What is UCAT Exam - Dates, Eligibility, Fees, Syllabus

The UCAT exam is one of the common standardised tests in the UK and is especially popular among international students who wish to study medicine or dentistry in the UK.

The medical courses’ curriculum and overall study structure worldwide are vastly different. In this case, standardised tests are extremely important for universities in the UK, primarily when it comes to taking up medical and dental fields of study — the UCAT test is one such test.

The test helps medical colleges in the UK to determine whether the applicant is suitable for the course or not and if they can cope with their course curriculum. Explore all about the UCAT test here, from exam dates to the syllabus.

Learn more about the various standardised and aptitude tests applicable to study or work in the UK.

What is UCAT Exam?

The University Clinical Aptitude Test or UCAT exam is the aptitude test designed to test the skills and calibre of candidates in medical and dental fields of study. The test is applicable for the master's level qualifications in selected medical fields, including dentistry.

The majority of UK universities and non-UK universities are associated with the UCAT authority. These member universities readily accept the exam as proof of aptitude in relevant medical fields of study. The popularity of the exam is such that it is conducted in over 130 countries worldwide by the Pearson VUE.

Purpose of UCAT Exam

The UCAT exam is a popular exam with limited applicability. It is only relevant for admission to its member universities, which causes proper questions about its purpose. Here are some of the main purposes as served by the UCAT exam:

• Aptitude Testing: The UCAT exam consists of a total of five sections, each of which tests either the cognitive or non-cognitive abilities of candidates. This helps the reviewing university to get a summary of how the test taker understands the information presented to them, and whether they have the capability to handle the field relevant situations.

• Specialised Standard Testing: There are many standardised tests active for admission to any university in any country. However, the specialised nature of the UCAT exam makes it stand out. The exam is focused on the selection of selected medical and dentistry students. Hence, the exam is designed very specifically to test the candidate’s aptitude in the relevant field only.

• Cater to Member Universities’ Requirements: Although there are many medical and dental colleges in the UK, each of them does not follow the same course teaching pattern even for the same degrees. Hence, singular standardised tests cannot be relied upon to cater to all their needs equally and fairly. The UCAT test caters to the needs of its member universities and helps them shortlist worthy students for further medical and dental studies.

• Ease the Selection Process: The quantification of the skills possessed by the candidates helps the universities to pace their selection process. They do not have to infer the skills of applicants from their applications and answers, the UCAT result speaks for themselves.

Overview of UCAT Exam

The prospective UCAT test takers can refer to the brief overview of the UCAT test before they delve deep into the exam’s characteristics:

UCAT Exam Dates and Deadlines

UCAT exam dates are slotted from July 11, 2022, to September 29, 2022. The prospective test takers need to register within this timeline and appear for their respective tests. Here are the important UCAT dates and deadlines for 2022:

UCAT Exam Centres in India

Pearson VUE administers the UCAT exam in India in over 20 exam centres. The prospective test-takers can choose among any of of these UCAT exam centres as per their convenience:

Related Links:

UCAT Exam Registration

The candidates wishing to register for the UCAT exam should firstly refer to the following eligibility criteria and registration process to avoid any mistakes during the process.  

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the UCAT exam are simple. To be able to register for the exam, the candidates need to:

• be applying for the medical or dental programmes at the accepting universities,

• the courses must grant a foundational, bachelor’s, or master’s qualification,

• the applying university must be a UK Consortium or non-UK Associate Member of the UCAT exam authority.

The applicants can register for any of the following services:

• OnVUE Proctored UCAT or UCAT test at home, if they cannot make it to any test centre due to certain valid reasons,

• UCATSEN, if they require 25% extra time to complete their UCAT test,

• UCATSA, if they require extended test breaks during the exam due to valid reasons,

• UCATSENSA, if they require both, extra 25% time and extended rest breaks during the UCAT test, and

• UCATSEN50, if they reasonably require an extra 50% of the time.

Note 1: Each of these additional services can be applied with proper reasoning, but the confirmation of privileges is a right with the UCAT exam authority. They shall decide whether the applicant is eligible for the privilege as requested.

Note 2: The UCAT exam authority also reserves the right to give privileges as per the reason’s quantum, i.e. they can give a different privilege rather than one requested if they deem it more appropriate.

How to Apply?

UCAT registration according to the UCAT authority is a two-step process:

Step 1: Register for a UCAT Account

• Candidates need to register for the UCAT test as new users if registering for the first time. Already registered candidates can use their existing credentials to log in to their UCAT accounts. 

• The applicants shall have to fill out their personal details and other information as prompted by the registration form. 

• After confirming the details, UCAT shall send them their login credentials. These credentials need to be used to generate a password.

• After setting up the UCAT account, candidates can log in and check out their UCAT Candidate ID, which is an alphanumeric combination, such as UKCAT012345.

• Pearson VUE will send an email to the candidates within a day or two confirming their account setup.

Step 2: Book a Test

• On receiving the account confirmation from Pearson VUE, the candidates need to use their account credentials to log in.

• After logging in candidates can book the test within the July 11 - September 29 test dates.

• In case the candidate has been selected for OnVUE Proctored UCAT, UCATSA, UCATSENSA, and/or UCATSEN50, then they need to use PAC to book the test date.

UCAT Exam Fees

The UCAT exam fees are diversified into two charges, one for UK test takers, and the other for non-UK test takers. However, there is no diversification on the basis of the mode of the test or the test date.

The UCAT authority charges:

• GBP 70 from test takers registered to take test in UK exam centres, and

• GBP 115 from test takers slotted to attempt their UCAT exam from outside the UK.

The applicable UCAT exam fees for Indian candidates who shall attempt their tests from UCAT exam centres in India is INR 10,435 (variable as per prevalent exchange rates).

Test takers can reschedule or cancel their booked slots and get a refund for the same. The whole registration fee shall be refunded as long as the candidate takes these actions at least 24 hours before their scheduled exam. This includes candidates opting for the UCAT test at home option.

UCAT Exam Pattern & Syllabus

UCAT test pattern and syllabus are important for test-takers to understand what can they expect from the test. The test pattern study and preparation will help them avoid exam anxiety due to the testing environment, while the syllabus will help them prepare to score high percentile ranks in the UCAT exam.

Exam Pattern

The UCAT exam lasts for two hours and consists of five sections. Each subtest is defined for the number of questions and time limit. The test is conducted without breaks, however, a one-minute subtest introduction is placed at the beginning of every section, totalling five minutes of extra time during the exam.

Here is a summary of the UCAT exam pattern and overall test duration distribution:

Syllabus

The UCAT exam is divided to test two main skills for the test-taker:

• Cognitive Skills: These are the skills used by test-takers to grasp the meaning of provided information through reading, listening, and observing. The better a test-taker is able to grasp the apparent and non-apparent meaning from the information and use the same to build their own reasoning and arguments, the better their cognitive abilities. The UCAT test sections of verbal reasoning, decision-making, quantitative reasoning, and abstract reasoning are used to test these skills.

• Non-Cognitive Skills: Non-cognitive skills are those which are based on the person’s own ethics, morals, conscience, and way of handling situations. These skills help the test-taker to take their decisions and also understand the effect and nature of them. The situational judgment section of the UCAT exam tests the non-cognitive skills of test-takers.

The UCAT test syllabus can be identified on the basis of its subtests:

Countries Accepting UCAT Exam

UCAT results can be sent to selected institutions from November 2022 onwards. Test-takers need to select the institutes for sending scores.Test takers who are applying with UCAS can convey the same to their institution and UCAS authority with reference to UCAT’s 2022 test cycle.

Here are some selected member UK universities and non-UK universities which are accepting the UCAT scores for relevant courses:

We hope that prospective test-takers have found this article helpful for their UCAT test attempt. Test-takers are advised to use proper study material and practice tests when preparing for the UCAT exam. It is mentionable here that UCAT is not the only standardised test applicable in the UK for medicine-related fields and roles. Medical students may take the time to explore more about medical studies and practice in the UK before applying for any test, as they are diverse, and may differ in their chosen field of specialisation. 

Consult our experts to know more about medical studies in the UK. You can reach out by writing to us at abroad@collegedekho.com.