- Questions
- 184
- Length
- Just under 2 hours
- Subtests
- 4, each timed separately
- Testing
- July to early August
The short version
The UCAT ANZ is a two-hour test taken on a computer at a test centre. It does not test what you learned in science or maths at school. It tests how quickly and accurately you can read, reason, calculate and judge a situation, under heavy time pressure. Most questions allow well under a minute.
You sit it once in a year, in July or early August, and the result counts only for university entry the following year. Universities then combine it with your school results and, at most of them, an interview.
Who sits it
You can sit the test if you are in your final year of secondary school or beyond: Year 12 in Australia, Year 13 in New Zealand, a gap year, or already at university. Students in earlier years cannot sit it. You may sit it once in each year's cycle, and again in a later year if you apply again.
About 17,341 people sat the test in 2026. There are far fewer places than candidates, which is why a result near the middle is rarely enough for medicine. See what candidates scored.
What is in the test
Four subtests, always in the same order. Each has its own clock and a short timed instruction screen before it. When a subtest's time runs out the test moves on, and you cannot go back. Time left over is lost.
| Subtest | Questions | Test time | Instruction screen | Time per question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 44 | 22 min | 1 min 30 s | About 30 s |
| Decision Making | 35 | 37 min | 1 min 30 s | About 63 s |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 36 | 26 min | 2 min | About 43 s |
| Situational Judgement | 69 | 26 min | 1 min 30 s | About 23 s |
- Verbal Reasoning gives you passages of text and asks what can and cannot be concluded from them.
- Decision Making asks you to apply logic, weigh arguments and read diagrams and statistics.
- Quantitative Reasoning is everyday maths on tables and charts, done fast.
- Situational Judgement describes situations a student or health worker might face and asks how to respond.
No Abstract Reasoning
Older books, courses and question banks include a fifth subtest of shape patterns called Abstract Reasoning. It has not been part of the test since 2025. If your material still has it, the timings in that material are out of date too.
How it is scored
Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning are each reported on a scale of 300 to 900 and added to a total between 900 and 2700. Situational Judgement is reported separately, also from 300 to 900. Wrong answers lose no marks, so never leave a question blank.
In 2026 the average total was 1,964. Scores and percentiles has the full picture.
The year at a glance
Bookings open in early March and close in mid May. Testing runs from the start of July to early August. You see your own result within about a day of sitting, and universities receive results in early September. The dates for 2027 are published on the official site, usually late in the year before. Dates and fees lists every deadline.
How universities use it
Every university does it differently. Some use the test to decide who gets an interview, some give it a fixed share of the final ranking, and some use it only to separate applicants with the same school result. Several ignore Situational Judgement altogether. Universities that use the UCAT sets out each one.
Why the screen matters
The test runs on plain, dated test-centre software with its own calculator, keyboard shortcuts, flagging and review screen. None of it is hard, but all of it costs time the first time you meet it, and time is the one thing the test does not give you. Practising on a screen that behaves the same way means test day holds no surprises. Calculator and keyboard shortcuts walks through it.
Everything in this guide
The test
- Dates and feesWhen bookings open and close, when testing runs and what it costs.
- Scores and percentilesHow the test is marked, what last year's candidates scored and where a score sits.
- Test dayWhat to bring, what you are given and what happens at the test centre.
- Extra time and access arrangementsThe extended versions of the test and how to apply for one.
The four subtests
- Verbal Reasoning44 questions in 22 minutes on passages of text.
- Decision Making35 questions in 37 minutes on logic, arguments and data.
- Quantitative Reasoning36 questions in 26 minutes on tables, charts and everyday maths.
- Situational Judgement69 questions in 26 minutes on how to act in real situations.
Getting in
- Universities that use the UCATEvery university on the official list, the courses, and how each uses your result.
Preparing
- How to prepareA twelve-week plan, from learning the format to full timed mocks.
- Free practice questionsOriginal questions for all four subtests, each with a worked explanation.
- Calculator and keyboard shortcutsHow the exam screen works: the calculator, the keys, flagging and review.
- Common questionsShort answers to the questions students and parents ask most.
Official sources
Dates, fees and entry rules change every year. Always confirm them on the official page before you act on them.