Undergraduate Medicine: The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)

UKCAT - General Overview

There has been a widespread feeling for some time amongst those involved in admissions to medical and dental schools that A-levels were failing to discriminate between candidates at the upper end of the scale of academic ability.  The UKCAT was conceived to improve the fairness and objectivity of the admissions process for medicine and dentistry.  The test offers Universities the ability to select students on the basis of characteristics relevant to success in their chosen profession.  The test also offers the significant advantage of helping widen access by identifying academic potential in applicants from less-advantaged educational backgrounds.

The test when considered alongside other factors will help Universities select candidates who have the best combination of mental abilities, attitudes and professional behaviours required for doctors in their clinical careers.  Further details regarding the Test are available from the UKCAT website.

Test preparation

The medical and dental schools participating in UKCAT do not endorse any commercially available preparatory course or material for the UKCAT. The test is designed to be a test of aptitude rather than academic achievement and does not draw on any particular body of knowledge or curriculum that you can learn in advance. We would however encourage candidates to practise answering the types of questions that will be presented in the UKCAT and to familiarise themselves with the test format so that they know how to navigate through the test.  In taking this approach candidates will become familiar with the different types of questions and in particular understand the time restrictions imposed within the test.

There are practice questions (including a fully timed test) available for free on the UKCAT website.

How we use UKCAT scores

All candidates applying to the Bute Medical School, including International students, are required to take the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT).  This should be sat in the year before the year of entry to the Medical programme. The deadline for sitting the test is usually in the first week of October but the exact date can be found on the UKCAT website.   Those wishing deferred entry should take the test in the year in which they submit their application. We will only consider deferred applications in very exceptional cases.

At St Andrews UKCAT scores are considered in our selection for interview but are not the sole indicator for selection. In particular they are balanced against actual and predicted academic achievement.  All indicators are considered together in deciding who will be selected for interview.  There is no pass or fail mark. Each year the UKCAT scores of all those who apply to St Andrews are ranked. The ranking is divided into bandings and points are allocated per banding. The test result is worth 10% of the overall admissions assessment score. Applicants re-applying for Medicine must re-take the UKCAT each time they re-apply; a test score from a previous admissions cycle will not be considered as acceptable.