What is the UCAT and when do students sit the exam?

The UCAT is a two hour multiple choice test which is administered on computer at a test centre throughout July and early August. It can be taken for the first time in Year 12, and then every year for as many times as a candidate wants.

The UCAT assesses a range of abilities identified by universities as important to practicing in the fields of medicine / dentistry / clinical sciences:

• the ability to evaluate information presented in a written form,
• the ability to make sound decisions using complex information,
• the ability to evaluate information presented in a numerical form,
• the ability to understand real world situations and identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.

The UCAT is one of three criteria used by most Australian universities in selecting students into high demand health related careers such as medicine and dentistry. The three are:

1. UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test)
2. ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank)
3. Interview performance (Panel or MMI)

Performing well in the UCAT is critical for students wishing to enter medicine or other health science courses.

For information on which universities require the UCAT, please see here.

For more information about the UCAT, you can view our free resources page.

Updated on: 03/10/2025