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UCAT ANZ format and scoring explained

Checked 19 October 2026 by XScrubs

A brass calliper on a sheet of paper in emerald green light.

In short

The UCAT ANZ is a computer-based test with four separately timed subtests and 184 multiple-choice questions. Three of the subtests are scaled to 300 to 900 and added into a total out of 2700, while Situational Judgement gets its own 300 to 900 score. Wrong answers lose nothing, so every question is worth an answer.

Checked 19 October 2026 against the sources listed at the end.

The shape of the test

The UCAT ANZ is sat on a computer at a Pearson test centre (external link). Every question is multiple choice. There are four subtests, and each one is timed on its own clock.

SubtestQuestionsInstruction timeQuestion time
Verbal Reasoning441 min 30 s22 min
Decision Making351 min 30 s37 min
Quantitative Reasoning362 min26 min
Situational Judgement691 min 30 s26 min

That is 184 questions and 111 minutes of question time. Add the four instruction screens and you land at just under two hours in the chair. This is the 2026 format. The Consortium has not announced anything different for 2027, so look at its test format page (external link) again once new details appear.

What each subtest is checking

  • Verbal Reasoning gives you eleven passages with four questions each. You decide what a passage does and does not support. No outside knowledge is needed.
  • Decision Making mixes logic puzzles, arguments and data. Some items are ordinary multiple choice. Others show five statements and ask for a yes or no on each.
  • Quantitative Reasoning is about working with numbers in context, usually from charts, graphs and tables. It leans on problem solving more than on fast arithmetic.
  • Situational Judgement presents realistic scenarios from clinical or training settings, up to six questions per scenario, and asks how a person should act. It does not need medical knowledge.

Tools you get

Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning include a basic on-screen calculator (external link). Everyone is handed a laminated notebook and a marker pen for rough work. The Consortium's tour tutorial (external link) shows every tool, and learning them before you practise saves time later.

How the score is built

The test is marked on right answers alone (external link). There is no deduction for a wrong one, and how you do on one question does not change which questions come next.

Because the three cognitive subtests have different numbers of questions, raw marks cannot be compared directly. Each one is rescaled to a score between 300 and 900, and the three rescaled scores are summed, giving a total between 900 and 2700.

  • Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning: one mark per question.
  • Decision Making: one mark for a single-answer question, up to two for a five-statement question, with one mark for a partly right response.
  • Situational Judgement: a response that matches the key earns full marks, and one near the key earns part marks. Its scaled score, again 300 to 900, is reported by itself and is never added to the total.

Results

A score report arrives in your Pearson account (external link), and the email telling you so comes within 24 hours of the test. Universities receive results from the Consortium in early September (external link), so there is nothing for you to forward. Each university decides how it uses the numbers, as we explain in the guides on free and paid preparation and on the parents' side of the process.

Abstract Reasoning was part of earlier versions of the test and is not in the current statistics. Older books, videos and forum posts may describe a format that no longer exists, so check the date on anything you use.

A fair word about us

XScrubs sells UCAT ANZ practice, so we have an interest. The Consortium does not work with or endorse commercial providers and says its own practice material is free. Start there. If you later want more volume, our free sample and five-question quiz are a gentle way to see whether our style suits you.

Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UCAT ANZ Consortium.

Common questions

Do wrong answers lose marks on the UCAT ANZ?
No. The test counts correct answers only, so a wrong answer costs nothing. Leave nothing blank when time is nearly up.
How is the UCAT ANZ total score made?
Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning each have their raw marks converted to a scaled score between 300 and 900. Those three are added, giving a total between 900 and 2700. Situational Judgement is scaled separately and is not part of that total.
How long is the UCAT ANZ?
The four subtests add up to 111 minutes of question time across 184 questions. Each subtest also has a short timed instruction section first. The Consortium describes the whole sitting as just under two hours.
Can you pause the UCAT ANZ?
Not in the standard version. Once it starts it keeps running. Students granted access arrangements may sit a version with rest breaks.
Is a calculator allowed in the UCAT ANZ?
A simple on-screen calculator is provided in Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning. You also get a laminated notebook and a marker for working.

Keep reading

Sources, checked 19 October 2026

Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UCAT ANZ Consortium.