UCAT Comprehensive Guide
2022
We have produced a comprehensive UCAT Guide for prospective students and parents, specifically written for 2022 entry! The guide covers everything you need to know about the exam, as per official UCAT guidance, and is produced by expert UCAT tutors with may years of experience.
Score-enhancing techniques
Timing strategies
Tips for achieving top marks
Preparation resources
We have produced a comprehensive UCAT Guide for prospective students and parents, specifically written for 2022 entry! The guide covers everything you need to know about the exam, as per official UCAT guidance, and is produced by expert UCAT tutors with may years of experience. If you have any further questions please do get in touch using the form here and we will reply within 24 hours!
In this guide, we answer the following questions:
2) Which universities require the UCAT exam?
3) Who needs to sit the UCAT exam?
4) Where does the UCAT exam take place?
6) How to register and book a date for the UCAT exam?
9) What is the structure of the UCAT exam?
11) How is the UCAT exam scored calculated?
12) How to prepare for the UCAT?
What is the UCAT exam?
The UCAT (UKCAT) which stands for - University Clinical Aptitude Test - is an admission test used by 31 out of 44 universities in the UK as part of the admission criteria for Medicine. It is an aptitude test which examines your critical thinking and problem solving skills. The scores of this test, along with the rest of the UCAS application, are used to select students for interview. The test exists in order to decipher and differentiate between students applying for Medicine, who often have excellent academic profiles and exceptional personal statements, so universities use the UCAT score as an additional measure to rank students.
The exam tests your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and is not based on academic knowledge.
The test is made up of 5 sections (further details on the sections below):
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Verbal Reasoning (VR)
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Decision Making (DM)
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Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
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Abstract Reasoning (AR)
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Situational Judgement (SJT)
The UCAT exam lasts for 2 hours, and is a computerised exam, which you will sit at a designated exam centre. In total, there are 228 questions across the 5 sections.
Which universities require the UCAT exam?
The UCAT is used by 33 out of 37 Medical Schools in the UK.
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University of Aberdeen
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Anglia Ruskin University
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Aston University
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University of Birmingham
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University of Bristol
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Brunel University London
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Cardiff University
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University of Chester
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University of Dundee
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University of East Anglia
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Edge Hill University
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University of Edinburgh
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University of Exeter
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University of Glasgow
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Hull York Medical School
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Keele University
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Kent and Medway Medical School
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King's College London
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University of Leicester
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University of Liverpool
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University of Manchester
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University of Newcastle
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University of Nottingham
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Plymouth University
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Queen Mary University of London
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Queen's University Belfast
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University of Sheffield
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University of Southampton
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University of St Andrews
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St George's, University of London
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University of Sunderland
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University of Warwick
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University of Worcester
Who needs to sit the UCAT exam?
Anyone applying to study Medicine is any of the above universities needs to sit the UCAT exam – there are no exceptions to this.
Some universities ask for the BMAT instead of the UCAT, and so if you also apply to those universities, then you need to sit both exams; so if your 5 choices consist of universities that ask for UCAT and universities that ask for BMAT – e.g. applying for Imperial, Kings, Cardiff and Nottingham – then you need to sit both the UCAT and BMAT in order to meet the criteria for all universities.
Where does the UCAT exam take place?
The UCAT exam takes place at Pearson Vue testing centres – these are computer-based testing centres, and branches of it are situated all over the UK. There should be a testing centre present near your home, which you can book a UCAT test date with and travel easily to it.
When to sit the UCAT exam?
The 2022 UCAT exam must be sat between 11 July and 29 September 2022. You can choose when to sit the exam by registering and picking a date at your nearest Pearson Vue Testing Centre. To find out how to book your date by reading below!
How to register and book a date for the UCAT exam?
Registration opens on May 24th. To register for the UCAT exam, you need to follow the instructions on the official UCAT website! The site will lead you to your nearest Pearson Vue testing centre, where you need to register. After registration with your testing centre, you will be emailed a link with book instructions. You can then choose a suitable date to sit the UCAT exam within the available window, and pay for the test (prices below).
Make sure to register yourself as this is not something your school will do for you. We recommend sitting the UCAT before September. Remember, you can always reschedule your date for later if you have left revision late so try to book an earlier date initially.
We recommend 100 to 150 hours of UCAT revision to ensure a maximal score! Therefore, ensure you have enough time to revise before your exam date!
How much is the UCAT exam?
If you sit the test within the UK, it costs £75.
If you sit the test outside of the UK, it costs £115.
How long is the UCAT exam?
The UCAT exam lasts for 2 hours, and is a continuous exam with no gaps or breaks once it begins. Before each section begins, there is 1 minute time to read the instructions screen – if you choose to skip reading the instructions, this 1 minute will be discarded. So, it is best to use this 1 minute to gather your thoughts on the coming section and remind yourself of the timing and how long to spend on the section.
What is the structure of the UCAT exam?
The UCAT exam is split into 5 sections, as follows:
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Verbal reasoning
This part of the UCAT examines your ability to analyse statements and interpret how they relate to the given passage. Our tutor will go through all the different types of statements that could come up, and will teach you the skills and techniques you need in order to score the highest possible mark.
This section of the exam consists of 44 questions, and you have 1 minute to read the instructions and 21 minutes to complete this section. This corresponds to roughly 28 seconds per question.
2. Decision making
This section of the UCAT is the longest one. It tests your ability to interpret text and use your logic to reach the correct answer related to a particular problem - text, charts, tables, graphs or diagrams. Our tutors have carefully crafted a set of techniques to follow in order to answer these questions as best as possible in the shortest amount of time.
This section of the exam consists of 29 questions, and you have 1 minute to read the instructions and 31 minutes to complete the questions; this corresponds to roughly 1 minute per question.
3. Quantitative reasoning
This section involves using numerical skills in order to answer complex problems. The questions will involve tables, charts, and/or graphs. Most questions will come in sets of 4 related to the same mathematical data. We will teach you all the mathematical principles you need in order to score highly in this section.
This section of the exam consists of 36 questions, and you have 1 minute to read the instructions and 24 minutes to complete the questions; this corresponds to roughly 40 seconds per question.
4. Abstract reasoning
This section of the exam is based on identifying patterns amongst abstract shapes. It is based on your ability to critically evaluate the changes in the patterns, and thus deduce what the answer will be. Our tutoring will highlight the set of patterns that repeat in the exam, and thus allows you to identify them easily.
This section of the exam consists of 55 questions, and you have and you have 1 minute to read the instructions and 13 minutes to complete the questions; this corresponds to roughly 15 seconds per question.
5. Situational judgement
This section tests your ability to behave correctly to real-life scenarios; the questions do not require any prior knowledge. The result of this section does not contribute to your overall mark, but instead the result will be converted to one of four bands - 1 being the highest band.
This section of the exam consists of 69 questions, and you have 1 minute to read the instructions and 26 minutes to complete the questions; this corresponds to roughly 23 seconds per question.
UCAT key dates
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Early May - registration and booking begins on the official UCAT website
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Early July - testing begins
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Early October - testing ends
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15th October 2022 - UCAS application deadline
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Early November - UCAT results sent to universities
For more information, go to the official UCAT website.
How is the UCAT exam scored?
The first 4 sections of the exam – verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning and abstract reasoning – are all scored between 300 to 900 marks each. Each question is worth 1 mark. Your UCAT result will be the average of those 4 sections.
The 5th section – situational judgement – is scored differently using a banding system between 1 and 5. In this section, you have to rank answers on certain scenarios from the most appropriate response/what you are most likely to do to the least appropriate one/least likely to do. Your answers are then compared to the expert answers, and a score is allocated. Your score is in the form of a band between 1-5, with 1 being the best and 5 being the worst.
When will I receive my UCAT result?
After you finish the exam, you will be given a print-out of your result at your Pearson Vue testing centre. This is just for your own knowledge, you do not need to submit your score to UCAS or the universities you applied to, it will be done automatically for you.
How to prepare for the UCAT?
The UCAT test is an aptitude test which tests your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Thus, there isn’t a curriculum to revise from for the exam – you to practice questions and learn pattern recognition. The best way to prepare is to start early! We have a wide range of resources available for you to study from:
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1 day UCAT crash courses
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1-1 private UCAT tutoring
All of our courses and private tutoring are taught by expert tutors with multiple years of experience!