UCAT-ANZ Decision Making
Question types, timing and worked examples
UCAT-ANZ Decision Making gives you 35 questions in 37 minutes, about a minute each, and is scored from 300 to 900. Questions range from logical puzzles and syllogisms to Venn diagrams and probability. Some are multiple choice. Others ask for Yes or No against five statements and earn 2 marks, or 1 if partly correct. In UCAT-ANZ 2026 the mean was 655 and the median 650.
- Questions and time
- 35 in 37 minutes
- Scaled score
- 300 to 900
- 2026 mean
- 655 (17,341 candidates)
- 2026 median
- 650
- Marks per question
- 1, or 2 for five statements
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What UCAT-ANZ Decision Making tests, and why schools use it
Decision Making is one of the four subtests in UCAT-ANZ, which a consortium of Australian and New Zealand universities uses to help select applicants to medical, dental and clinical science degrees. The UCAT ANZ Consortium says it assesses your ability to apply logic to reach a decision or conclusion, evaluate arguments and analyse statistical information.
You do not need formal logic. The Consortium says knowledge of specific mathematical or logical reasoning terminology is not required. Questions can refer to text, charts, tables, graphs or diagrams, and its Official Guide says each one stands alone and does not share data with the others.
Why it matters for both courses: the Consortium explains that doctors and dentists often make decisions in complex situations, which takes high-level problem solving, the ability to assess and manage risk, and comfort with uncertainty. Medical and dental applicants sit the same subtest, so everything here applies to both.
You can sit UCAT-ANZ once in each test cycle, so there is no second try at Decision Making until the following year. One high scorer quoted by the Consortium found it challenging because she kept making assumptions the question had not confirmed. Method takes time to build, so start early.
| Questions | 35, each standing alone. |
|---|---|
| Time | 37 minutes, after a separately timed instruction section of 1 minute 30 seconds. That averages about 63 seconds a question. |
| Answer formats | Multiple choice, or five statements that you answer Yes or No. Some questions are answered by drag and drop with the mouse. |
| Marks | 1 mark for a single-answer question. 2 marks for a multiple-statement question, or 1 mark if partly correct. No marks are taken off for wrong answers. |
| Score | Raw marks become a scaled score from 300 to 900, added to your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores for a total out of 2700. |
| Tools | A basic on-screen calculator, a flag for review button, an A4 laminated notebook and a marker pen. Some test centres give a laminated noteboard instead. |
| Extended versions | 43 minutes 10 seconds in SEN10 and SEN10SA, and 46 minutes 15 seconds in SEN and SENSA. |
The six UCAT-ANZ Decision Making question types
The Consortium's 2026 presentation says there are different question types, including logical puzzles, syllogisms and Venn diagrams. Some questions have one correct answer from four options. Others ask for Yes or No against five statements.
| Question type | What it asks you to do | How it is presented |
|---|---|---|
| Syllogisms | Decide which conclusions follow from a short set of statements | Five conclusions marked Yes or No by drag and drop |
| Interpreting information and drawing conclusions | Decide what follows from a passage, table, chart or graph | Conclusions marked Yes or No by drag and drop. The tutorial's example has five |
| Logical puzzles | Use clues to work out what must be true | Multiple choice with one correct answer |
| Recognising assumptions | Select the strongest argument for or against a proposal | Four arguments, each starting Yes or No. One is correct |
| Venn diagrams | Read a diagram, work from a table, or pick the diagram that fits | Multiple choice with one correct answer |
| Probabilistic and statistical reasoning | Judge how likely an outcome is from short statistical information | Four options, each a Yes or No with a reason |
Types and formats follow the Consortium's Decision Making tutorial, read on 7 November 2026. We found no published count of each type for UCAT-ANZ, so prepare for all six.
Syllogisms: test every conclusion on its own
You get a few statements, then conclusions to mark Yes or No. Mark Yes only if the conclusion must be true whenever the statements are true. A conclusion that is merely possible, or that sounds sensible, is a No.
Interpreting information: only what the data shows
Use only the information given, not what seems plausible. Watch for conclusions that go beyond the data, such as a cause that a graph never shows. Rounded numbers can help you check a claim quickly.
Logical puzzles: draw a grid
Clues lead to one correct answer. The Official Guide's examples ask what must be true, so test each option against every arrangement the clues allow. A grid keeps every clue in view.
Recognising assumptions: choose the strongest argument
You get a question, such as whether a policy should change, and four arguments. The Official Guide says you must suspend your own beliefs to reach the strongest conclusion. The best answer is the best-supported one, not the one you agree with.
Venn diagrams: sketch before you count
You may read a diagram, work from a table of numbers or pick the diagram that fits a description. A sketch on your notebook beats juggling the numbers in your head.
Probabilistic reasoning: verdict and reason must both be right
The Official Guide's examples pair Yes or No with a reason, so check the arithmetic behind the reason, not just the verdict. It also tells candidates to brush up on probability and Venn diagrams.
UCAT-ANZ syllogisms: reading all, some, none and only with care
A syllogism gives you statements you must accept as true, then asks which conclusions follow. Quantity words carry most of the logic, so read each one slowly. The Consortium says they are used as in everyday speech and are not meant to trick you, and its tutorial sets out what each one means.
| All | The whole of something, everything. All A are B does not tell you that all B are A. |
|---|---|
| Always | On all occasions, without fail. |
| Either | A or B, not both. |
| Few | A small number, less than 50%. |
| Majority | More than 50% of the whole, but not all of it. |
| Many | An undetermined number, similar to some: part of it, not all of it. |
| Most | An undetermined number that is a majority, or the largest part. Never read it as all. |
| None | Not even a small amount, not even one. No A are B also means no B are A, so this one is safe to turn round. |
| Not all | Anywhere from 1% to 99%. |
| Only | Nothing else qualifies. It can also introduce something that must happen first. Check what the word is attached to, because moving it changes the meaning. |
| Some | An undetermined number, more than one but less than all. So some is not the same as at least one, and it rules out all. |
| Unless | Introduces the only circumstance that makes the statement not true or valid. |
The quickest test for any conclusion is to try to break it. Picture a situation where every statement is true. If you can make the conclusion false in that picture, the answer is No.
Made-up words work the same way as real ones: the logic decides the answer, not the vocabulary. Stay with what the statements say, even when a conclusion matches something you already believe.
Statements: all the school's hockey players are in Year 12. Some Year 12 students play in the band. No band member plays hockey. Mark each conclusion Yes or No. 1: all Year 12 students play hockey. 2: at least one Year 12 student plays in the band. 3: no hockey player plays in the band. 4: some band members play hockey. 5: every band member is in Year 12.
Yes for 2 and 3 only. Conclusion 2 restates the second statement. Conclusion 3 turns the third statement round, which is safe with no. Conclusion 1 reverses the first statement, and conclusion 4 contradicts the third. Conclusion 5 goes too far: some Year 12 students are in the band, but nothing says every band member is in Year 12.
- This example is our own, invented for practice.
- A conclusion you cannot rule in or out is a No.
Logic grids, Venn sketches and probability rules for Decision Making
You get a laminated notebook, a marker pen and a basic on-screen calculator. One high scorer quoted by the Consortium recommends using the notebook instead of working in your head, because a diagram or table let him answer quickly.
Logical puzzles: build a grid
Set out the categories
Write the people down the side and the options along the top, so every pairing has its own cell.
Enter the certain facts first
Mark Yes for each fact you are told directly, then cross out the rest of that row and column if each person takes only one option.
Apply the remaining clues one by one
Cross out whatever each clue rules out. Each time a cell is fixed, look back at the earlier clues, because one new fact often settles another.
Answer the question that was asked
If it asks what must be true, the answer has to hold in every arrangement the clues allow. One arrangement that works only shows what could be true.
| Person | Cricket | Netball | Rowing | Tennis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priya | Yes | No | No | No |
| Tom | No | No | No | Yes |
| Uma | No | Open | Open | No |
| Wes | No | Open | Open | No |
The puzzle: four friends each play a different sport. Tom plays tennis. Priya neither rows nor plays netball. Uma does not play cricket. So Priya plays cricket must be true, while Uma rows is only something that could be true.
Venn diagrams: fill from the middle out
Sketch the circles even when the question does not draw them. With two sets, write the overlap first. Subtract it from each set's total to get the parts that sit in one circle only, then subtract everything inside the circles from the total to find how many are in neither. If 10 sit in set A alone, 12 in set B alone and 5 in the overlap, then 27 are in at least one set.
With three sets, start with the region all three share, then each overlap of two, then each circle's own part. Before you answer, check that every region adds up to the total you were given.
Probability: five rules to know
| A and then B, independent | Multiply. A 0.5 chance twice in a row is 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.25. |
|---|---|
| A or B, when both cannot happen | Add the two probabilities. |
| At least one | Take the chance of none away from 1. If two buses are each late with probability 0.2, independently, the chance at least one is late is 1 − 0.8 × 0.8 = 0.36. |
| Without replacement | After each pick, reduce both the number left and the number you want. Two reds from 4 red and 2 blue counters: 4/6 × 3/5 = 2/5. |
| Given that | Shrink the total to the group you are told about, then count within it. If 3 of the 8 biology students also take physics, a biology student takes physics with probability 3/8. |
Decision Making timing strategy: pacing 37 minutes and banking partial marks
You average about a minute a question, but the questions are not equal: some are quick and others take far longer. These habits protect your marks.
| 28 minutes left | About 8 or 9 questions done. |
|---|---|
| 18 minutes left | About 18 questions done. |
| 9 minutes left | About 26 or 27 questions done. |
| 5 minutes left, timer turns yellow | About 30 done. Put an answer on every question before you go back to flagged ones. |
Read the question line first
Before the information, read what you are asked: what must be true, the strongest argument, which diagram fits. Then solve only what the question needs.
Bank the quick wins
The Official Guide suggests flagging the question types you find more challenging and answering the ones you find easier first, so one hard puzzle cannot eat the time you need later.
Cap any single question
If a puzzle is still unresolved after about 90 seconds, choose your best answer, flag it and move on. A guess you can come back to is worth more than a blank.
Always place all five statements
A five-statement question can still earn 1 of its 2 marks when your response is partly correct, and wrong answers cost nothing. Never leave a statement empty, even if you have to guess it.
Answer everything before time runs out
When the timer turns yellow at 5 minutes, fill in every blank. If time expires, click OK on the message straight away, or you lose time from other sections.
Use spare time on flagged questions
If you finish the last question with time left, the review screen takes you back to incomplete or flagged questions until the time runs out.
UCAT-ANZ Decision Making worked examples: one for each question type
Pick an answer, then check the explanation. The live test also uses five-statement questions. These use a single answer so you can check one step of reasoning at a time. All six are invented for practice.
Anna, Ben, Cara and Dan each ordered a different one of: pizza, salad, soup, sushi. Pizza and soup are served hot; salad and sushi are served cold. Anna didn’t order pizza or sushi. Ben ordered something hot. Cara’s order was the same temperature as Ben’s. What did Dan order?
Premise 1: All trained doctors are graduates. Premise 2: Some graduates work in finance. Which conclusion necessarily follows?
A bag has 5 red and 3 blue marbles. Two are drawn without replacement. What’s the probability both are red?
In a class of 30 students: 18 study French, 14 study German, 7 study both. How many study neither?
Argument: “The new road must have caused the rise in pedestrian accidents - accidents have risen since it opened.” Which assumption does the argument depend on?
A bar chart shows annual revenue ($m): 2020 = 40, 2021 = 50, 2022 = 65, 2023 = 70, 2024 = 84. What was the percentage change from 2021 to 2024?
Timed Decision Making practice: all six question types
Each set has seven questions: one of every type plus a second Venn diagram. The two five-statement Yes/No questions are marked as the test marks them, 2 marks or 1 for four right. The clock runs at the live pace of about 63 seconds a question, with a basic calculator to hand.
Decision Making practice sets
Pick a set and work through it as you would in the test: flag anything you are unsure of, open the calculator when you need it, and check the review screen before you finish.
- 7 questions covering all six question types
- 7 min 25 s: about 63 seconds a question, as in the test
- 2 five-statement Yes/No questions worth 2 marks each (9 marks in all)
- Quantifiers as the UCAT defines them: 'some' means more than one but less than all, 'most' means more than half and 'few' means less than half
- On-screen calculator
Original questions written for practice in the real format. They are not taken from the UCAT.
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Common UCAT-ANZ Decision Making mistakes and how to avoid them
How to practise Decision Making with the official UCAT-ANZ materials
The Consortium recommends working through its free materials in this order. Its 2026 presentation says to allow around 25 to 30 hours for the whole test and to start at least 6 weeks before your test.
Tour Tutorial
Learn the test software: answering, the calculator, moving between screens and flagging questions for review. For Decision Making, practise dragging answers into place with the mouse.
Decision Making Question Tutorial
The Consortium's tutorials give tips and strategies for each question type. Work through this one before the question banks, on a desktop computer.
Four Decision Making question banks
Official questions to work through over several practice sessions. Your progress is not retained, so keep a note of which questions you have done.
Practice Tests A to D
Four full tests, available with standard timing, SEN timing or no timing. They give no score, but the final review screen shows which answers were right and the Explain Answer button shows why.
Between mocks, sort every wrong answer by question type, using the six types above, then drill your weakest type from the question banks before the next timed test. One high scorer found her weakest subtests early and put her question bank time there. After each full practice test she reviewed her mistakes and wrote down the lessons.
Fit this around Year 12. Another high scorer did schoolwork through the week and kept UCAT-ANZ for weekends, at about 2 hours a week at first and about 5 hours later on.
Are you ready for Decision Making? Tick what is already true
What is a good UCAT-ANZ Decision Making score? 2024 to 2026 means and deciles
Each cognitive subtest is scaled from 300 to 900. These are the Consortium's published figures for all candidates.
| Measure | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 655 | 642 | 637 |
| 1st decile (10th percentile) | 530 | 530 | 510 |
| 2nd decile | 570 | 570 | 560 |
| 3rd decile | 610 | 590 | 590 |
| 4th decile | 630 | 620 | 620 |
| 5th decile (median) | 650 | 650 | 630 |
| 6th decile | 680 | 670 | 660 |
| 7th decile | 710 | 690 | 690 |
| 8th decile | 740 | 720 | 720 |
| 9th decile (90th percentile) | 770 | 750 | 760 |
2026 covers 17,341 candidates, 2025 covers 16,950 and 2024 covers 15,240. The statistics stop at the 9th decile. UCAT-ANZ 2024 was the last year with Abstract Reasoning, so treat its column as background.
So a Decision Making score of 650 was the median in 2026, about a fifth of candidates scored above 740 and about a tenth above 770. The mean rose by 13 points from 2025, so compare your score with the statistics for the year you sat, not with older targets.
Decision Making sits between the other two subtests on spread. In 2026, 240 points separated the 1st and 9th deciles, against 220 in Verbal Reasoning and 350 in Quantitative Reasoning.
Schools use results in different ways. For 2027 entry, Adelaide gave Sections 1 to 3 equal weight for interview eligibility and UNSW offered interviews on selection rank and overall score. Western Sydney says individual sections may be weighted. The Consortium says it cannot give selection criteria or cut-off scores, so read each school's own page.
UCAT-ANZ Decision Making: your questions answered
Where this guide's facts come from
Checked against these sources on 7 November 2026. Rules change between cycles, so confirm anything that decides your application on the official page for your entry year.
Want help with Decision Making?
A UCAT tutor can go through your practice-test mistakes with you and work on the question types that cost you marks. The revision planner helps you organise your weekly practice around school.