Start with what is free
The UCAT ANZ Consortium publishes its own practice tests and question banks, free. They are the closest thing to the real questions, and every candidate should use them whatever else they buy. What they do not do is keep your scores or tell you where your marks went, and there are only so many of them. A paid question bank is worth having for those two things: more practice, and a record that shows you what to work on.
Ten things to check
| Check | Why it matters | How to test it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is it up to date? | The test has had four subtests since 2025. Abstract Reasoning is gone, and the timings changed. | Look for 44, 35, 36 and 69 questions, and no Abstract Reasoning anywhere. |
| 2. Does the screen work like the real one? | Seconds lost to an unfamiliar calculator or review screen are marks lost. | Open a sample. Try Alt+N, Alt+F and Alt+C, the calculator, and the review screen at the end of a subtest. |
| 3. Can you try a proper mock before paying? | A few sample questions tell you little. A timed mock tells you a lot. | Look for a free mock with results, without a card. |
| 4. Is every question explained? | You learn from the questions you get wrong. | Check that the explanation says why the wrong options are wrong, not only which is right. |
| 5. Does it show where your marks go? | This is the main thing the free official tests cannot do. | After a mock, can you see results by kind of question, and by time spent? |
| 6. Are there enough full mocks? | Two hours in one sitting is its own skill, and you need to do it several times. | Count the full-length mocks, separately from short sets. |
| 7. Is the number of questions real? | A student attempts perhaps two to four thousand questions in a season. Past that, quality matters more than the count. | Is the count broken down by subtest? Does it include anything the test no longer has? |
| 8. Is the price plain? | Prices range from under a hundred dollars to several thousand, often in bundles. | Can you see the whole price on one page? Does it renew? What happens at the end? |
| 9. Is there a refund? | You cannot fully judge it until you have used it. | Read the refund terms themselves, not the headline. |
| 10. Can you report a bad question? | Every bank has some. What matters is whether they are fixed. | Look for a report button on each question. |
What matters less than it seems
- The biggest number. Twenty thousand questions you will never reach do not help you. Enough questions of each kind, with good explanations, do.
- Claims about past students. "Most top scorers used us" says how many people bought something, not what it did for them.
- Extras bundled in. Seminars, books and interview courses may be worth having, but decide on each separately. They are not question practice.
- A polished look. The real test screen is plain and dated. A practice screen that looks better than the real one is preparing you for something else.
Question bank, course or tutor?
| Good for | Not a substitute for | |
|---|---|---|
| Question bank and mocks | The practice itself: method, pace and familiarity with the screen. Most of the improvement comes from here. | Someone to explain a method you cannot get from a written explanation. |
| Course or workshop | Learning the methods quickly, in a group, at the start. | The weeks of timed practice that follow. |
| One-to-one tutoring | A specific sticking point, or keeping to a plan. | Doing the questions yourself. |
Whatever else you choose, you will need somewhere to do timed questions and full mocks. Many students use a question bank alone and do well. How to prepare and the study timetable show how the weeks fit together.
How PrepForDoc answers these
We wrote this list to be useful whichever service you choose, and you can hold us to it. PrepForDoc has the current four subtests, an exam screen you can try without an account, a worked explanation for every question, an analysis of where your marks go, and a report button on every question. The price is on one page: $199 for 12 months or $99 for 12 weeks, paid once, with a full refund within 7 days. You can start free.
Official sources
Dates, fees and entry rules change every year. Always confirm them on the official page before you act on them.