UCAT Frequently Asked Questions

Your test may be delayed as you wait to be assigned to a proctor.  If you have been waiting for over 30 minutes, please abandon your test and email the UCAT Office to request a voucher code so that you can re-book your test.

Please be assured that we will help you rearrange your test at no additional cost.  We have lots of test centre capacity.  To reschedule your test, you may need to wait 24 hours before you will be able to re-book your new test. 

We aim to provide a straightforward and convenient way of sitting your test. However, whether you are testing at home or in a test centre, occasionally things may go wrong and we have put systems in place to deal with such circumstances.

Most technical issues can be avoided by completing a system check to see whether you have the IT set up to support the UCAT Online. This is outlined in detail on our UCAT Online Candidate Guide, which is available on the UCAT 2020 page of our website. There is a further opportunity to run this check immediately before you take the UCAT Online. If at that point you fail the technical check, you can reschedule your test to a later date.

It is possible that a connectivity issue may affect you proceeding through the test. The UCAT Online Guide advises you what to do in this circumstance. If this is a minor issue, then your test will restart at the point where the issue occurred and no time will be lost. Minor internet connectivity issues may result in small delays (less than second) in questions loading – please be assured that time in each subtest is adjusted to take account of this. 

If you encounter issues during testing which have affected your performance, please contact the proctor using the chat function.  If your issue is not resolved, please phone Pearson VUE Customer Services immediately following your test (within their opening hours).  

Our Candidate Guides will provide you with lots of information about the different test delivery options.  You may also have a personal preference about where you want to test and where you think you will perform best.  Some candidates may be attracted by a more relaxed testing experience at home, whilst others may prefer a more formal testing environment.

The Access Arrangements section of our website shows what test accommodations are allowed in both test centres and the UCAT Online.

30/07/20 Face coverings are mandatory at test centres in England and Scotland.

From 10/08/20 face coverings will be mandatory at test centres in Northern Ireland.

Currently face coverings are strongly recommended at test centres in Wales. 

If you are exempt from wearing a face covering and would like to use an exemption card you can use the PDF attachments on this page.  This is a personal choice, and is not necessary in law.

If you are testing outside the UK country specific information can be found on the Pearson VUE website.

Detailed information regarding the technical requirements are available in the UCAT Online Candidate Guide, available on the UCAT 2020 page of our website. You will need a Windows or Mac personal computer or laptop (additional monitors are not permitted), a webcam and microphone and a stable internet connection.

If you are testing on a laptop, using a mouse and a keyboard may be easier than a touchpad to navigate through the test - you are permitted to use these accessories if you wish.  If you do not have all the required equipment, please consider borrowing items from friends/family or school. For specific system requirements please review the list of technical requirements at https://www.pearsonvue.com/ucat/onvue

Detailed information regarding the required test environment is available in the UCAT Online Candidate Guide, available on the UCAT 2020 page of our website. You can test at home or in a private, quiet location of your choice. Wherever you test, the room must be walled, have a closed door, and be free from disruptions. Your desktop will need to be clean and you should not be within arm’s reach of books, notepads, sticky notes, papers, pens, pencils, and other writing instruments.

We are committed to protecting the integrity of the test, regardless of how it is delivered.  Full information regarding security measures is available in the UCAT Online Candidate Guide on the UCAT 2020 page of our website. 

We use artificial intelligence combined with live monitoring, to safeguard the security of the test. Your test session will be monitored and recorded by a Pearson VUE Proctor, via webcam and microphone. Proctors are real people who invigilate your test. They are trained to watch for and detect any behaviour that may be in violation of exam rules and will terminate a test if prohibited behaviour is detected.

The security measures outlined above and in the UCAT Online Candidate guide will prevent this happening. Handheld calculators of any description are not permitted. The online proctor will stop the test immediately if they suspect a candidate is using such a calculator.

In test centres you will (as previously) have access to a set of noteboards and pens.  If you test at home you will be able to use an erasable whiteboard during testing.  This must be used with a non-permanent marker pen and wiped clean at the end of the test.  See the Practice Tips page of our website for details on what constitutes an acceptable whiteboard.

All candidates will also have access to an onscreen scratchpad which is now built into our preparation materials (Question Banks and Practice Tests).  Please refer to the detailed information about note-taking in the test on the Practice Tips page of our website.

We recognise that the UCAT Online will not be an option for all candidates. If your internet connection is regularly unstable or you do not have the IT equipment necessary, then you would be advised to sit the test at a test centre.

We recognise that the UCAT Online will not be an option for all candidates. If your internet connection is regularly unstable or you do not have the IT equipment necessary, then you would be advised to sit the test at a test centre.

We would advise you to consider taking the UCAT Online. It is possible that your circumstances or government advice will change over the next few months, at which point attending a test centre may become an option. If you have very specific circumstances that we need to take account of, you should contact the UCAT Office.

The situation regarding test centres globally is changing week to week. In some countries, there may currently be no test centres open, but this could change as the test cycle progresses depending on local government guidance. You should also consider taking the UCAT Online. If you have very specific circumstances that we need to take account of you should contact us.

You should not attend a Pearson VUE Test Centre if you have any symptoms of coronavirus and should follow government guidelines on self-isolating. You should book or reschedule your test to a later date, after the mandatory self-isolation period.  This applies equally to candidates sitting the test in Test Centres and to those sitting the UCAT Online.

Whilst school leaver exams have been cancelled, most University assessments have proceeded with online alternatives and this seemed to be a sensible solution for UCAT to consider. The UCAT is a really important part of selection to medicine and dentistry in the UK with 30 Universities intending to use the test for 2021 entry. Our Consortium Universities have been keen that we explore all options to arrive at a solution for 2020 that allows testing to proceed without putting our candidates at risk.

Our dual offering in 2020 (the ability to take the test at home or in a test centre) is intended to be flexible enough to meet the needs of our candidates during these challenging times. The UCAT Online provides candidates with another way to sit the test this year. The choice in test location for some candidates may be restricted if they do not have the requirement IT equipment, adequate wifi connectivity or have a set of test accommodations which we can only meet in one setting. There may be health reasons that will prevent candidates from travelling. Internationally, access to physical test centres may also be difficult. We want to give our candidates every opportunity to test safely in 2020 and will support individuals through this process if required. If you have very specific circumstances that we need to take account of you should contact us.

Registration for our tests is only open between certain dates.  Outside of these times you will see a message that says "The feature that you are trying to access is blocked. Please try later".  Please see your relevant test page for more details of registration periods.

If you have forgotten your username or password there are options to retrieve these from the sign in page.  Please do not set up a new account as multiple accounts are not permitted.  If you continue to have problems signing in then you need to contact Pearson VUE Customer Services.  

This email should arrive quickly and at the very latest within one working day. Please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as it may have been diverted there.  If it has not arrived please contact Pearson VUE Customer Services.

Yes. If you want to change your test from one delivery mode to another, you will need to cancel your existing booking and book again.  You are not guaranteed the same appointment.  If you have used a bursary voucher to pay for your test you can re-use the same voucher code.

Availability in the last weeks of testing will be very low, so you may want to speak to Customer Services before cancelling your existing appointment.

Full information on rescheduling can be found on our Rescheduling and Cancelling web page.

No, whilst there are many commercial companies offering coaching for the UCAT, we do not work with any of these companies or endorse the use of their materials. These courses can cost candidates a great deal of money and we would advise you to be sceptical about their claims.  Commercial organisations are not affiliated with UCAT.  They may be using items that are not necessarily of the standard you will encounter in the UCAT and this may distort your performance whilst practising.  We advise all students to prepare for the UCAT by using the free OFFICIAL practice materials available on the UCAT website.

We've recently become aware that when candidates have 'Dark Mode' enabled on their phone that the questions and background in the App appear black.  To use the App please ask Siri to 'Turn off Dark Mode' and you should then be able to use the App without any further problems.

On occasion, the start of your test may be delayed as you wait to be assigned to a proctor.  Please be patient – most candidates will have their test launched within 15 minutes of their test appointment.  If however you have been waiting for over 30 minutes, we would advise you to abandon your test and email the UCAT Office to request a voucher code so that you can re-book your test.

Please be assured that we will help you rearrange your test at no additional cost.  We have lots of test centre capacity.  To reschedule your test, you may need to wait 24 hours before you will be able to re-book your new test. 

If you have experienced a problem with sitting your test, please contact our Customer Services Team by phone. ⁠⁠
This way we can ensure your issue is logged and an incident number recorded (you may already have been given one of these).  Pearson VUE will then investigate the incident and report the outcome back to you by email within 5 working days.  Please do not email the UCAT Office directly, as we cannot take any action until the initial investigation by Pearson VUE has been completed. 

If sitting your test at a Pearson VUE test centre, when you leave the test centre you will be given a copy of your UCAT Score Report. For all candidate (regardless of where you sit the test), your score report will also be accessible online through your Pearson VUE account. You should allow approximately 24 hours after your test for this to be uploaded.  If you need a copy of a score report from 2018 or earlier, these will be available for a fee of £25 GBP. You can order one by contacting Pearson VUE Customer Services.

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In mid-late September of each year we publish interim results which give candidates an early indication of the decile they are within (although this is subject to change until testing is completed).  Once testing has ended and results are released a useful 'Percentile Look Up' facility is added to the Test Statistics page of our website to allow you to see your exact ranking within the current year's cohort of test takers.

The UCAT, which is predominantly used as an admissions test for UK universities, has now been adopted by a consortium of universities in Australia and New Zealand.  We refer to these universities informally as the UCAT ANZ Consortium and their test as the UCAT ANZ.  However it is identical in format and content to the UCAT.  Candidates should only apply to sit this version of the test if they are intending to apply to a relevant course at one of the UCAT ANZ Consortium member universities in Australia or New Zealand.

If you are an Australian/New Zealand applicant applying to both Australian/New Zealand and UK universities for 2021 entry you need to sit the UCAT ANZ during July.  You are required to sit this test so that your results can be delivered to your Australian/New Zealand medical school choices by their admissions deadlines, which are earlier than the UK. 

You then need to complete this form (link to follow) so that we can verify your UCAT ANZ score with the UCAT ANZ Office and communicate this to your chosen UK universities.  You do not need to sit both the UCAT and the UCAT ANZ. 

The website for the UCAT ANZ test is www.ucat.edu.au/ and their contact details can be found here www.ucat.edu.au/contact-us/

Other applicants or those applying for different entry points should always check entry requirements with the university they intend to apply to.  UCAT cannot advise a candidate on their applicant status (e.g. home/domestic or international/overseas).  Applicants should always seek clarification on this matter from their chosen universities. 

Please note that a UCAT (UK) result is not accepted by Australian/New Zealand universities.

Candidates are not permitted to sit both the UCAT and the UCAT ANZ in the same year.  In this event only the test result obtained at the first sitting will be valid.