What Is The UCAT?

The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) ANZ is an admissions test for entry into undergraduate medical, dental, and clinical science degrees in Australia
and New Zealand. The test is used by a consortium of universities as a means of standardising access to their programs. The UCAT is adapted from the UK
Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) which is used in the United Kingdom for the same purposes as UCAT. For 2019, the UCAT replaced the previously used UMAT
exam in Australian and New Zealand. Along with the student's grades from secondary school and performance in the medicine entry interview, UCAT is used
to rank students or entry into undergraduate programs. Students sit the UCAT in the same year that they apply to university, which can only be sat once per

year.

The UCAT ANZ is a multiple-choice exam. It is split into the following sections which aim to assess a range of mental abilities:

• Verbal Reasoning – evaluate information that is presented in a written form
• Decision Making – apply logic to reach a decision or conclusion, evaluate arguments, and analyse statistical information
• Quantitative Reasoning – evaluate information presented in a numerical form
• Abstract Reasoning – use convergent and divergent thinking to infer relationships from information
• Situational Judgement – understand real world situations and identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them

The UCAT ANZ 2023 will be held in the months of July and August 2023 and can only be sat once by each student during this period. Though there is no
specific curriculum for the UCAT, the innate skills assessed can be developed and improved through quality practice. Students sitting the exam are required to
complete several questions in each section according to set timings spanning two hours.

The structure and content of the 2023 UCAT ANZ exam, with scaled score ranges

 

 

Candidates sitting the UCAT are scored using a specific system marked on the number of correct answers given, with no negative marking for incorrect
answers. Question sets are randomly generated, and all test forms are scaled so that candidates receive impartiality between subsets. For each section of the
exam, each candidate receives a UCAT score of between 300 (minimum) and 900 (maximum). A total scaled score of 1200–3600 is produced by adding the individual scaled cognitive section scores of Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning. Within the Situational
Judgement test, full marks are awarded for a question if your response matches the correct answer and partial marks awarded if your response is close to the
correct answer. On average, students sitting the UCAT will achieve scores ranging from 500–700 on each of the cognitive sections of the UCAT exam. Final
scores for the exam will be provided to the candidate on the day of the examination. For reference, summary mean UCAT ANZ scores from previous years are shown below.

Mean UCAT ANZ scores from 2019–present, with individual scaled scores for each cognitive subtest, total scaled score, and situational judgement subtest. This
table was adapted from UCAT Test Statistics.

 

Year	Cohort Size	Verbal Reasoning	Decision Making	Quantitative Reasoning	Abstract Reasoning	Total Cognitive Scaled Score	Situational Judgement
2022	~14,000	578	630	672	662	2543	581
2021		586	622	679	650	2537	592
2020		577	635	671	644	2527	592
2019		571	618	663	629	2481

 

Concessions/access arrangements are available for candidates with special educational needs, disabilities, or temporary injuries. Such students may be
entitled to extra time or accommodations when sitting the test. Candidates need to register and create an online account via UCAT official to arrange a testing date and are encouraged to book early to avoid missing out on a place at their nearest Pearson VUE testing centre.

Results from UCAT ANZ 2023 can only be used to apply for courses commencing in 2024. The current UCAT Consortium universities include:

• The University of Adelaide (Medicine, Dental Surgery, Oral Health)
• The University of Auckland (Medicine)
• Curtin University (Medicine)
• Flinders University (Clinical Sciences / Medicine)
• Griffith University (Dental Health Science)
• Monash University (Medicine)
• The University of Newcastle / University of New England (Medicine)
• The University of New South Wales (Medicine)
• University of Otago (Medicine, Dentistry)
• The University of Queensland (including Central Queensland University and University of Southern Queensland Regional Medical Pathway for provisional entry – Medicine, Dental Science)
• University of Tasmania (Medicine)
• The University of Western Australia (Medicine, Dental Medicine)
• Western Sydney University / Charles Sturt University (Medicine)

The following key dates for the UCAT ANZ 2023 should be noted:

• Booking opens: 01 March 2023
• Booking deadline: 17 May 2023
• Late booking deadline (incurs extra fee): 05 June 2023
• Testing period: 03 July – 11 August 2023
• Results delivered to universities: early September 2023

Overwhelmed yet? The friendly team at the Institute of Medical Education is here to help! In addition to providing complete UCAT preparation packages, we
also oversee your medical school applications and guide your choices. If you are lucky enough to receive an offer for interview, our Interview Mentorship
Program will give you the best chance at entry. We want to make sure you focus all your attention on UCAT and interview preparation, so get in contact with
us today and we can lead this journey together.