What Is a Good UCAT Score?Official UCAT 2025 deciles, means and SJT bands — and the 2026 preliminary figures
In UCAT 2025 — the most recent full year the UCAT Consortium has published — the mean total score was 1891, the median (5th decile) was 1880 and the 90th percentile was 2220 out of 2700, across 41,354 tests. A score above 1880 therefore beat at least half of that year's candidates; above 2220, nine in ten.
"Good" is ultimately set by the schools you apply to: some use a fixed threshold, some rank and weight scores, and some also screen on the Situational Judgement band.
For 2027 entry, applicants sit UCAT 2026. The Consortium's preliminary UCAT 2026 figures — 20,794 tests to 13 September 2026 — show a mean of 1970 and a median of 1980, but it expects about 22,000 more candidates and says the numbers "should be treated with significant caution": in 2025 the preliminary mean of 1939 fell to a final 1891. Final 2026 figures follow shortly after testing ends.
What were the UCAT 2025 score deciles?
Each decile is the score at a 10-percentile step: the UCAT Consortium defines the 1st decile as the score at the 10th percentile, the 2nd at the 20th, and so on. Subtests are each scored 300–900; the total of the three cognitive subtests runs 900–2700. The data cover 41,354 tests taken up to 26 September 2025.
| Decile (percentile) | Total (900–2700) | Verbal Reasoning | Decision Making | Quantitative Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (10th) | 1580 | 500 | 520 | 520 |
| 2nd (20th) | 1680 | 540 | 560 | 570 |
| 3rd (30th) | 1760 | 560 | 590 | 590 |
| 4th (40th) | 1820 | 580 | 610 | 630 |
| 5th (50th) | 1880 | 600 | 630 | 650 |
| 6th (60th) | 1950 | 620 | 650 | 680 |
| 7th (70th) | 2010 | 640 | 670 | 710 |
| 8th (80th) | 2100 | 670 | 700 | 750 |
| 9th (90th) | 2220 | 700 | 740 | 820 |
| Measure | UCAT 2025 mean |
|---|---|
| Total (three cognitive subtests) | 1891 |
| Verbal Reasoning | 602 |
| Decision Making | 628 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 661 |
Want to see where a raw practice mark lands on this scale? Use the UCAT score converter.
What do the preliminary UCAT 2026 figures show so far?
The UCAT Consortium published interim 2026 statistics covering 20,794 tests taken up to 13 September 2026, with about 22,000 candidates still to test. Its own warning: the figures "should be treated with significant caution" and "will change as the testing cycle progresses" — the 2025 preliminary mean was 1939 against a final 1891. Late-window candidates have historically pulled the mean down, so read the 2026 column as a ceiling rather than a benchmark.
| Decile (percentile) | UCAT 2026 preliminary | UCAT 2025 final |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (10th) | 1630 | 1580 |
| 2nd (20th) | 1750 | 1680 |
| 3rd (30th) | 1840 | 1760 |
| 4th (40th) | 1910 | 1820 |
| 5th (50th) | 1980 | 1880 |
| 6th (60th) | 2040 | 1950 |
| 7th (70th) | 2110 | 2010 |
| 8th (80th) | 2190 | 2100 |
| 9th (90th) | 2300 | 2220 |
| Measure | UCAT 2026 preliminary mean | UCAT 2025 final mean |
|---|---|---|
| Total (three cognitive subtests) | 1970 | 1891 |
| Verbal Reasoning | 614 | 602 |
| Decision Making | 657 | 628 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 699 | 661 |
How are candidates spread across the SJT bands?
The Situational Judgement Test is reported as a band from 1 (highest) to 4, not a scaled score. The UCAT Consortium describes Band 1 as "an excellent level of performance" and Band 4 as performance where judgement tended "to differ substantially from ideal responses in many cases". The share of candidates in each band moved noticeably between the last two years.
| SJT band | UCAT 2026 preliminary (20,794 candidates) | UCAT 2025 (41,354 candidates) | UCAT 2024 (37,913 candidates) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | 16% | 21% | 13% |
| Band 2 | 42% | 39% | 36% |
| Band 3 | 32% | 29% | 38% |
| Band 4 | 10% | 10% | 13% |
For what each band means and how to prepare, see the UCAT Situational Judgement guide.
Can UCAT 2025 scores be compared with UCAT 2024?
No — not directly. Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT in 2025, so the 2024 total included four cognitive subtests and the 2025 total three. The UCAT Consortium states that 2024 scores "are not directly comparable with those from 2025 onwards". The 2024 totals are shown only so that older school cut-offs quoted on the four-subtest scale can be read in context.
| Decile (percentile) | UCAT 2024 total (four subtests) |
|---|---|
| 1st (10th) | 2140 |
| 2nd (20th) | 2260 |
| 3rd (30th) | 2360 |
| 4th (40th) | 2440 |
| 5th (50th) | 2520 |
| 6th (60th) | 2590 |
| 7th (70th) | 2680 |
| 8th (80th) | 2780 |
| 9th (90th) | 2920 |
UCAT 2024: 37,913 tests; final mean total 2523 across Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning.
How do medical schools use UCAT scores?
The UCAT Consortium is explicit that there is no single approach. In its words, "for some universities the UCAT score is a significant factor… For others it may be a less important factor or only used in marginal situations." What it does describe:
- Total score. Most universities consider the total of the cognitive subtests; some also look at individual subtests and "may even have a cut-off score for a particular subtest".
- Thresholds. Some set a threshold candidates must reach; where it is fixed it is published, and where it is set each year they usually indicate the scores used previously.
- Weighting. Others weight UCAT alongside academic achievement such as GCSEs.
- SJT. "An increasing number of universities use the SJT in selection with some excluding lower performing candidates."
| School | What the school publishes |
|---|---|
| Newcastle University (medicine) | Up to 60 points for UCAT in shortlisting, combined with an academic score; applicants with a Band 4 in the Situational Judgement element are not considered further; only current-cycle UCAT results count. |
| Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (graduate entry) | For 2026 entry, a minimum UCAT total of 1960 for home applicants and 1910 for contextual applicants (or a GAMSAT threshold instead). |
What is a good UCAT score? — FAQs
What is the average UCAT score?
The UCAT Consortium reported a final mean total score of 1891 for UCAT 2025, based on 41,354 tests taken up to 26 September 2025. The subtest means were Verbal Reasoning 602, Decision Making 628 and Quantitative Reasoning 661. Its preliminary UCAT 2026 mean, on 20,794 tests to 13 September 2026, is 1970 — a figure the Consortium says to treat with significant caution until testing ends.
What UCAT score is in the top 10%?
In UCAT 2025 the 9th decile — the score at the 90th percentile — was 2220 out of 2700, and the median (5th decile) was 1880. The preliminary UCAT 2026 9th decile (to 13 September 2026) was 2300, with a median of 1980.
Can I compare my score with UCAT 2024 or earlier?
Not directly. Abstract Reasoning was removed in 2025, so the total score now runs from 900 to 2700 instead of including a fourth subtest. The UCAT Consortium says scores from 2025 are not directly comparable with those from before 2025, and that mean scores can shift between testing years.
What is a good SJT band?
Band 1 is the highest of the four bands. In UCAT 2025, 21% of candidates were placed in Band 1, 39% in Band 2, 29% in Band 3 and 10% in Band 4. Some universities exclude lower-performing SJT candidates — Newcastle, for example, states that applicants with a Band 4 will not be considered further.
Does a UCAT score carry over to the next year?
No. The UCAT Consortium states that UCAT 2026 results are only valid for the 2027 UCAS admissions cycle (entry in 2027 or deferred entry in 2028), so reapplicants sit the test again.
Sources (accessed 19 September 2026)
Every fact on this page comes from one of these documents, each opened on the date above. Where a source did not state something, this page does not state it either. Admissions rules change between cycles — check the source before you act on it.
- UCAT Consortium — Test Statistics 2025 — 2025 candidate numbers, mean scores, total and subtest deciles, SJT band distribution; Abstract Reasoning removalhttps://www.ucat.ac.uk/results/test-statistics-2025/
- UCAT Consortium — Test Statistics 2024 — 2024 candidate numbers, mean scores, deciles and SJT band distributionhttps://www.ucat.ac.uk/results/test-statistics-2024/
- UCAT Consortium — Test Statistics (2026 preliminary) — UCAT 2026 preliminary mean, subtest means, deciles and SJT bands (20,794 tests to 13 September 2026); caution note; final-statistics timinghttps://www.ucat.ac.uk/results/test-statistics/
- UCAT Consortium — Test Format and Scoring — score ranges (300–900 per subtest, 900–2700 total), SJT band definitions, marking ruleshttps://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/test-format-and-scoring/
- UCAT Consortium — How Universities use the UCAT — thresholds, weighting, subtest cut-offs and SJT use by universitieshttps://www.ucat.ac.uk/results/how-universities-use-the-ucat/
- UCAT Consortium — UCAT Results — result validity for one UCAS cycle; score reports; delivery to universitieshttps://www.ucat.ac.uk/results/ucat-results/
- Newcastle University School of Medicine — Apply to Medicine — example of an SJT Band 4 exclusion and UCAT points in shortlistinghttps://www.ncl.ac.uk/medicine/study/undergraduate/apply-medicine/
- Pears Cumbria School of Medicine — Study — example of a published fixed UCAT threshold (2026 entry)https://cumbriamed.ac.uk/study/