What Is a Good UCAT Score? Score Ranges & Medical School Targets

What Is a Good UCAT Score? Score Ranges & Medical School Targets

You have a number, or a target you are chasing. The real question is simple: does a good UCAT score open doors or close them? That worry is normal.

The 2025 scoring overhaul changed the rules. Abstract Reasoning is gone, and the test is now marked out of 2700. Old advice built on the retired 3600 scale can mislead you right now.

Below, you get a plain decile map, the 2025 average, and how real UK medical schools actually use the figure. No filler.

What counts as a good UCAT score?

On the current 2700 scale, a good UCAT score means landing in the top three deciles. Roughly 2100 or higher is competitive. Around 2220 puts you in the top 10%.

About 2300 or more is competitive at the most selective schools. One caveat matters most. Good is always relative to the schools you actually target.

Here is a quick tier guide for the 2025 scale, from solid to elite:

• About 2000: a solid, workable score.
• About 2100: strong and broadly competitive.
• About 2220: top decile nationally.
• About 2300 plus: elite-competitive.

Your Situational Judgement band is judged separately, which we cover further down.

How is the UCAT scored out of 2700?

The UCAT has three cognitive subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Reasoning. Each is scaled from 300 to 900. Add them together and you get a total from 900 to 2700.

The Situational Judgement Test sits outside that total. It is reported as a separate band, from Band 1 to Band 4, so it never adds to your 2700 score.

Your raw marks are not your final score. Each subtest is scaled, or equated, so a 700 means the same thing across test versions. There is no negative marking.

Abstract Reasoning was removed for 2025 entry. That dropped the old maximum from 3600 to 2700. So any pre-2025 numbers you find will not compare cleanly.

According to the UCAT Consortium, the official test maker, this three-subtest structure applies to every 2025 and 2026 candidate.

What is the average UCAT score?

The final 2025 average total was 1891 out of 2700. That sits close to the 50th percentile. It came from 41,354 tests taken up to 26 September 2025.

The three subtests do not average out evenly. The table below shows the mean scaled score for each one in 2025, so you can see which section typically runs hardest.

Cognitive subtest	2025 mean score	What the mean suggests for you
Verbal Reasoning	602	Lowest mean, so it usually feels hardest
Decision Making	628	Sits in the middle of the three subtests
Quantitative Reasoning	661	Highest mean, often the most approachable
Total (all three)	1891	The 2025 average across the cohort

Verbal Reasoning usually scores lowest across the cohort. So an average VR result is not a weak one.

What does above average mean in practice? Anything over 1891 puts you in the top half of test-takers. That alone can help you win an interview at schools that reward a higher UCAT.

These 2025 figures are the current benchmark. The 2026 statistics publish around mid-September 2026, with final numbers shortly after testing ends on 24 September.

What are the UCAT score ranges and deciles?

A decile is one tenth of all candidates, ranked by score. The UCAT publishes nine decile boundaries. Reading the 2025 UCAT score ranges and deciles breakdown, the top 10% starts at 2220.

One quick note on direction. The UCAT counts up: the 1st decile is a lower score, and the 9th decile is the top band. Find the highest boundary your score clears.

The table below maps 2025 total scores to deciles, from the 3rd decile up to the top band. Locate your score, then read across to see roughly where you rank nationally.

Decile rank	Total score (2700)	What it means
3rd decile	1760	Below average, target flexible schools
4th decile	1820	Approaching the middle
5th decile	1880	Right around the national average
6th decile	1950	Above average, holistically competitive
7th decile	2010	Solidly above average
8th decile	2100	Top 20%, broadly strong
9th decile	2220	Top 10%, opens most doors

Below the 3rd decile, the 1st and 2nd boundaries sat at 1580 and 1680. At the very top, roughly 2310 reaches the 95th percentile and 2460 the 99th.

According to the UCAT Consortium 2025 statistics, these are final figures, not the higher interim numbers released partway through the testing window.

What are UK medical school UCAT cut-off scores?

There is no single national cut-off. Every school uses the UCAT differently, so a good score is one that clears your chosen schools. Most medical school UCAT cut-off scores in the UK are set after applications close, and they shift every year.

Four main models exist. Knowing which one a school uses tells you what your number needs to do there.

Which schools set a minimum threshold?

Threshold schools set a floor you must clear to be considered. For 2026 entry, Sheffield used a minimum of 1800 and Edinburgh 1650. Some also reject an SJT Band 4 outright.

Which schools rank you by score?

Score-led schools shortlist the highest UCAT scorers, so the effective bar floats with each cohort. Bristol, Glasgow, Southampton, and St Andrews sit here. At St Andrews, the interview line has recently sat near 2400.

Which schools weigh UCAT with grades?

Factored schools blend the UCAT with GCSEs or contextual data into one score. Birmingham weights it about 40%. Newcastle and King's College London use points systems where a strong UCAT can lift a borderline profile.

How do subtest and international minimums work?

Some schools set per-section floors. City St George's, for example, wants at least 500 in each subtest. International applicants often face higher effective thresholds, because their pool is smaller and capped.

A few schools still rank by decile rather than a raw threshold. Edinburgh, for instance, converts your total into a decile score and adds it to your academic ranking.

Always confirm current figures on each university's own admissions page. The numbers above are recent-cycle guides, not guarantees, and they move with every applicant pool.

Notice a pattern: most schools check your academic grades before the UCAT even counts. Strong A-Levels come first, which is why medicine applicants prioritise them.

What is a good UCAT SJT band?

Band 1 is the highest and Band 4 the lowest. Most schools want Band 1 or 2. Several screen out Band 4, and the band is judged separately from your 2700 total.

Here is how the 2025 cohort spread across the four bands. Use it to see how common your band is, and why a Band 4 can worry some admissions teams.

SJT band	Share of candidates (2025)	How admissions teams view your band
Band 1	21%	Strongest band, welcomed by every school
Band 2	39%	Strong and accepted almost everywhere
Band 3	29%	Usually acceptable, though a few schools are cautious
Band 4	10%	Rejected outright by several UK medical schools

A strong 2200-plus total can still be held back by a Band 4 at some schools. So do not ignore the SJT while chasing cognitive marks.

How do you score in the top decile?

Learning how to score in the top decile for medical admissions means clearing roughly 90% of candidates, about 2220 in 2025. It comes from smart, timed practice, not from memorising content.

A few habits separate top-decile scorers from the rest:

• Fix your weakest subtest first.
• Sit full, timed mocks under real conditions.
• Review error patterns, not just scores.
• Master the on-screen tools and shortcuts.
• Pace each question type deliberately.

Start early. The 2026 UCAT window runs from 13 July to 24 September, so a focused block across the spring and summer gives you room to improve.

Fixing your weakest section usually gains the most percentile points. A jump in Quantitative Reasoning, for many, moves the total more than polishing an already strong section.

Review with discipline. After each mock, log the reason behind every wrong answer, whether it was timing, a misread, or a knowledge gap. Patterns you name are patterns you can fix.

Is a good UCAT score the same everywhere?

No. A below-average score can still win a place at the right schools. Because schools weight the UCAT so differently, where you apply often matters more than a good UCAT score by a few points.

Scored below the average? Target factored and holistically-assessed schools, and avoid the ones that rank almost purely on the UCAT. Your grades and personal statement carry real weight there.

Contextual and widening-participation routes can help too. Many schools apply score adjustments or lower thresholds for eligible applicants, so check each scheme carefully.

For parents reading this, a modest UCAT is not the end of a medicine application. Strong A-Level Biology and Chemistry grades still open doors, and targeted support can lift them.

The practical move is simple. Match your score band to the school type before you lock in your four UCAS medicine choices.

So what is a good UCAT score for you?

A good UCAT score is the one that clears your target schools' bar. On the 2700 scale, about 2100 is competitive and 2220 lands you in the top decile.

But school choice is half the battle. The same number can be strong at one school and short at another, so strategy matters as much as points.

Your next step: check your number against the decile table above, then map it to the right school types. If your A-Level grades need lifting too, our expert tutors can help.

Last updated August 2026. Figures reflect the UCAT Consortium's final 2025 statistics. Re-check the official 2026 numbers at ucat.ac.uk once they publish in September 2026.