The UCAT assesses a range of abilities, including:
- Verbal reasoning
- Decision making
- Quantitative reasoning
- Abstract reasoning
- Situational judgement
You need to take the UCAT if you are applying to:
- Medicine (Standard course A100)
- Graduate Medicine (A101)
You must be registered for the UCAT in advance.
How to register for the UCAT
You will need to create a UCAT account to register for the test. Dates for 2024 will be available on the UCAT website from early 2024.
Account registration usually opens in May. Tests are usually taken between July and September.
You take the UCAT at your local Pearson VUE test centres. You can choose from a global network of test centres in more than 5,500 locations in over 180 countries. You can find your nearest one on the Pearson VUE website.
UCAT for other universities
UCAT is used by a number of other universities. If you’re applying to other universities who require UCAT, you only need to take the test once.
UCAT costs
There is an entry fee for the UCAT.
If you are a UK student and are concerned about the cost, financial support may be available.
Check the UCAT website for details of costs
How to prepare for the UCAT
Familiarise yourself with the format of the test. You can find details on the UCAT website. There’s also a range of preparation advice and resources available on the UCAT website, alongside question banks and practice tests.
Have a go at some specimen or past papers, restricting yourself to the time that you would have during a real test. This will help you to understand what is expected and prepare you to approach questions in an exam environment.
Access question banks and practice tests on the UCAT website
We don’t expect you to get every question right – you can learn more about how your performance fits into the rest of your application on the admissions assessment page
Test results
You will usually receive your results shortly after taking the test. The results will be automatically shared with us, so you don’t need to send them on.
UCAT or UCAT ANZ?
If you’re also applying to medical schools in Australia or New Zealand, you should take the UCAT ANZ, which we accept. You can’t take both the UCAT and the UCAT ANZ in the same year. You can find out more about the UCAT ANZ on the test’s website.