The UCAT is scored out of 3,600. Marks are spread across four sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Decision Making. Your performance on each of these sections is scaled to a score between 300 and 900 and then added together, to get your overall UCAT score.
The Situational Judgement section is scored differently. Instead of getting a score, you’ll be put into one of four bands, depending on your performance. Band 1 is the highest, and band 4 is the lowest.
This is how UCAT scores are broken down:
Each year UCAT scores are sorted into deciles, with each one representing 10% of candidates. For example, a UCAT score in the 1st decile means that you have scored in the bottom 10% of all UCAT takers. A score in the 10th decile means you are in the top 10%.
You’ll get your UCAT test results immediately after you finish the test. Your results will be handed to you as you leave the test centre.
Your UCAT score will also be available online via your Pearson VUE account, but you should allow up to 24 hours for them to be uploaded.
Your results will be shared with the universities you’ve applied to on the application deadline, after which UCAT universities will then be able to see your scores.
UCAT has published the preliminary scores for the first half of the 2020 tests. With 16,996 candidates having sat the test already, the interim mean score is 2,570.
| Decile Rank | 2021 Interim score | 2020 interim |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2230 | 2250 |
| 2nd | 2350 | 2370 |
| 3rd | 2430 | 2450 |
| 4th | 2500 | 2510 |
| 5th | 2570 | 2580 |
| 6th | 2640 | 2640 |
| 7th | 2710 | 2710 |
| 8th | 2800 | 2790 |
| 9th | 2920 | 2910 |
Find out more about what this means for you and your 2022 Medicine application in our blog on interim UCAT scores.
What counts as a good UCAT score actually varies from year to year. Typically a score above 650 would represent a good outcome, and above 680 would normally be considered a high score.
In 2020, a good UCAT score was between 640 and 670, and a high score is over 670.
Check out our latest advice on where to apply in the UK with a good UCAT score and where to apply in the UK with a high UCAT score.
The average UCAT score changes each year – but is generally between 620 and 630. In 2019, the average UCAT score was 620 and in 2020 the average was 628.
Looking for advice on where to apply in the UK with an average UCAT score? Read this!
A low UCAT score is generally below 610. If this reflects your UCAT result, it doesn’t mean your dreams of getting into Med School are over. But you do need to be strategic with where you apply in the UK if you have a low UCAT score.
Students usually struggle the most with Verbal Reasoning, with the average score at around 570. In comparison, students tend to be most comfortable with Quantitative Reasoning, getting an average score of 678. Abstract Reasoning scores tended to fall between 630 and 640, while Decision Making scores see more variation.
The easiest way to compare previous year scores is by reviewing the scores for each decile – but please remember that these don’t include the Situational Judgement results because that’s scored differently.
The table below shows deciles for the last five years:
| Decile Ranking | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2210 | 1640 | 2230 | 2160 | 2170 | 2170 |
| 2nd | 2330 | 1730 | 2340 | 2280 | 2280 | 2290 |
| 3rd | 2410 | 1790 | 2420 | 2360 | 2360 | 2370 |
| 4th | 2470 | 1850 | 2480 | 2420 | 2420 | 2450 |
| 5th | 2540 | 1890 | 2540 | 2490 | 2480 | 2510 |
| 6th | 2600 | 1940 | 2600 | 2550 | 2540 | 2580 |
| 7th | 2660 | 1990 | 2670 | 2610 | 2610 | 2650 |
| 8th | 2740 | 2060 | 2750 | 2690 | 2690 | 2730 |
| 9th | 2840 | 2150 | 2860 | 2810 | 2690 | 2850 |
| 10th | 2850 & above | 2160 & above | 2870 & above | 2820 & above | 2700 & above | 2900 & above |
The table below shows the average score for each section:
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 577 | 573 | 570 | 567 | 565 | 570 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 685 | 690 | 695 | 658 | 662 | 664 |
| Abstract Reasoning | 640 | 630 | 629 | 637 | 638 | 653 |
| Decision Analysis (replaced by unscored Decision Making in 2016) | 629 | Unscored in 2016 | 647 | 624 | 618 | 625 |
| Total | 2531 | 1893 | 2540 | 2485 | 2483 | 2511 |
| Average | 633 | 631 | 635 | 621 | 620 | 628 |
Scoring is different for Situational Judgement, but as you can see below, most students scored Band 2 in this section.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 4 | 9% | 9% | 9% | 13% | 10% | 9% |
| Band 3 | 22% | 22% | 21% | 32% | 33% | 24% |
| Band 2 | 45% | 44% | 42% | 34% | 40% | 36% |
| Band 1 | 24% | 26% | 28% | 21% | 17% | 30% |
Because the UCAT ANZ has only been running for a couple of years, there’s much less data about previous test scores in Australia and New Zealand.
| Decile Ranking | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2140 | 2150 |
| 2nd | 2260 | 2280 |
| 3rd | 2335 | 2370 |
| 4th | 2405 | 2440 |
| 5th | 2470 | 2520 |
| 6th | 2540 | 2590 |
| 7th | 2610 | 2680 |
| 8th | 2710 | 2780 |
| 9th | 2850 | 2920 |
It’s worth noting that the mean UCAT ANZ score for 2020 was:
When it comes to shortlisting candidates, Medical Schools will use your UCAT score in three different ways:
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