How the UCAT Is Scored
The UCAT’s three cognitive subtests — Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning — are each scored on a scaled range of 300–900, and added together for a cognitive total of 900–2700. Situational Judgement is reported separately on its own 300–900 scaled score and is not part of that total. In Australia and New Zealand, none of the four is reported as a “band.”
UCAT scoring at a glance
From raw marks to scaled scores
In each subtest you first earn a raw mark — broadly, the number of marks you pick up across that section’s questions. Raw marks aren’t directly comparable between subtests (the sections differ in length and difficulty), so ACER converts each subtest’s raw mark to a scaled score on a common 300–900 range. Scaling is what lets a Verbal Reasoning result sit alongside a Quantitative Reasoning result on the same footing.
A useful consequence: because it’s scaled, you can’t read your score straight off a “questions correct” count. What matters is where your scaled score lands relative to everyone else who sat the test — which is exactly what a percentile tells you (more on that below).
The cognitive total: 900–2700
Your three cognitive scaled scores — Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning — are summed into a total cognitive scaled score. With three subtests each ranging 300–900, the total runs from 900 to 2700.
The first number people get wrong: you’ll still see “1200–3600” quoted on older pages and AI summaries. That was the range when the test had four cognitive subtests, including Abstract Reasoning. Abstract Reasoning was removed from the 2025 cycle, so there are three cognitive subtests now and the total tops out at 2700. If a resource says your cognitive total can reach 3600, it’s describing a version of the test that no longer exists.
Situational Judgement is scored separately
Situational Judgement (SJ) is reported as its own scaled score, also on a 300–900 range. It is not added into your cognitive total — universities see it as a distinct figure alongside your cognitive score.
The second number people get wrong: in Australia and New Zealand, SJ is a 300–900 scaled score — not a “Band 1–4.” The Band 1–4 system belongs to the UK version of the test. They’re the same test family run by separate consortia, and the reporting differs. If a guide tells you to aim for “Band 1 in SJT,” it’s written for UK applicants, not you.
What the numbers actually mean: percentiles
A scaled score on its own — say, a Quantitative Reasoning of 680 — doesn’t tell you much until you know where it sits in the cohort. The most useful way to read any UCAT score is as a percentile: the share of candidates you scored at or above.
Each year ACER publishes the cohort’s means, quartiles and deciles for every subtest, which is what lets you translate a scaled score into a percentile. Beating the mean puts you above the median candidate; the strongest applicants sit in the top deciles. (We work through the actual figures, and what counts as competitive, on the good-score page.)
When and how you get your score
Your results are available to you within 24 hours of sitting, through your Pearson account, and are sent to your universities in early September. A result is valid for the immediately following intake only — a 2026 result is for 2027 entry and does not carry over.
Full UCAT dates, deadlines & costWhen bookings open, the deadlines and the fee.→Practise the way the score is built
Because each subtest is scaled and read as a percentile, small, consistent gains in the sections you find hardest move your standing more than chasing a perfect run on your strongest one. The fastest way to make those gains is to drill the specific traps each question type is built around.
MedPath tracks your performance per subtest and per trap, estimates where your scaled scores are heading, and points your practice at the weak spots that will shift your percentile most.
See where your scaled scores are heading.
MedPath estimates your predicted cognitive and SJ bands from your practice, on the same 300–900 / 900–2700 scale — free to start.
UCAT scoring FAQ
What’s the maximum UCAT score?+
Each cognitive subtest is scored up to 900, so the cognitive total (Verbal Reasoning + Decision Making + Quantitative Reasoning) maxes at 2700. Situational Judgement is reported separately, also up to 900.
Why do some sites say the UCAT is out of 3600?+
That was the maximum when the test had four cognitive subtests, including Abstract Reasoning. Abstract Reasoning was removed from the 2025 cycle, so the cognitive total is now out of 2700.
Is Situational Judgement scored as a band?+
Not in Australia or New Zealand. ANZ reports SJ as a 300–900 scaled score. The Band 1–4 system is used by the UK test.
Is Situational Judgement part of my total score?+
No. SJ is reported separately and isn’t added into your 900–2700 cognitive total. Universities see it as its own figure.
Does the UCAT have negative marking?+
No — you’re not penalised for wrong answers, so it’s always worth giving every question your best attempt rather than leaving it blank.
MedPath is an independent UCAT preparation resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACER or UCAT ANZ. Figures are re-expressed from official sources and attributed; always confirm dates, fees and requirements at the source before relying on them.