What is the UCAT and when do students sit the exam?

The UCAT is a two hour multiple choice test which is administered on computer at a test centre from July to the end of September . Students are required to sit the UCAT if they are intending to apply for entry to medicine / dentistry in the following year (or for a deferred entry). It can be taken for the first time in Year 12, and then every year for as many times as a candidate wants. Your UCAT score is valid for one year, so you will need to retake it if you take a gap year before starting university

The UCAT assesses a range of abilities identified by universities as important to practicing in the fields of medicine / dentistry / clinical sciences:

• the ability to evaluate information presented in a written form,
• the ability to make sound decisions using complex information,
• the ability to evaluate information presented in a numerical form,
• the ability to understand real world situations and identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.

Updated on: 08/10/2025