UCAT Exam
What is the UCAT Exam?
It is the exam used for admission to some medical and dental schools in the United Kingdom. The exam is administered on computer at Pearson exam centers. Students can take the UCAT exam once a year. In addition, the exam must be taken in the year in which the application to the university will be made.
The main purpose of the exam is to test students' aptitude for the profession. Therefore, there are no questions that directly measure academic knowledge in the exam. The exam consists of a total of 228 questions and takes 115 minutes. The exam consists of the following parts;
- Verbal reasoning
- Decision making
- Quantitative reasoning
- Abstract reasoning
- Situational judgement
There is a 1-minute instruction text before each section.
The verbal reasoning section consists of 44 questions and lasts 21 minutes. There are 11 reading passages in this section, and students need to make inferences from texts using critical thinking skills.
The decision-making part consists of 29 questions and takes 31 minutes. In this section, students can review tables, diagrams, text, or graphs. Students are expected to make logical inferences, evaluate arguments and/or statistical information. In this section, where questions such as logic puzzles, syllogisms or sets can appear, students can take notes and draw on the system.
The quantitative reasoning section consists of 36 questions and takes 25 minutes. In this section, students' mathematical skills are measured. In order to be successful in the numerical logic part, which is focused on problem solving, students must be successful in subjects such as ratio-proportion, percentiles, and fractions. In addition, a simple calculator can be used in the numerical logic section, and students can take notes and draw on the system.
The abstract reasoning section consists of 50 questions and takes 12 minutes. This part of the exam requires students to recognize numerical or shape patterns and make logical inferences based on these patterns.
The situational judgement section consists of 69 questions and takes 26 minutes. In this section, students' understanding of real events, their ability to recognize important parts of these events, and their ability to react appropriately are measured. The main factors measured in this chapter are adaptability to different points of view, integrity, resilience and adaptability. Students do not need to know any medical terms to answer these questions.
How should we prepare for the UCAT Test?
The UCAT exam system comes up with questions and practices that we do not encounter in Turkey. Therefore, first of all, we need to be familiar with the question types of UCAT. In addition, we should take into account that the number of questions in UCAT is high and the time is short, and we should work to increase our speed of solving questions during the exam preparation process. You can use the free resources on UCAT's official website to study for the exam.
The purpose of the exam is to see how apt the student is to practice medicine, so there is no extra focus on a specific academic course. However, it may be advisable for students to have a good command of mathematics subjects in order to move quickly in the numerical logic part.
In addition to these, it is recommended to start studying at least 4-6 weeks before the exam on the official site of UCAT and to spend a total of 25-30 hours studying for the exam. In addition, you can use the UCAT preparation plan video on UCAT's website as a guide in your exam preparation planning.
UCAT or BMAT?
BMAT, which is another admission test for medicine and dentistry in the UK will be carried out for the last time in 2023. Therefore, students who wish to apply to these departments will need to take the UCAT exam from 2024 on.
How to take the UCAT exam?
There may be slight changes in UCAT exam applications and exam dates every year. However, based on the past years;
| January | Dates for UCAT applications are published |
| May | Exam registration opens |
| June | Exam center selection is made |
| July-September | Exams are carried out |
| October | University applications are made |
| November | Exam results are sent to universities |
The exam fee is £115 for non-UK students and students outside the UK are not eligible for the scholarship, which gives them free access to the exam.
On the day of the test, students must enter the center at least 15 minutes before the start of the exam. Students who arrive late will not be admitted to the exam. The exam is taken with the identity document (ID card or passport) used during the application for the exam, no other identity documents are accepted.
Exam scores appear directly at the end of the test. Students can get a score between 3600 and 1200 and a separate score is given for the situational judgement section. Scores appear in the Pearson system within 24 hours.
Universities that accept the UCAT result
You can use your UCAT exam scores to apply to the following universities;
- University of Aberdeen
- Anglia Ruskin University
- Aston University
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- Brunel University London
- Cardiff University
- University of Central Lancashire
- University of Chester
- University of Dundee
- University of East Anglia
- Edge Hill University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- Hull York Medical School
- Keele University
- Kent & Medway Medical School
- King's College London
- University of Leeds
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Newcastle
- University of Nottingham
- Plymouth University
- Queen Mary, University of London
- Queen's University Belfast
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of St Andrews
- St George's, University of London
- University of Sunderland
- University of Surrey
- University of Warwick
- University of Worcester
You can contact us for the scheduling of your UCAT exam and to study medicine in the UK.