What is UCAT

UCAT stands for University Clinical Aptitude Test. UCAT is one of three main criteria used by most universities in Australia and New Zealand to select students into high demand health related careers such as medicine and dentistry (the other two criteria being performance in final high school exams and interviews).

The UCAT is a two hour, computer-based test which assesses a range of mental abilities identified by universities as important to practicing in the fields of medicine and dentistry. It consists of five separately timed subtests which each contain a number of questions in a multiple-choice format.

Why UCAT?

Because the demand for medicine, dentistry and some other health science courses is so significant, the year 12 score required to get into such courses became extremely high. Universities therefore needed another method for selecting students into medicine.

UCAT was developed with the goal to assess qualities considered desirable in the health professions, including problem solving, empathy and abstract reasoning skills. Many universities also use an interview to select students into medicine and dentistry.

Whether or not you agree that UCAT effectively assesses qualities required to be a successful medical student and doctor, the reality is that you must sit UCAT to gain entry into many health science courses.

Why did UCAT replace UMAT?

The UCAT consortium states that UCAT replaced UMAT for several reasons, including:

• The inclusion of additional constructs relevant to the admissions process.
• Immediate results generated due to the computer-based nature of the test.
• Greater flexibility in where and when the test takes place, including the availability of several test dates.

Ultimately, the Consortium of Australian School Leaver Entry Universities decided that UCAT was a more suitable test for assessing candidates for entry into medical and dental courses. UCAT was introduced from 24 September 2018 and the first sitting of UCAT was during July 2019.

When is UCAT?

UCAT ANZ 2021 testing will be held between 1 July and 11 August 2021.

What courses require UCAT?

You will need to sit UCAT if you are interested in any of the following courses:

• University of Auckland (Medicine)
• University of Otago (Medicine, Dental Surgery)
• Monash University (Medicine)
• University of Adelaide (Medicine, Dental Surgery)
• University of Newcastle/University of New England (Medicine)
• University of New South Wales (Medicine)
• University of Western Sydney (Medicine)
• University of Queensland (Medicine – conditional entry, Dental Science)
• Griffith University (Dentistry)
• University of Tasmania (Medicine)
• University of Western Australia (Medicine, Dentistry)
• Curtin University (Medicine)
• Charles Sturt University (Medicine, Dental Science)
• Flinders University (Clinical Science/Medicine)
• Charles Darwin University (Clinical Science)

How many questions are in UCAT?

There is a total of 233 questions in UCAT, with the questions divided among the subtests as follows:

Verbal Reasoning – 44 questions
Decision Making – 29 questions
Quantitative Reasoning – 36 questions
Abstract Reasoning – 55 Questions
Situational Judgement – 69 questions

Approximately 10% of questions will be trial questions, which do not contribute to your score. All questions will be presented in multiple choice format, on a computer platform.

How long is UCAT?

The UCAT takes a total of approximately 2 hours. There is also 5 minutes of instruction time, 1 minute before each subtest.

How do I register for UCAT?

Once registrations are open you will be able to register for UCAT by visiting the Pearson VUE website. You must complete a two-step process using the Pearson VUE online registration system to register and then book a test.

Where can I sit UCAT?

UCAT is offered in the following locations:

Venues in most capital cities have multiple centres. Regional test centres will have limited test dates.