UCAT scoring

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Your UCAT score helps universities decide whether to progress your application, but understanding what the number actually means is not always straightforward.

This guide explains how the UCAT is marked, what deciles and percentiles mean, how your result compares with other candidates and how universities may use it.

UCAT scoring at a glance

  • Verbal Reasoning: 300–900
  • Decision Making: 300–900
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 300–900
  • Total cognitive score: 900–2700
  • Situational Judgement: Band 1–4
  • Negative marking: None

How is the UCAT scored?

The cognitive part of the UCAT contains three separately scored subtests:

  • Verbal Reasoning
  • Decision Making
  • Quantitative Reasoning

Your raw mark in each subtest is converted into a scaled score between 300 and 900. The three scaled scores are then added together, giving you a total cognitive score between 900 and 2700.

For example, a candidate might receive:

  • Verbal Reasoning: 620
  • Decision Making: 680
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 710
  • Total cognitive score: 2010

Your Situational Judgement result is reported separately as a band and is not included in your total cognitive score.

Is there negative marking in the UCAT?

No. You do not lose marks for an incorrect answer, so it is better to select an answer than to leave a question unanswered.

Most questions are worth one mark. Some Decision Making questions involving multiple statements are worth two marks, with one mark available for a partially correct response.

How is Situational Judgement scored?

The Situational Judgement Test, commonly shortened to SJT, is reported using four bands.

Band 1

Band 1 represents an excellent level of performance. Your judgement was similar to that of the expert panel in most cases.

Band 2

Band 2 represents a good, solid level of performance. You frequently demonstrated appropriate judgement, with many responses matching the ideal answers.

Band 3

Band 3 represents a modest level of performance. You demonstrated appropriate judgement in some situations, but other responses differed substantially from the ideal answers.

Band 4

Band 4 represents the lowest level of performance. Your judgement differed substantially from the ideal responses in many situations.

Full marks are awarded when your response matches the ideal answer. Partial marks can be awarded when your response is close to the correct answer.

What is the average UCAT score?

The average UCAT score changes each year because it depends on the performance of that year’s candidates.

In 2025, the first year of the current three-subtest format, the final mean total cognitive score was 1891. This was based on 41,354 completed tests.

The average subtest scores were:

  • Verbal Reasoning: 602
  • Decision Making: 628
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 661

Official preliminary statistics for the 2026 test cycle will be published in mid-September. Final mean scores, deciles and percentiles will be published after testing ends.

Always check the official UCAT test statistics for the most recent figures.

Understanding UCAT deciles and percentiles

A total score becomes more meaningful when you compare it with the performance of other candidates.

A percentile shows the percentage of candidates who scored at or below a particular result. For example, reaching the 80th percentile means your score was at least as high as approximately 80% of candidates.

Deciles divide candidates into ten equally sized groups:

  • The first decile marks approximately the 10th percentile
  • The fifth decile is close to the middle of the candidate group
  • The eighth decile marks approximately the 80th percentile
  • The ninth decile marks approximately the 90th percentile

UCAT decile scores for 2025

Decile Total score Approximate position
1st 1580 10th percentile
2nd 1680 20th percentile
3rd 1760 30th percentile
4th 1820 40th percentile
5th 1880 50th percentile
6th 1950 60th percentile
7th 2010 70th percentile
8th 2100 80th percentile
9th 2220 90th percentile

These figures only apply to the 2025 candidate group. Decile boundaries can move each year, so they should be used as context rather than fixed targets for future tests.

What is a good UCAT score?

There is no single UCAT score that can be described as “good” for every applicant.

A score may be strong relative to the national candidate group but still fall below the threshold used by a particularly competitive course. Another university may place less weight on the UCAT or consider it alongside your academic results and other application information.

Using the 2025 results as a guide:

  • Around 1890 was close to the national average
  • 1950 reached approximately the 60th percentile and placed a candidate in the top 40%
  • 2010 reached approximately the 70th percentile and placed a candidate in the top 30%
  • 2100 reached approximately the 80th percentile and placed a candidate in the top 20%
  • 2220 reached approximately the 90th percentile and placed a candidate in the top 10%

However, the most useful question is not simply “Is this a good score?” It is:

How does this score fit the selection criteria of the universities and courses I am considering?

Is 1900 a good UCAT score?

In 2025, the mean total score was 1891 and the fifth-decile boundary was 1880. A score of 1900 was therefore close to, and slightly above, the national average.

Whether it would be sufficient for a particular application depends on how that university uses the UCAT and the strength of the rest of your application.

Is 1950 a good UCAT score?

In 2025, a score of 1950 reached the sixth-decile boundary. This placed a candidate at approximately the 60th percentile, or within the top 40% of test takers.

This was an above-average result, but it should still be considered against the published criteria and previous selection data for each course.

Is 2100 a good UCAT score?

In 2025, a score of 2100 reached the eighth-decile boundary, placing a candidate at approximately the 80th percentile.

This means it was within the top 20% of results nationally. It would generally be considered a strong score, although it does not guarantee an interview or offer.

Is 2220 a good UCAT score?

In 2025, a score of 2220 reached the ninth-decile boundary. This placed a candidate at approximately the 90th percentile and within the top 10% of test takers.

This was a very strong result nationally, but applicants must still meet the academic and non-academic requirements of their chosen courses.

What is the highest possible UCAT score?

The highest possible cognitive score is 2700. This would require a score of 900 in each of the three cognitive subtests.

Situational Judgement is scored separately, with Band 1 representing the strongest performance.

Can I compare my score with results from before 2025?

Scores from 2025 onwards should not be directly compared with total scores from earlier years.

Before 2025, the UCAT included Abstract Reasoning and the maximum cognitive score was 3600. Abstract Reasoning was removed in 2025, reducing the test to three cognitive subtests and changing the total score range to 900–2700.

Individual subtest scores remain on the same 300–900 scale, but historical total scores such as 2600, 2800 or 3000 refer to the previous four-subtest format.

How do universities use UCAT scores?

Universities use UCAT results in different ways. Some place considerable weight on the test, while others consider it as one part of a broader selection process.

A university may:

  • Set a minimum total-score threshold
  • Rank applicants according to their total score
  • Consider the UCAT alongside GCSEs or other academic results
  • Apply a minimum score to an individual subtest
  • Use the Situational Judgement band during selection
  • Use different criteria for different courses or applicant groups

Some thresholds are fixed and published in advance. Others are calculated after applications have been received, meaning the eventual threshold can depend on the performance of that year’s applicants.

There is therefore no universal UCAT score that guarantees an interview.

Does my Situational Judgement band matter?

It can. Universities do not all use Situational Judgement in the same way.

Some universities include the band when ranking applicants, some use it during the interview process and others may exclude applicants with a lower band. Other universities might not use it at all.

In 2025, the distribution of SJT results was:

  • Band 1: 21% of candidates
  • Band 2: 39% of candidates
  • Band 3: 29% of candidates
  • Band 4: 10% of candidates

Is Band 3 a bad Situational Judgement result?

Band 3 indicates a modest level of performance. It does not automatically prevent you from receiving an interview or offer, but it may limit your options if a university gives significant weight to Situational Judgement.

Check how each course treats the SJT before applying. Do not assume that every university will respond to the same band in the same way.

How should I use my UCAT score when choosing universities?

You will receive your result before the UCAS application deadline. Use that time to research how each university uses the UCAT and make informed choices.

For every course you are considering:

  1. Read the current admissions and selection policy.
  2. Check whether the university publishes a fixed UCAT threshold.
  3. Look for previous interview thresholds or applicant statistics.
  4. Check whether individual subtests or the SJT band are considered.
  5. Confirm whether different rules apply to your applicant group.
  6. Consider your UCAT alongside your academic results and the rest of your application.

Historical thresholds can be useful, but they are not guarantees. Course requirements and applicant performance can change between admissions cycles.

Use the official list of UCAT universities and their selection information as your starting point.

When will I receive my UCAT score?

If you sit the UCAT at a Pearson VUE test centre, you will receive a score report before you leave. Your result should also appear in your UCAT account approximately 24 hours later.

The UCAT Office sends results directly to your chosen UK universities in early November. You do not normally need to include your score on your UCAS application or send it to the universities yourself.

Can I resit the UCAT if I am unhappy with my score?

You can only sit the UCAT once during each annual test cycle.

If you are unhappy with your result, you cannot take the test again during the same cycle. You would need to sit it in a future year and make a new application using that result.

What should I do next?

If you have not taken the UCAT yet, focus on developing the skills that contribute to a strong score:

  • Learn an effective approach to each question type
  • Build accuracy before increasing your speed
  • Review your mistakes and identify recurring weaknesses
  • Practise under timed conditions
  • Use full mock tests to prepare for the complete exam

Explore UCAT preparation to find courses, question banks and personalised support for the stage you are at.