items that do not contribute to your score. Official timings and scores below follow the UCAT ANZ Consortium test format:
Please move to desktop to view the entire table without additional taps.
| Section Section |
Description Description |
Time Allocated* (mins) Time Allocated* (mins) |
Questions Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | Assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form. Assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form. |
22 minutes 22 minutes |
11 passages and 44 questions 11 passages and 44 questions |
| Decision Making | Assesses the ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information. Assesses the ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information. |
37 minutes 37 minutes |
35 questions 35 questions |
| Quantitative Reasoning | Assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form. Assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form. |
26 minutes 26 minutes |
9 sets and 36 questions 9 sets and 36 questions |
| Situational Judgement | Measures the capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them. Measures the capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them. |
26 minutes 26 minutes |
21 scenarios and 69 questions 21 scenarios and 69 questions |
| Timing note *
Each subtest has a short timed instruction section (about 1 minute 30 seconds for most subtests; Quantitative Reasoning is 2 minutes). Total sitting time is just under two hours (~115 minutes including instructions).
| |||
Each of the three cognitive subtests is scaled 300–900; summed total is 900–2700. UCAT Situational Judgement is reported in Bands 1–4.
The first three subtests are cognitive; Situational Judgement is often treated separately as a non-cognitive score. Many universities use the cognitive total out of 2700 and apply their own SJT band rules. For subtest order, timing, and question types, see our UCAT ® format and structure guide.
The UCAT ® is an extremely time-pressured examination, and the total time is just under two hours. Although it may seem like a lot of time, there are a total of 184 questions, leaving on average ~36 seconds per question!
In addition, each section has varying lengths in terms of UCAT ® questions, with some sections being even faster where you are completing 2 MCQs every minute.
The following table summarises typical key dates for UCAT ® ANZ. Exact deadlines move slightly each year — always confirm on ucat.edu.au and our year page for UCAT ® 2026.
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| Key Events Key Events |
Dates Dates |
|---|---|
| Concession Scheme opens Access Arrangements open | 16 February 2026 16 February 2026 |
| BOOKING OPENS | 3 March 2026 3 March 2026 |
| Concession application deadline Concession application deadline |
11 May 2026 11 May 2026 |
| Access Arrangements application deadline Access Arrangements application deadline |
15 May 2026 15 May 2026 |
| BOOKING DEADLINE BOOKING DEADLINE |
15 May 2026 15 May 2026 |
| Late booking deadline Late Access Arrangements application deadline Late booking deadline
Late Access Arrangements application deadline | 29 May 2026 29 May 2026 |
| FINAL late booking deadline FINAL late booking deadline |
5 June 2026 5 June 2026 |
| Cancellation deadline Cancellation deadline |
12 June 2026 12 June 2026 |
| Testing begins Testing begins |
1 July 2026 1 July 2026 |
| Last testing date Last testing date |
5 August 2026 5 August 2026 |
| Results delivered to universities Results delivered to universities |
Early September 2026 Early September 2026 |
For 2027 university entry, UCAT ® ANZ booking typically opens in early March 2026 (3 March in the 2026 cycle). Concession and Access Arrangements applications usually open from mid-February. Book early — popular Pearson VUE centres fill quickly. Full timeline: UCAT ® 2026 dates and fees.
You can sit the UCAT ® exam across a number of Pearson VUE test centre locations in Australia and New Zealand. Most capital cities will have multiple testing centre locations. The following table shows which city/town you can take the test in Australia:
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| State State |
Cities / Towns Cities / Towns |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory |
Canberra Canberra |
| New South Wales New South Wales |
7 test centres Armidale
Newcastle Orange Parramatta Port Macquarie Sydney Wagga Wagga |
| Northern Territory Northern Territory |
2 test centres Alice Springs
Darwin |
| Queensland Queensland |
8 test centres Brisbane
Bundaberg Cairns Gold Coast Maroochydore Rockhampton Toowoomba Townsville |
| South Australia South Australia |
3 test centres Adelaide
Bordertown Port Augusta |
| Tasmania Tasmania |
2 test centres Hobart
Launceston |
| Victoria Victoria |
6 test centres Ballarat
Bendigo Churchill (near Traralgon) Geelong Melbourne Mildura |
| Western Australia Western Australia |
3 test centres Bunbury
Geraldton Perth |
In addition, you can also sit the UCAT ® ANZ overseas at any Pearson VUE testing centre worldwide. The full list internationally can be found on the booking systems when bookings for the test open in March.
You can register for the UCAT ® ANZ online via the Pearson VUE website .
There are two steps to the process - creating your account and booking your test date. You should aim to create your account in advance, and book the test dates as soon as possible when booking opens in March, as limited spots are available at each testing centre on each day. This means you may miss out and have to travel further to sit the UCAT ® ANZ examination.
For the 2026 cycle, the standard UCAT ® ANZ fee for tests taken in Australia or New Zealand is $335 AUD (concession fee lower for eligible Australian candidates; overseas sittings are higher). Late booking periods attract additional fees. Confirm current amounts on the official UCAT ANZ Test Cycle page or our UCAT ® 2026 guide.
The UCAT ® exam is scored based on the number of correct answers with no negative marking for incorrect answers. In other words, your performance on one question won’t affect the marking of any other question. With each of the three cognitive subtests having different amounts of sets and questions, the raw marks are converted to a scaled score ranging from 300-900.
The total score is composed of the sum of each of the individual scale scores which creates a total scale score ranging from 900 to 2700.
Please move to desktop to view the entire table without additional taps.
| Cognitive Subtest Cognitive Subtest |
Questions Questions |
Scale Score Range Scale Score Range |
Marking Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning Verbal Reasoning |
44 44 |
300 - 900 300 - 900 |
Questions are worth 1 mark each. Questions are worth 1 mark each. |
| Decision Making Decision Making |
35 35 |
300 - 900 300 - 900 |
1-2 marks Questions with one correct answer are worth 1 mark.
Questions with multiple statements are worth 2 marks. One mark is awarded to partially correct responses on the multiple-statement questions. |
| Quantitative Reasoning Quantitative Reasoning |
36 36 |
300 - 900 300 - 900 |
Questions are worth 1 mark each. Questions are worth 1 mark each. |
| Total Score Total Score
| - - |
900 - 2700 900 - 2700 |
|
| Situational Judgement Situational Judgement |
69 69 |
Bands 1–4 Bands 1–4 |
Full marks are awarded for a question if your response matches the correct answer. Partial marks are awarded if your response is close to the correct answer. Full marks are awarded for a question if your response matches the correct answer. Partial marks are awarded if your response is close to the correct answer. |
Upon sitting the exam, results are emailed to you within 24 hours with instructions on how to find your score report via your Pearson VUE online account. These results are only valid for one year (i.e. 2026 UCAT ® exam results are only valid for 2026 applications/entry into university in 2027). Note that there is no need to provide your results to the universities you are applying to as the UCAT ® ANZ Consortium will communicate your test results to universities by early September.
What constitutes a competitive UCAT ® score depends on a variety of factors such as the difficulty of the test in any given year, which universities you’re planning to apply for, as well as other admissions factors like your academic scores and interview performance.
The average total score (50th percentile) in 2025 was 1930, which provides a fair approximation of what the average candidate would score. Broadly speaking, a competitive UCAT ® percentile is the 90th percentile, which essentially means you’ve placed in the top 10% of applicants. In the 2025 testing cycle, this equated to a score of 2310. As the Situational Judgement Test scores are counted separately from the cognitive subtests, the mean Situational Judgement Test score was 593 in 2025.
The exact dates of the UCAT result release often varies year by year. However, you will immediately receive your raw score a few minutes after you complete the UCAT ® ANZ at the Pearson VUE testing centre.
The percentile is often released in Early September. A preliminary result which shows the raw score to centiles conversion eg. 9th centile (90th percentile) will be released in late August.
UCAT ® ANZ test results are only valid for 1 year, for admission into undergraduate medical school the following year you take the examination.
For applicants from metro areas, a decent UCAT score for entry usually sits above 90th percentile (which translated to a raw score of 2310 in 2025), which will allow you entry into your local state medical school eg. Monash in Victoria.
If you’re from NSW, you’ll typically need a UCAT ® score around the 95th percentile or higher (translating to a raw score of 2380)), as medical schools in this state are very competitive. This will also depend on a number of other factors, such as your ATAR/GPA, and your medical school interview performance, and your place of residence (rural vs metro).
Applying to interstate programs can also be more challenging, since out-of-state applicants often require higher entry score requirements than the local students. For example, Queensland University will only offer an interview for medicine to out-of-state applicants in 2025 if they have scores 98th percentile or higher.
For rural applicants, the standard for entry is often much lower. A decent score usually sits around the 60th percentile, however it also depends on your rurality based on the Remoteness Area (RA) scale or Modified Monash Model (MMM) scale.
The UCAT ® ANZ exam is a different style of examination to the usual medical admissions test such as the GAMSAT or the old UMAT ®. It is difficult in the sense that applicants need to be adaptive, quick thinking, and tests for a core set of skills such as comprehension, arithmetics and logical reasoning.
Furthermore, for the UCAT ® exam, it is difficult to achieve a high percentile score, which is often needed for entry into most undergraduate medical schools. There is little room for mistake, as every question and mark can be almost a 1 percentile difference in the results.
You can retake the UCAT ® ANZ as many times as you need. The testing cycle runs every year.
Before 2019, UMAT ® was the exam that students have to take if they want to be accepted into a medical school. In 2019, UMAT ® was replaced by the UCAT ®. There are significant differences in the UCAT ® compared to the old entry examination UMAT ®. The key difference between UCAT ® and UMAT ®, is that UCAT ® is a computer based examination and has a different format and structure. The following table explores this in more detail:
| UCAT | UMAT | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 3 cognitive subtests, 1 situational judgement | 3 sections |
| Modality | Computer based | Paper based |
| No. of Questions | 184 | 134 |
| Timing | ~2 hours | 3 hours |
The UCAT ® ANZ is significantly more time pressured, and requires a good understanding of computer skills to be able to perform well in the examination.
The UCAT ® and GAMSAT are different exams for different pathways. UCAT ® ANZ supports undergraduate medicine/dentistry selection; GAMSAT ® supports most graduate-entry medicine applications. For a dedicated comparison (difficulty, timing, who should sit which), see UCAT vs GAMSAT.
High-level differences:
| UCAT | GAMSAT | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 3 cognitive subtests, 1 situational judgement | 3 sections + 2 essays |
| No. of Questions | 184 | 137 and 2 essays |
| Timing | ~2 hours | 4 hours 10 minutes |
| Testing Dates | Once a year (July–August) | Twice a year (March & September) |
| How long are results valid? | 1 year | 4 years |
| Cost (indicative 2026) | ~335 AUD (ANZ centres) | Check ACER GAMSAT fees |
| Number of applicants (2025) | ~17,000 | ~10,000 |
| No. of medical schools using test | 9 universities | 13 universities |
The UCAT ® is a different style of examination compared to the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT ®). The MCAT ® is the American version of the test you undertake for application to medical school. It consists of 4 sections, and runs for 7.5 hours, covering a wide range of content from biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, sociology, and even reading comprehension through the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section.
In comparison, the UCAT ® is a very time-pressured examination running for only 2 hours, with a timing of on average 36 seconds per multiple choice question. It is difficult to prepare for as the test focuses more on cognitive ability rather than knowledge.
In short, the answer is it depends on each applicant. If you find yourself with difficulties adapting to a fast paced examination, you may find the MCAT ® easier. If you find it difficult to understand science and mathematical concepts, then the UCAT ® may be easier for you.
There’s no doubt that the UCAT ® is a challenging exam, designed to differentiate the already competitive pool of medical and dental school applicants. However, one of the main reasons that students find the UCAT ® exam difficult is not always the questions themselves, but rather the sheer number of questions - 184 questions in 2 hours, or to put it another way, a question every 39 seconds!
Many students fail to finish the exam at all due to the intense time pressure, needing to complete 2 MCQs every minute. In addition to a high level of concentration and strong cognitive skills, the UCAT ® exam requires exceptional time-management to do well.
As such, preparation is key and preparing for the UCAT ® exam requires consistent practice over time and a targeted approach towards identifying strengths and weaknesses. Preparation can be broken down into a few key steps:
In order to properly prepare for the UCAT ® exam, it is important to first understand its importance in the medical school applications process. For many universities, the UCAT ® score carries as much weight in your application as your ATAR. To put this into perspective, the total sum of Year 12 examinations and the intense hours of study behind these scores has as much importance as the score from the nearly 2 hour long UCAT ® exam. Even with a phenomenal ATAR or even a star performance at the interview, a poor UCAT ® score could potentially outweigh these achievements.
The UCAT ® is quite a nuanced exam with specific question types and various levels of difficulty between each question type. Thus, it is important to understand the different formats of each section as well as the unique strategies and shortcuts you can use to select the correct answer and save yourself time. It’s important to acknowledge as well that students will often have varying strengths and weaknesses and it’s important to work out early which sections are going to play to your strengths, and which sections will require the most improvement.
Whilst the UCAT ® consortium provides a small pool of questions and tests , their explanations are often short and poorly explained. Practice is essential towards working faster and increasing your accuracy for the UCAT ® exam. GradReady’s MCQ bank provides students with the opportunity to assess themselves and evaluate their weaknesses with our detailed explanations and test-accurate question types.
After practice, the next step is to undergo time-pressured exam simulations that evaluate a proper UCAT ® score. These mock exams allow you to assess your readiness to sit the exam under accurate conditions. This will also help to hone your exam-taking techniques such as using shortcuts, the calculator function as well as applying time-management skills.
Finally, after every practice and mock exam, it is essential to look back on what can be improved. Our detailed worked solutions provide students with the ability to quickly identify their mistakes and help reduce the chances of making the same error in the future
For further tips and advice on how best to prepare for the UCAT ® exam, start with our UCAT ® preparation guide and free UCAT ® resources.
Every person will vary in their UCAT preparation time. Some students may only need 1 month to prepare for the UCAT ® ANZ. Other students spend years practicing for the exam. However, the general rule of thumb is that approximately 1 year of preparation will allow you a solid understanding of how the UCAT ® exam works, and for you to be familiar with different tips and tricks to getting a competitive UCAT score .
The Australia and New Zealand UCAT Consortium universities require a UCAT ® score as part of their admissions process for various medical, dental, and health science pathways. Note that the results of the UCAT ® exam are only valid for 1 year - They don’t carry over to the next year.
In other words, a UCAT ® score in 2026 can only be used to apply for courses commencing in 2027.
Whilst the majority of medical schools require a UCAT ® score as a compulsory criteria there are some exceptions. Students should always check whether or not their desired programme requires UCAT ® scores before they register for the UCAT ® exam.
Below is a list of courses that currently require the UCAT ® exam as part of their selection criteria in the 2025 admissions cycle.
| Schools | Programmes/Courses | Application Dates |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Adelaide | Medicine Dental Surgery Oral Health |
SATAC applications open for 2026 on 4 August 2025. Applications will close 30 September 2025. |
| Central Queensland University | Medical Science (Regional Medical Pathway provisional entry to UQ)) |
QTAC opens from early August 2025. Applications close 30 September 2025. |
| Charles Sturt University | Dental Science Medicine | Applications via UAC on 2nd June 2025 and close 30 September 2025. |
| Curtin University | Medicine |
Applications via TISC open: 3rd June 2025. Applications close: 30 September 2025. |
| Flinders University | Clinical Sciences / Medicine |
SATAC applications open for 2022 on 4 August 2025. Applications will close 30 September 2025. |
| Griffith University | Dental Health Science |
Applications are made via UAC, QTAC or directly to Griffith. Application deadline: September 30, 2025. |
| La Trobe University | Dental Science | Applications are via UAC or VTAC for multiple courses or directly via La Trobe for one course. |
| Monash University | Medicine |
Applications via VTAC open on 4 August, 2025. Applications via VTAC close 30 September, 2025 |
| The University of Newcastle / University of New England | Joint Medical Program (JMP) | Applications via UAC close 30 September, 2025 |
| The University of New South Wales | Medicine | Medicine Application Portal Deadline and UAC Applications close on 30 September 2025. |
| The University of Queensland | Medicine (provisional entry pathway) Dental Science |
QTAC opens from early August 2025. Applications close 30 September 2025. |
| University of Tasmania | Medicine |
Applications open: 1 August 2025. Applications close 30 September 2025. |
| The University of Western Australia | Medicine Dental Medicine |
Applications via TISC open: 3rd June 2025. Applications close: 30 September 2025. |
| Western Sydney University | Medicine (Joint Medical Program) |
Applications via UAC open 2 June. Applications via UAC close on 30 September. |
| The University of Auckland | Medicine | Applications close on 1 July 2026 (domestic applicants and international first year applicants) |
| University of Otago | Medicine Dentistry | Closes on 14 Aug 2025 |
The UCAT ® Consortium is the governing body that manages the UCAT ® examination in Australia. It is a group of universities in Australia and New Zealand that uses the UCAT ® ANZ to assess applicant’s suitability for entry into medical school. It is a subgroup of a wider international group known as the UCAT ® UK Consortium, which is a group of universities in the United Kingdom (UK) that uses the UCAT ® for entry into UK medical schools. The UCAT ® ANZ is a version of the UCAT ® UK, and has been adapted to entry for Australian medical schools .
Currently, the UCAT ® ANZ Consortium is partnered with Pearson VUE, to deliver the examination across Australia and New Zealand.
Now that you understand what the UCAT is, use these pages to go deeper without losing this overview:
Subtest order, timing, question counts, and what to expect in each section.
Booking windows, fees, concessions, and the 2026 testing period.
Scaled scoring, cognitive totals, SJT bands, and what a competitive score looks like.
Study strategy and tips across Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, and Situational Judgement.
Free practice and reading links to start preparation before committing to a course.
Student-focused walkthrough for starting UCAT ® preparation.
What parents and guardians need to know about the test, timeline, and costs.