Everything You Need to Know About UCAT Results, Scoring and Percentiles
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Written By Team MedView
Reviewed By Callum Chalmers (Currently studying Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - MBChB at University of Auckland)
Navigating the world of medical and dental school admissions can be overwhelming (that's an understatement!), especially when understanding the importance of the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) scores.
As a vital component of your application, the UCAT score can significantly impact your chances of securing a spot in your dream program. But what exactly makes a good UCAT score? And how are your UCAT results calculated?
To help answer these questions, we've created a comprehensive guide on the intricacies of UCAT results, scoring, and percentiles, breaking down how it all works. Ready to dive in?
Decoding your UCAT scores
UCAT scores are composed of several components, including scaled scores for each section and a total cognitive section score.
Total cognitive section score
Each section of the UCAT is scored on a scale of 300 to 900, based on the number of correct answers provided.
The total cognitive section score serves as a significant gauge of your overall UCAT performance. This score is derived from the sum of your individual scaled scores from the first 4 sections, ranging from 1200 to 3600.
For the Verbal Reasoning (VR), Quantitative Reasoning (QR), and Abstract Reasoning (AR) subtests, each question is worth 1 mark, while in the Decision Making (DM) subtest, multi-statement questions are weighted as 2 marks. Although, 1 mark is awarded to partially correct responses on the multiple-statement questions.
These scaled scores play a significant role in medical school admissions, as higher scores generally indicate better performance. To gauge your competitiveness amongst other students, the median UCAT scores for each section in 2023 are as follows:
- Verbal Reasoning: 600
- Decision Making: 640
- Quantitative Reasoning: 650
- Abstract Reasoning: 640
Bear in mind that there are no partial marks or negative marking in the UCAT; hence, answering all questions to the best of your ability is fundamental to maximising your scoring potential.
Situational Judgement Test scoring
The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is the final part of the UCAT and it is designed to gauge your capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.
The SJT is also scored on a scale of 300 to 900, with full marks awarded for responses match the correct answer. Partial marks are awarded if your response is close to the correct answer.
It's important to know that it's not common for universities to consider the SJT within the admissions process. Anecdotally, many of the universities prefer to test this skill in the interview versus the multiple choice format in the UCAT.
While it's often not taken into consideration by medical schools for the interview offer process, it is still a part of the UCAT that you have to complete.
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UCAT percentiles and deciles
UCAT percentiles and deciles act as noteworthy yardsticks for comparing your performance against that of other test-takers. A higher percentile or decile indicates better performance, with a score in the 9th decile, for example, placing you in the top 10% of all test-takers.
Understanding where you stand in relation to others can help you gauge your competitiveness and make informed decisions about your university choices and application strategy.
To convert your UCAT percentile to a decile, simply subtract the percentile from 10. For instance, a score in the 90th percentile would correspond to the 9th decile. You can also use this UCAT percentile calculator on the UCAT ANZ website to discover where you sit.
Monitoring UCAT score trends from previous years can also provide useful insights into the exam’s competitiveness and help you assess your performance in relation to past test-takers.
Good, average, and low UCAT scores
A good UCAT score is generally above 3000 and is what is needed to be successful when applying to medical schools. Those who score 3100 and above typically have a good chance of being offered an interview.
An average UCAT score usually sits between 2600-2900. Based on previous years, a score in this range isn't typically offered an interview. Although, some universities do have slightly lower UCAT cut-off scores.
For example, the cut-off score for Flinders University is around 2870 and ranking for admission offers are based on 90% ATAR and 10% UCAT results, making it a viable option for those with slightly lower scores.
A low UCAT score tends to sit below 2600. While this can be incredibly disappointing, not all hope is lost as there are still ways you can apply to medical school. Your best bet is to look at schools that don't use the UCAT in the admissions process, like James Cook University, Bond University, the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne.
While admission to these universities is still competitive, it doesn't rely on your UCAT results, making it a viable option for those who still want to apply for medical school the same year.
Alternatively, you could also consider an institution like the University of Tasmania, which has a low UCAT score threshold of around 2530.
In general, for entry into medical and dental programs, a UCAT score of at least the 90th percentile is typically recommended.
However, certain factors such as being a rural student, may result in reduced UCAT score requirements. Investigating the specific UCAT score requirements for each university and program you’re considering is vital, as cut-off scores differ.
Receiving and accessing your UCAT results
Now we've explored how UCAT scoring works, how do you actually get your UCAT results and how long does it take? Thankfully, you don't have to wait long!
After you have completed the UCAT, you will receive an email from Pearson VUE within 24 hours, which includes instructions on how to access your UCAT ANZ Score Report through your account.
This means you generally have access to your score within a day of taking the test, so you won't be stuck in a post-exam limbo for too long.
Once your results are ready, they are also automatically transmitted to consortium universities, ensuring that they have access to your UCAT ANZ 2023 test results data.
How universities use UCAT scores
During the admissions process, universities utilise UCAT scores in diverse ways. Some use the score as the primary selection criteria for the interview process, while others consider it in combination with other factors, like your ATAR.
Another factor that can vary from university to university is how they consider the subtest scores versus the total scaled score.
Below, we've looked at the universities that consider the total cognitive score and those that look at individual subtest scores.
- The University of New South Wales: Total cognitive score
- The University of Queensland: Total cognitive score
- Monash University: Total cognitive score
- The University of Adelaide: Total cognitive score
- Charles Sturt University and Western Sydney University: Subtest scores, weighted as follows; 60% VR, 10% DM, 10% QR, 20% AR
- Curtin University: Total cognitive score
- Flinders University: Total cognitive score (all 5 sections weighted equally)
- The University of Newcastle and the University of New England: Total cognitive score
- University of Tasmania: Total cognitive score
- University of Western Sydney: Total cognitive score
- University of Central Queensland: Total cognitive score
- University of Southern Queensland: Total cognitive score
UCAT score trends from previous years
Analysing UCAT score trends from previous years can provide valuable insights into the competitiveness of the exam and help you gauge your performance in relation to past test-takers.
In general, the competitiveness of UCAT scores continues to rise each year. For example, the median score in 2023 is 2550, while the median score in 2022 was 2530, and in 2021, it was 2520.
But, in order to land an interview with a medical school, you generally need to score 3100+ to be competitive.
Interestingly, the scores of the individual subtests has largely stayed the same, expect for Verbal Reasoning scores. This was the only subtest to increase significantly in 2023, with the median score coming in at 600 and the 90th percentile landing at 720.
In 2022, the median score for VR was 580 and in the 90th percentile, 680. Comparatively, the fluctuations in the DM, QR and AR subtests haven't been as significant.
Verbal Reasoning is typically the lowest scoring section of the UCAT and still trails around 50 points below the other subtests but, anecdotally, recent increases in VR scores could be because people are spending more time and attention on preparing for it as it's widely considered the hardest section of the exam.
UCAT preparation tips
Though preparing for the UCAT may seem overwhelming, and it certainly can be, there are ways you can make this process more straightforward.
Factors that play an important role in achieving a high UCAT score include effective preparation, time management, and understanding your personal strengths and weaknesses and where you need to spend your time and attention as a result.
Plus, we can't forget that seeking out support in the form of tutors can also be incredibly helpful and make a huge difference to your UCAT journey.
This is what MedView does best. We understand the process of applying to medical schools is not only complex and confusing but it’s more competitive than ever before!
MedView Education takes med school admission to a new level through personalised admission support, application review, entrance exam and interview tutoring, and extracurricular mentoring for students in Australasia.
We understand that each student is different, so the services we provide are always personalised to your individual needs.
Our process works as follows:
1. Discovering your goals
Our initial consultation helps us identify your goals and aspirations for medical school — and exactly how to get there!
2. Identifying your strengths
Our team helps you evaluate your chances of admission to top medical schools based on your strengths and areas for improvement.
3. Building a unique game plan
We work with every student to create a personalised game plan for success.
4. Assembling your team
Each student is matched with a dedicated team of admission specialists, medical students, tutors, mentors and doctors.
5. Choosing your best-fit medical school
Our admissions experts help identify the medical schools that suit your aspirations and capabilities best.
6. Your application requirements
Your team works with you on every exam, interview and application requirement to ensure you have a competitive chance!
Our dedicated team and personalised support helps students get the results they need, with our UCAT students 5 times more likely to receive an interview and 4.5 times more likely to gain admission to an Australian medical school.
You can also access a bunch of free and helpful resources — including insights from current medical students and MedView Admission Experts on the pathways and requirements to successful admission into medical school — via the MedView website.
Summary
While this process can be extremely complicated, understanding the UCAT score you need for admission to the medical school of your choice is crucial when planning for your future.
But, you don't have to do it alone. If you'd like extra support from industry professionals or to catch more UCAT updates, sign up for our monthly newsletter. Stay ON THE PULSE by being the first to catch UCAT and medical school admissions news.
STAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION!
Frequently asked questions
What is the top 1% UCAT score?
To be in the top 1% of UCAT students, you will need to achieve a score of 3290 or higher out of 3600. This places you at the 99th percentile and indicates excellent performance.
What is a good UCAT score in Australia?
A score upwards of 3000 is considered to be a good UCAT score in Australia.
What is the highest score on the UCAT 2023?
The highest score on the UCAT 2023 is 3600, which is obtained by taking the total score out of 3600 or taking the average of the 4 sections' scores to get a score out of 900.
What is the typical UCAT score for medicine and dentistry programs?
The typical UCAT score recommended for entry into medicine and dentistry programs is at least the 90th percentile. However, individual program requirements may vary.
References
- https://www.ucat.edu.au/media/1539/summary-statistics-for-2023.pdf
- https://www.ucat.edu.au/media/1513/summary-statistics-for-2022.pdf
- https://www.ucat.edu.au/media/1371/ucat-anz-2019_summary-stats.pdf
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The UCAT
The UCAT, or the University Clinical Aptitude Test is the medical school admission test required for many universities in Australia and New Zealand. The UCAT is designed to assess applicants for the aptitude, attitudes and beliefs required of a doctor. In order to defeat the UCAT - we should understand what it is. First off, it’s a two hour computer based exam. There are 5 separately timed subtests - Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Situational Judgement. In this blog we break down each of the sections and offer guidance on how to prepare for this important exam.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning is meant to assess your ability to read something and draw appropriate conclusions. You can see why this would be important to a doctor - you’re part of a multidisciplinary team and will have to communicate effectively. In addition, doctors have to keep current with new research and draw reasonable conclusions from published findings. Decision making involves 11 text excerpts with 4 questions each, meaning this section has 44 questions in 21 minutes - that means an average of 29 seconds per question. That doesn’t even take reading the stem into account!
Decision Making
Decision Making is essentially data interpretation from graphs, tables, text and charts. You don’t need to have background knowledge on any subject, because part of what they’re testing is your ability to understand new information. Can you think of a time a doctor might have to do the same? This section has 29 questions in 31 minutes - an average of 64 seconds per question. Compare the timing of section to verbal reasoning, it’s more than double. Consider the length of time per question as an indication of how much the test writers want you to analyse.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning is a straightforward mathematics section - there are nine scenarios each with four questions. You’ll have access to an on screen calculator - which is functional but pretty clunky! You’ll have to strike a balance between using mental maths to be quick, and keeping your wits about you, and staying accurate. This section has 36 questions in 24 minutes - an average of 40 seconds per question. It’s not a lot of time to question your maths abilities!
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning is used to evaluate your ability to locate patterns and understand logic, separate from your language abilities. If you’ve seen the guides online with pictures asking you to find a pattern - that’s abstract reasoning. This section is sometimes hard for students to grasp, because it’s such a different set of skills. It’s also probably the biggest struggle with time management. This section has 55 questions in 13 minutes - that’s only 14 seconds per question. Don’t even think about going into this section unprepared!
Situational Judgement
Situational Judgement assesses your judgement and character in different situations - the situations are usually clinical or education based. Either situations you’ve likely been in, or a situation you could be involved in future. Then you’ll have to evaluate the appropriateness, importance or consequences of the situation. It’s one way for universities to evaluate the characteristics that are important for future doctors! Situational Judgement has 69 questions in 26 minutes - an average of 25 seconds per question.
With so much to do - how can I set myself up for success?
Prepare
This sounds like a no brainer, but preparation is the most important thing you can do if you want to succeed on the UCAT. Going over questions is one thing but the most effective thing you can do is to practice under exam conditions. That means doing computer based exams - so when you get to test day, you know what to expect. Luckily MedView has a bank of questions.
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Time is a precious resource when you’re preparing for medical school admissions - you have to continue doing well in your studies, prepare yourself for an interview, and master a new exam. There’s not infinite time - so you have to learn how to study smarter, not just harder. So many students waste their time by continuing to drill skills that they’ve already mastered. It’s important to identify the weak points that need more TLC.
Learn Skills
Each type of question requires a specific psychometric approach to understand and answer so quickly. Skills and strategies to identify the problem and solve the challenging question are essential for success. MedView has a range of 1:1 tutoring, group workshops, practice exams and questions alongside our spiral learning curriculum to help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in time conditions. Our UCAT students are 5x more likely to receive an interview offer.
Sitting full-length practice exams under simulated conditions is the most effective preparation for developing UCAT skills. As this will familiarise yourself with the extreme time pressures, as well as allowing you to practise concentrating on psychometric skills for two hours. It is also important to practice using the computer-based platform that will be used when you sit UCAT as well.
Seek Help
Find friends that have taken the test before and ask for their experience. Better yet, schedule a free Academic Assessment with MedView today! When you start your journey as a MedView student, you are allocated an Education Coordinator who has experience helping hundreds of students get into med school. They’ll help you stay on track with your goals, offer you support, and help you succeed on your path to medical school.
Next Steps
The UCAT is an important exam that is key to medical school admission for undergraduates. We recommend starting your UCAT preparation early and integrating it into your study load to give yourself the best opportunity to succeed. If you’d like to learn more about the UCAT or how to get into Medical School, check out our free eBooks and blogs!
- What is the UCAT?
- How Universities use your UCAT Results
- A Quick Guide to Australia Medicine eBook
- A Quick Guide to New Zealand Medicine eBook
- How to Prepare for the UCAT
- What UCAT scores will get me into med?
MedView offers a range of UCAT preparation courses as well as personalised 1:1 tutoring with our expert team. If you would like to know more about the UCAT and how MedView can help, get in touch today.
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What can you do before the year starts?
Before the year starts, it is vital that you understand that the journey to becoming a doctor is a long and arduous process. Medicine is a life-long commitment whose pathway extends beyond the 6 years of study. It includes a progression from a house officer to a registrar, and application onto training schemes if you opt for the surgical pathway.
The vast majority of people who apply for medicine, do not have a clear picture of what they want to do in the future. This uncertainty is not something to worry about now – you have plenty of time to figure out exactly what you want to do. There is something in medicine for everyone. If you are still uncertain about the medical pathway beyond the 6 years of study, I would recommend doing further research.
Another thing you can do over the summer break is to identify your motivation to become a doctor. If it’s for the money, you may not be in the correct profession - it will be at least 10-12 years until you start earning the big bucks that all doctors are known for! If you have an inherent nature to help people and seek to make our society healthier, then you are on the right track.
Once your head is in the right place, enjoy your summer! The year will belong, and you will have to make social sacrifices to make your studies a priority. Make the most of the time you have by seeing friends and family, as you will inevitably see less of them throughout the year. You are likely to experience burnout sometime during the year, so optimising your rest now is important.
The single most effective way to distance yourself from your competitors is to start early and hard. After you have rested throughout December and into the new year, it is time to get started and get ahead. The Flying Start Course offered by MedView was my ticket to success. It is a highly intensive programme starting in late January that covers the first 6 weeks of content for the three core papers in the first semester. The advantages of this course are numerous:
- The most valuable aspect of Flying Start is the content covered. As the first semester contains 3 out of the 4 core papers, it is so important to get a good start. An early lapse within the first few weeks can completely derail your entire year. Being exposed to similar content ahead of time builds your confidence and gives you the opportunity to begin learning before others.
- There is a radically different teaching style from high school to university. Flying Start emulates the style you are accustomed to, while simultaneously teaching university material. This eases your transition and places students into a more comfortable and familiar environment.
- You can meet other motivated people. You may have heard the horror stories of people sabotaging each other, taking their notes and hiding their bags. While these are mostly exaggerated, there will still be those who resort to other measures to gain an advantage. The people doing Flying Start will be motivated just like you, and eager to get ahead. Working together and building these strong relationships before the year starts means that you have a better support group in place. I have met several bright individuals who were passionate and together, we were able to navigate the difficult year and succeed as a group!
MedView believes in a holistic approach to medical school admissions, meaning we surround the student with a team of experts to help develop their candidacy and skills in all three major pillars in their journey to medical school, and now it’s even more accessible with the MedView Hub App!
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Find out more and begin your journey to medical school by speaking with a MedView Academic Advisor for free today!
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