UCAT Overview

The University Clinical Aptitude Test is an exam used by Medical/Dental schools as part of their application process.

Here is all you need to know:

  1. The UCAT is an aptitude test that assesses some of the skills required for a career in medicine/dentistry.

  2. It is a two-hour exam containing five sections. (we will cover this later)

  3. It is scored out of 3600 with the performance in the first four sections scaled to a score between 300 and 900.

  4.  The last section of the UCAT (situational judgment) is scored from band 1 to 4 with band 1 being the highest.

Booking your UCAT

You can only take the UCAT test once a year.

  • When creating a UCAT account the name you set it up with must match exactly as it appears on the photo ID you intend to take to the test.

  • Book as early as possible to have more dates to book from at a test centre near you.

  • You can look for test centres near you using the Pearson Vue website. 

  • You can see how the test centre looks here.

  • You can reschedule your test up to 24 hours before your test. 

  • If you need to make changes after this you will need to contact Pearson Vue.

Photo ID 

  • You must have the correct photo ID with you to sit your test. 

  • The ID must be original, unexpired, include a photograph that must be a true likeness, include your name that matches the name registered in your UCAT account, and include your signature.

  • Accepted forms of ID include:

    • Passport - accepted at any test centre 

    • Full/provisional driving licence - accepted at test centres in the country of issue 

    • EU identity card or Irish passport card - accepted at test centres in the EU (not accepted in the UK)

    • Government-issued identity card from a non-EU country - accepted at test centres in the country of issue 

  • More information can be found here 

Access Arrangements 

  • Access arrangements are available if you have a disability for example a learning difficulty, sensory impairment, long-term physical disability or a medical condition. 

UCATSEN

  •  UCATSEN provides you with 25% extra time which amounts to 150 minutes compared to the normal 120 minutes of the UCAT.

  • You can apply from the 14th of May 2024. 

  •  The UCAT office must approve extra time and rest breaks before you book your test.

  •  You should apply for these at least ten working days before you book your test. 

  • You are eligible to sit UCATSEN if you have one or more of the following:

    •  Cognition and physical needs such as dyslexia or dyscalculia 

    • Communication and interaction needs 

    • Sensory and physical needs such as hearing, vision impairment or physical disability 

    • Social, mental and emotional needs e.g. ADD, ADHD or mental health conditions

There are other forms of the UCATSEN such as: 

  • UCATSA - gives you a five-minute break between sections but no extra time 

  • UCATSENA - gives you 25% extra time and five-minute rest breaks

  • UCATSEN 50 - gives you 50% extra time

  • More information can be found here

Problems During the Test 

  • If you experience any problems during the test immediately notify the invigilator by raising your hand and they will try to solve it immediately. 

  • If this isn't possible you will get a reference number to quote when you contact Pearson VUE. 

  • Contact them immediately after you leave the exam room. 

  • They will investigate and report back to you. 

  • More information can be found here

UCAT Bursary 

  • It costs £70 to sit the UCAT in the UK and £115 to sit it abroad. 

  • Candidates in financial need who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for the UCAT bursary to cover their full test fee.

  • If your bursary application is successful, you will receive a voucher code to use when booking your test; however, if you have already booked and paid for your test, you can use the voucher code to claim a refund. 

  • The bursary application deadline is the 27th of September 2024. 

  • The bursary voucher expiry date is the 25th of October 2024.

  • You can find more information here  

Eligibility

You’re eligible for the UCAT bursary if you meet the following criteria: 

  • Free school meals

  • 16 to 19 bursary 

  • Learner support

  • Universal Credit 

  • Working/Child Tax credit 

  • Income support 

  • Asylum support 

6 week revision plan…

Week 1

Learn about the UCAT in detail. Learn the different sections, the question types and the timing of each section. Look for resources to help you with your preparation.

Week 2

Practice questions and identify your strongest and weakest sections by doing a full mock. Get used to the UCAT layout and practice using a keyboard and a mouse. Practice the various UCAT shortcuts.

Week 3 

Do some more practice questions and section mocks focusing on your weaker sections and do a mock at the end of the week to see if your scores are improving. If they aren’t look back on your answers and check if you are repeating mistakes or if you find that you keep running out of time in a section, guess, flag and skip, don't waste time on a question.  

Week 4 

You should be doing more focused revision this week and more full mocks. Reflect on your mocks and implement different strategies to help you save time and answer questions quickly.

Week 5 

Do at least three mocks this week making sure to note down your scores in each section and check for improvements. 

Week 6

As you get closer to your exam do some official UCAT full mocks because these provide the most accurate assessment of your score and what score you are working on and are most reflective of what you might get in your actual UCAT exam. Go through all your answers, even the answers you got right. 

UCAT Sections

The UCAT has 5 different sections:

To see our guides on each section, please click on them.

To use the calculator in the exam, use Alt + C to open or close it. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR NUMBER LOCK IS ON SO YOU CAN USE THE KEYPAD TO TYPE IN THE NUMBERS! This is way easier.

Useful keyboard shortcuts!

  • Alt+P: Previous question

  • Alt+N: Next question

  • Alt + V: Navigator

  • Alt+F: Flag the current question

  • ON/C: Backspace

  • M+: Add to memory

  • M-: Subtract from memory

  • MRC: Recall from memory

What should I use to revise?

When you're getting ready for the UCAT, it's worth checking out two main options: Medify and Medentry.

Medify vs MedEntry

Difficulty

  • Medify is generally considered harder, especially in Abstract Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. This can be good as it prepares you for the potentially challenging nature of the UCAT.

  • MedEntry can be slightly easier particularly in AR patterns.

Question Style

  • Medify has a wider variety of question styles, potentially closer to the actual UCAT.

  • MedEntry focuses on core concepts, this may not have the same range of complexities as the UCAT.

Other Factors

  • Medify offers a larger question bank and more mocks.

  • MedEntry has a more user-friendly interface and better customer support.

Strengths

  • Medify is excellent for building speed and accuracy under pressure due to the challenging nature of the questions.

  • MedEntry offers very detailed explanations for logical reasoning in Decision Making

  • MedEntry also has skill trainers for mental maths and reading skills

Weaknesses

  • Medify provides limited explanations and solutions and can be frustrating for some users.

  • MedEntry’s question bank might not fully prepare you for the full range of difficulties in the real UCAT.

Whichever option you choose you cannot go wrong, as long as you are consistent and revise daily you will be fine! Also a reminder that a low UCAT score is not the end of your application.

Click here to visit the Medify website,

Click here to visit the MedEntry website.
Use code “J2HJ2H” at discount for 10% off! If you do decide to use MedEntry, you might be interested in our BOOST program!