UCAT 2025 Changes – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

The UCAT Consortium has recently announced some significant updates to the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) for students sitting UCAT ANZ in 2025. These changes will substantially impact how students prepare for and perform in UCAT this year. Understanding these updates is essential for maximizing your chances of success.

Below, we address some of the most frequently asked questions about these changes to help you prepare. Check out our other blog for a detailed overview on updates to UCAT 2025.

What are the changes?

The UCAT 2025 will see several key adjustments:

• Removal of the Abstract Reasoning (AR) subtest: The AR subtest will no longer be part of the UCAT.

• Decision Making (DM): This section will now have 6 additional questions, bringing the total to 35 questions, and the time has been increased by 6 minutes.

• Verbal Reasoning (VR): The time for this section has been increased by 1 minute.

• Quantitative Reasoning (QR): The time for this section has been increased by 1 minute.

• Situational Judgement Test (SJT): No changes have been made to the timing or the number of questions in this subtest.

Updated instruction times: The instruction times have been changed as follows:

• Quantitative Reasoning: 2-minute instruction section

• Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, and Situational Judgement: 1.5-minute instruction section

Here’s how the updated UCAT will be structured:

Will there be a new subtest to replace Abstract Reasoning?

No. For 2025, there will be no new subtest to replace Abstract Reasoning. The UCAT Consortium will be focusing on refining the existing subtests rather than introducing new ones.

What type of question will the additional 6 Decision Making questions be?

While this has not been confirmed, it is likely that the additional 6 questions in Decision Making will simply expand on the current question types. This would mean adding one more question to each of the six existing Decision Making question formats:

• Syllogisms
• Logical puzzles
• Recognising assumptions
• Interpreting information
• Venn diagrams
• Probabilistic and statistical reasoning

Will Verbal Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning questions be harder because of the increase in time available?

Based on analysis of the technical reports over the last few years, it is probable that Verbal Reasoning will remain at a similar difficulty level and Quantitative Reasoning will slightly increase in difficulty on a per question basis.

Will universities use the Situational Judgement Test more now?

Some universities do not consider Situational Judgement when determining entry into medicine. It is unlikely that there will be major changes to the way Situational Judgement is used by universities as a result of the 2025 UCAT changes.

How will UCAT scoring change?

The removal of Abstract Reasoning and changes to the number of questions and timing will impact UCAT scoring in several ways.

The maximum total cognitive score (combining scores in Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Reasoning) will now range from 900-2700, compared to the previous maximum of 3600 when Abstract Reasoning was included. However, the manner in which UCAT scoring works remains fundamentally the same - raw marks are converted to scaled scores that share a common range from 300 to 900 for each cognitive subtest. This conversion is necessary because the number of questions varies between subtests, making direct comparison of raw marks between subtests impossible.

The average total scaled score will likely be lower compared to previous years, due to the removal of Abstract Reasoning which was historically the highest-scoring subtest (for example, the 9^th decile score for AR in 2024 was 880, compared to 830 for QR, the next highest-scoring subtest). However, the proportion of students achieving each score range should remain similar.

The Situational Judgement Test is scored separately from the cognitive subtests, so there should be no changes to its scoring methodology.

It's important to note that although your overall total score will be different, the scores for each individual subtest will remain generally comparable to previous years.

When interpreting your performance, remember that each subtest's relative difficulty and the performance of the cohort can vary year-to-year. Therefore, it's more meaningful to focus on your percentile or decile ranking rather than your raw total scores.

What will be a good UCAT score now?

A ‘good score’ in the UCAT is one that secures you an interview offer, and thus depends on a number of factors. These include whether you are applying as a rural student, the university you are applying to, your academic grades and so forth.

The median UCAT score this year is likely to be around 1900-1950. The 90^th percentile is likely to be around 2250-2300.

Note that many universities require non-rural students to score higher than the 90^th percentile to be offered an interview.

How should I adjust my UCAT preparation with the changes?

The changes to UCAT 2025 require a strategic shift in preparation. While change can be unsettling, you should view these updates as an opportunity to approach the UCAT with fresh eyes and renewed focus. Also keep in mind that everyone sitting the UCAT in 2025 will face these same changes.

The Abstract Reasoning subtest was traditionally the quickest to improve for many people. Therefore, the removal of Abstract Reasoning from the UCAT makes it even more important start your UCAT preparation as early as possible, and to commence long term, distributed practice.

Here’s how you can best adapt to the removal of UCAT Abstract Reasoning:

1. Start early: Begin your UCAT preparation as soon as possible to adjust to the new format of the UCAT.

2. Increase focus on skill development: Use skill trainers such as MedEntry’s exclusive gamified trainers for speed reading, keyword finding, venn diagrams, graph and table interpretation, mental maths, calculator use and syllogisms. These will help sharpen fundamental skills for each UCAT subtest.

3. Eliminate weaknesses: With one less subtest, each remaining subtest holds more weight. It’s critical to perform well across all subtests rather than focusing solely on improving in your weakest area.

4. Analyse and adapt: Regularly review your progress and adjust your study strategy accordingly. MedEntry’s detailed analytics and virtual AI tutor (Mai) will help you achieve this. 

How will MedEntry prepare me for this change?

The MedEntry platform and practice materials have already undergone updates to reflect these changes. We are committed to ensuring that our preparation resource match the exact testing experience of UCAT 2025, giving our students the competitive edge they need on test day.

Where can I get further information?

You can gain further information about this change on the UCAT official website. MedEntry will also be posting regular updates on our blogs pages as well as our social media channels.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to contact MedEntry.

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