What is the UCAT?​

All prospective medical students wishing to study medicine in Scotland must sit a standardised exam called the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT, previously called UKCAT) prior to submitting their applications. This test can only be sat once in any annual cycle, and if you are re-applying, you must then re-sit the test in the cycle that you are submitting your subsequent application. The UCAT is taken in-person at a Pearson VUE test centre – these are scattered throughout Scotland: 

https://wsr.pearsonvue.com/testtaker/registration/SelectTestCenterProximity/UKCAT?conversationId=763646

In very specific instances, you can apply to complete the test online: 

https://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/ucat-test-dates/onvue-testing/ 

 

How do I book my test?

You can create an online account from May and book your test from June onwards. Testing occurs from July through to September. Specific dates for each cycle can be found on the UCAT website:

https://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/ucat-test-dates/ 

Tests taken within the UK cost £70 at the time of booking. If you are unable to afford this expense, you can apply for a bursary voucher to cover it, but must do so within the dates provided:

https://www.ucat.ac.uk/register/bursary-scheme/ 

We strongly advise you to book your test early, around the time testing opens, and to select a date that is early enough should you be forced to reschedule. This will also ensure you get a slot at a test centre that is close to you. There have been past instances where applicants have been unable to find a slot at their desired test centres. UCAT have the following statement on their website:

“A large number of test slots are released when booking opens in June. Additional slots in late August and September are held back and released regularly as Pearson VUE manages demand across test centres.”

 

What happens on the day?

You are asked to arrive early at the test centre so that you can show your ID, remove and turn off any electronic devices such as smart phones and watches, and put all your personal items into a locker. These rules are followed very strictly, so be prepared for this. You will not be allowed to sit the test without showing an accepted form of personal identification on the day, such as a passport or drivers license:

https://www.ucat.ac.uk/sit/id-policy/ 

Some items are considered “comfort aids” and following inspection, should be allowed into the room with you – please diligently check the list provided: 

https://home.pearsonvue.com/Test-takers/Accommodations/Pearson-VUE-Comfort-Aid-List-PDF.aspx 

You are given earbuds, a pen and laminated notebook to take notes. You are not allowed to take any food or drink into the room with you (except in special circumstances) – if you need anything during the test, you can raise your hand and a staff member will enter to help you. If you fall unwell/an incident occurs during the test, you must inform invigilators immediately (not after) so that a report can be written and a decision made regarding these circumstances.

 

What does the test consist of?

The UCAT is made up of 5 sub-sections, each with a unique number of questions and allocated timings, as summarised below:

 

In total, the test is 2 hours long including 1-minute displays of instruction screens between each subsection. Normally, once you start the test you cannot stop it – this means that the timer will continue even if you take a restroom break – and each section is allotted specific time separately. If you have accessibility requirements i.e., are permitted extra time, you must apply for these in advance of taking your test:

https://www.ucat.ac.uk/register/access-arrangements/ 

You are provided with a paper copy of your results immediately after you complete the test. These are also sent to the universities that you are applying to automatically, thus you do not need to upload them anywhere yourself. 

 

How do I prepare?

You can absolutely prepare for the UCAT, and you do not need to spend money on resources in order to prepare well. Practice questions and tests provided on the UCAT website are extremely realistic examples of what you will see in the test – be wary of other practice questions as these may not be a true reflection of exam content.

 

Techniques:

Each sub-section of the UCAT can be conquered by practicing techniques that enable you to get through the content correctly and in a timely fashion. 

Here are some examples of these techniques:

 

 

 

• You can practice skim reading in day-to-day life. We don’t see this as reading fast as such, but being able to “skim” over material and draw conclusions from that material. Try skim-reading advertisements, posters, book blurbs etc. and see what you can summarise in your head. 

• Reading the GMC good practice guidelines will serve you well not just for the UCAT, but for interviews and throughout your entire medical career! We also always remember the 3 Cs when making decisions: confidentiality, capacity, and consent.

 

Common pitfalls:

• Verbal reasoning – this section is made up of 11 passages, with 4 questions accompanying each. Some passages will be much longer than others. You may wish to triage the longer passages, however, with a keyword approach you should be able to skim through the information to find what you are looking for (usually a paragraph, or above and below the keyword – a common mistake is for applicants to assume that the keyword only comes up once, and stop at the first appearance. It could be that the answer is further along). Remember that you should never read the entire passage, as this will eat up all your time! You should also never use outside knowledge or assumptions to answer a question (if the text says bananas are blue, then for this question, bananas are blue!). If you cannot directly infer something from the text, then it cannot be true, it’s either false or can’t tell. Don’t be afraid to use can’t tell. Be wary of questions containing “NOT” and quantifying words, e.g. “ALL”.

• Decision Making – not practicing all question types:

• Syllogisms – not paying attention to quantifying words, such as “ALL” or “ONLY”, using outside knowledge beyond the statement/s given. You can draw your own Venn diagrams to approach these questions too, as they may help you to better visualise the information given.

• Logical puzzles – using a grid approach can help you to tackle these questions, which is where your notepad comes in handy – you may not need all the information given, and it is likely you won’t be able to solve every aspect of the grid. As soon as you figure out the answer, click it and move on, don’t waste time!

• Selecting the strongest argument – leave your own beliefs at the door, base you answer on fact, not opinion or assumption, ensure the argument is relevant to the question (it may be making good, statistical points, but if it is not related to the question then it is likely not the strongest!) 

• Interpreting information and drawing conclusions – again, do not use any prior knowledge to answer these questions, use only what is given to you in the question, it may help to practice interpreting graphs and drawing information from tables.

• Venn diagrams – not familiarising yourself with these beforehand, thus getting confused and overwhelmed, practice is key, as is mental maths. These questions can be easy marks if you familiarise yourself with how venn diagrams display information.

• Probability and statistical reasoning – missing that some information given is equivalent, just written differently e.g. lost by 80% and won by 20%. 

• Quantitative Reasoning – reading all the data instead of the question first which wastes time, missing unit changes when selecting an answer, relying too much on the calculator as opposed to mental arithmetic, not learning how to do tax questions (there aren’t many of these, but like probability, they can be practiced!)

• Abstract Reasoning – this truly is an abstract section, however, this does mean most candidates are on an even playing field. Look out for distractors, e.g., colour. It could be that colour has nothing to do with the rule, yet it is easy to assume it does and waste your time focussing on this. This is a very time pressured section, but just be wary of missing additional rules – it could be that there are two or more rules to each set, e.g., an overall even number of shapes and always a black circle. To identify these, it is always best to start with the simplest box first. 

• Situational Judgement – answering based on what a model student/doctor would do, as opposed to what you might actually do in that setting:

• Know your role (medical students and junior doctors have different levels of responsibility, and the question will be referring to a specific character)

• Patient care is paramount

• Respect all members of a healthcare team (this includes not pushing jobs onto other staff if you are able to handle them initially yourself)

• Understand what happens in healthcare after a mistake: identify a mistake, stop any harmful treatment, give additional/reversal treatment to prevent further harm, inform the patient and apologise.

• React to a situation promptly

• The answer shown may not be the best or only possible solution to a problem

 

Question types:

There are many different question types that come up in the UCAT, particularly for Decision Making. It is important to familiarise yourself with these and ensure that you practice all of them, not just those you are best at. For example, Verbal Reasoning True/False/Can’t Tell questions may be easier to practice, but the test is currently made up of more of the other 4 types of questions, such as “According to the passage…” The UCAT website contains a detailed guide of all question types and examples of how to tackle these: 

https://www.ucat.ac.uk/prepare/question-tutorials/ 

 

Timing:

The UCAT is a notoriously time-pressured exam:

• VR - about 28s per question, 2 mins per passage

• DM - about 1min 4s per question, thus time to use your whiteboard to work through problems and calculations

• QR - about 41s per question 

• AR - about 14s per question - very time pressured, however, once you figure out the pattern you should get through the accompanying 5 shapes quickly (note that some questions are standalone such as complete the sequence)

• SJ - about 22s per question

You cannot afford to spend too long on one question – remember that most questions are worth the same: 1 mark. If you are stuck, select an answer, flag and move on. This is ‘triaging’ - be ruthless with this! When you begin revising, it makes sense to spend longer on each practice question as you familiarise yourself with techniques. However, as time goes on you should start to complete these questions against the clock, until eventually you are giving yourself only the time you would be allocated in the actual exam. 

Scoring:

• VR - 1 point for each correct answer

• DM – for drag and drop questions, 5/5=2 points, 3-4/5=1point, any less than 3=0 points

• QR - 1 point for each correct answer, in this section there are 5 options to choose from, not 4

• AR - 1 point for each correct answer 

• SJ - 1 point for being on the correct side (AB or CD), 2 points for selecting the correct answer (e.g., B)

 

Test conditions:

While studying for the UCAT, it is important to remember that you will not have access to your phone or scientific calculator in the actual exam – practice using an online calculator and familiarise yourself with navigating the question platform with a mouse and keyboard shortcuts. As your test date nears, we recommend you attempt the full practice tests on the UCAT website under exam conditions – then you can go through answers/feedback afterwards:

https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance/ethical-guidance-for-doctors/good-medical-practice# 

 

*Our charity run an annual UCAT course throughout the summer. If you meet eligibility criteria, you will be invited to attend one of our in-person or online sessions, where we go through techniques and timed practice questions with the help of medical volunteers. This course is completely free – please see this link for more details:

https://www.youcanbeadoctor.co.uk/events/ucat-summer-school 

In addition, we have made a YouTube playlist which contains helpful information and revision tutorials:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6YNMTEeOwg&list=PLKWBJz8s6xrGUw7eA0pazbS7TWNFUOsg- 

 

How is the UCAT used in my application?

The first four sub-sections of the UCAT (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning) are scored between 300-900, with average scores for Verbal Reasoning usually being in the 500s and for other subsections, in the 600s. Situational Judgement is marked from Band 4 (lowest) to Band 1 (highest). Thus, the highest score you can attain is a 3600 and Band 1. However, you do not need to score this high in order to be within a chance of getting a place in a medical school. Even if you score badly in one sub-section, you can make up for it in subsequent areas in order to boost your overall score.

The UCAT website contains statements from previous test takers who scored extremely high. Again, try not to be put off by this – you need to do well, but not exceptionally well.

 

Aberdeen: no minimum cut-off score, band 4 SJT not normally considered

• UCAT = 20% of application

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/ukcat.php 

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/interview.php 

Dundee: no minimum cut-off score

• Dundee do not explicitly state how they score the UCAT as part of their application process

https://www.dundee.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine/entry-requirements 

Edinburgh: 2470 minimum cut-off score for 2024 entry (unless plus flag applicant), band 4 SJT not considered

• UCAT total score = 17.5% of the total application score, and the SJT banding = 7.5%

https://www.ed.ac.uk/medicine-vet-medicine/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/how-to-apply/requirements/ucat 

https://www.ed.ac.uk/medicine-vet-medicine/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/assessment-selection-and-statistics/pre-assessment-day-scoring-process 

Glasgow:

• Glasgow do not give a minimum cut-off score or explicitly state how they score the UCAT as part of their application process

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/mus/admissions/ukclinicalaptitudetestucat/#howweuseucatattheuniversityofglasgow-2023entry 

St. Andrews: “In recent years, the lowest score for applicants called to interview at St Andrews has been around 2400.”

• “Applicants meeting these requirements will be ranked on the basis of their UCAT global score. Those ranked in the top 500 or so will be given an interview. Decisions to make offers will be based on the interview score and the ‘route’ to which applicants have applied. Where applicants have the same interview score, the global UCAT score will be used to differentiate between them.”

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/medicine-bsc-a100/entry-requirements/ucat/ 

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/medicine-bsc-a100/selection/ 

 

Top tips:

• Try not to cram too much revision into one day – start early and spread out your study sessions so that you only do 1-2 hours/day and have enough practice questions for each session. We recommend 1-1.5 months preparation time for the UCAT.

• Put your books away the night before – the UCAT isn’t an exam you can do a last minute “cram” for, it requires you to practice techniques and perform these techniques well on the day. Going into the test very tired will not serve you well, as you won’t be able to just jot down a load of information in your head and hope for the best!

• Leave in plenty of time on the day, so that even if you get stuck in traffic, or get lost trying to find the venue, you won’t miss your slot.

• Remember that each sub-section is a fresh start – even if you did badly on the previous section, you need to put this to the back of your mind so that you can try your best in the next area of the exam. The 1-minute instruction slides contain information that you will already be more than familiar with – instead use this precious time to breathe and jot down minders of techniques you will be using in the next sub-section. For example, you could note down the acronym SCANS before Abstract Reasoning begins.

• If you are completely stuck on a question and will be guessing an answer, always select the same answer every time. For example, always clicking C if I totally unsure and cannot make an educated guess. 

 

GAMSAT Website Section

 

The Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) is another kind of admissions exam that is needed in order to apply for Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) – this is a specific course run by the University of St. Andrews and the University of Dundee. It is 4 years long and fully funded by the Scottish Government. Scottish students who have already completed an undergraduate degree qualify to apply, provided they achieved a minimum of a 2:1 Hons. This course is intended to provide more concise learning for graduate students who aim to practice as GPs in Scotland, preferably more rural areas of the country:

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/ 

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/entry-requirements/aptitude-tests/ 

For this course, the UCAT is not needed however, if you are applying to ScotGEM and other undergraduate Medicine courses, you must sit both the UCAT and the GAMSAT. 

 

Dates: The GAMSAT can be taken on only a select few days, in either March or September (refer to the website for specific dates: https://gamsat.acer.org/)

Locations: Edinburgh is the only location in Scotland with a test centre, and this is only for September dates, otherwise you would need to travel to England or other parts of the UK – thus we advise you to book your test as soon as registration opens to be within the best of chance of getting a slot.

*There is a chance that you can take the test online – if you are located more than 3 hours drive away from a test centre. You must email the GAMSAT team with an outline of your circumstances, and supporting documentation will be required e.g., proof of address. You must contact the office before the given deadline (usually July but do check the website for up to date information).

Cost: £271 registration fee (no bursary available unfortunately)

Registration: like the UCAT, you must create an online account in order to register for and book your test – you can begin registering from November for March sittings, and May for September sittings, however, registrations close by January for March, and July for September. If registering within the late window, a greater fee is incurred. You can only register once within each GAMSAT cycle, however, you can take the test as many cycles as desired and you can usually put forward any set of results in your application.

Results: unlike the UCAT, these are not provided instantly – if sitting in March, results become available in May and if sitting in September, they become available in November. This is because they need to be individually marked.

Circumstances: If you have specific requirements, for example you need to take medication during the exam, you can apply for these in advance:

https://gamsat.acer.org/register/reasonable-adjustments 

 

 

UCAT

GAMSAT

Dates

July – September

March and September (September only if you want to sit the test in Edinburgh)

Locations

Multiple test centres in Scotland

Test centre in Edinburgh only (other UK centres beyond Scotland)

Costs

£70, can apply for bursary

£271, no bursary

Sittings

Can only sit once in each annual cycle

Can only sit once in each cycle e.g., September, but can submit results from previous cycles e.g., March

* Please note that the ScotGEM course only accepts test scores from either the year you are applying, or the previous year, but no further back.

Timings

2 hours total, no breaks

5.25 hours total, breaks throughout day

Structure

5 sub-sections:

• Verbal Reasoning

• Decision Making

• Quantitative Reasoning

• Abstract Reasoning

• Situational Judgement

3 sub-sections:

• Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences

• Written Communication

• Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences

Results

Instant

1-2 months later

 

*On the day, you must show an accepted form of identification in order to be allowed to sit the exam:

https://gamsat.acer.org/sit/identification 

Certain items are allowed into the testing area with you, including a clear bottle of water, a pencil and an analogue wristwatch:

https://gamsat.acer.org/sit/permitted-testing-aids 

 

Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences:

• 62 questions, multiple choice, 8 minutes reading time and 92 minutes completion time

• Mostly consists of passages of texts and sets of data that you have to interpret

Written Communication:

• 2 questions, 5 minutes reading time and 60 minutes writing time 

• This section requires you to write essays, one based on sociocultural issues and another with a more personal take

*Lunch break*

Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences:

• 75 questions, multiple choice, 8 minutes reading time and 142 minutes completion time 

• 40% Biology

• 40% Chemistry

• 20% Physics

 

Scoring:

Overall Score = (1 x Section I + 1 x Section II + 2 x Section III) ÷ 4 

For ScotGEM:

“For 2022 entry only those with a GAMSAT score of an overall 57, with no subset lower than 50, were called to interview.”

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/entry-requirements/aptitude-tests/ 

 

The GAMSAT is a long and challenging exam. We understand that due to lack of funding, local test centres and accessible practice materials, it will appear daunting to many students from Widening Participation and/or non-science backgrounds. However, there are still ways to prepare. 

Our top tips are:

• Register as early as possible so that you can get a slot in Edinburgh.

• Communicate your circumstances to the GAMSAT office in plenty of time if you require online proctoring or any adjustments.

• Read as much as possible around recent developments in medicine and science – familiarise yourself with reputable news articles and “hot topics” – you do not need to pay for journal articles to do this!

• Make use of the resources you are given upon registering for the test. If you are from a non-science background, try to gain access to Higher/1st year University level science materials.