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What UCAT Score, UCAT percentile, ATAR / OP / GPA will get me an interview offer?
When will UCAT percentile results report come out?
What does my UCAT Score and UCAT Percentile mean?
What is a good UCAT result?
While UCAT 2022 results are provided to candidates immediately after the exam, the exact UCAT percentile (UCAT statistics report) release date is not yet known. Pearson VUE promises to have the UCAT Percentile results to be made available to students soon after the end of testing. So, lets hope we don't have to wait for much longer.
Do not hesitate to contact if you are unsure how to interpret your UCAT results.
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Which universities do no require a UCAT score?
Preparing for the UCAT and and how to interpret your own UCAT NIE practice test scores:
Attempting UCAT-style questions under the same conditions as the real UCAT is very important for anyone who is thinking of sitting the UCAT anytime in the near future. The main purpose of a trial test is to identify weaker and stronger areas of the applicant’s performance. This can be achieved easily by analysing the raw percentage of questions that were marked correctly during the trial test. While this information is important in order to plan ones preparation strategy, it is also very important to understand ‘how ready’ the applicant is for the real test compared to others who will sit the UCAT.
The exact methodology used by Pearson VUE to calculate UCAT scores has never been disclosed to neither the public nor any other organisation including universities, colleges and any UCAT preparation organisations. And even if Pearson VUE was to share the information about the method of calculating the actual raw UCAT scores and UCAT percentile, this information would be deemed unusable, unless Pearson VUE would also share performance reports of the entire UCAT cohort for that particular year. Therefore, any advice or mark forecasts provided in this guide, are merely estimates based on NIE’s past experiences and analysis of NIE’s past student performance and how the results compared to the students’ UCAT performance.
Is there a pass or fail for UCAT?
There is no 'pass' or 'fail' for UCAT. Universities use UCAT Scores differently and set their own UCAT cut-off scores each year. These are the minimum UCAT Percentile scores acceptable for consideration by the university and vary from one university to another. Note, Pearson VUE cannot give information regarding UCAT or ATAR / OP cut-off scores.
What UCAT Score, UCAT percentile, ATAR / OP / GPA will get me an interview offer?
The exact range of UCAT and ATAR / GPA cut off scores (minimum to maximum scores) will only be known after everyone has been interviewed and once students have accepted their offers to study medicine or dentistry. Hence, the range of scores for that particular year will only be available after the academic year has started.
In saying this, we have been collecting data and analysing trends across universities since the first UCAT ANZ in 2019. From what we have gathered thus far, we can say with high level of certainty that for any non-rural UCAT candidate a required mark to receive an interview offer is at least in the 90th percentile. In 2021, nearly all universities who required a UCAT score as part of their undergraduate admission process, was in the 95th+ percentile range. Some exceptions, that we observed, where applicants were invited for the admission interviews with a mark lower than 95th percentile was by UNSW, Monash and UWA. There were some further leniencies offered by some universities to their own local State applicants due to difficulties caused by COVID restrictions. However, we cannot assume that those leniencies will be offered again in future.
Candidates must also note that some universities may also consider additional aggregates to make their final decision. For instance WSU looks at the VR mark as well as the total UCAT Percentile for sections 1-4. Further more UQ looks at VR & SJT and University of Adelaide may also look at the applicants score in the SJT section of the UCAT as well as the overall percentile score.
For rural applicants, the UCAT cut-off score has been considerably lower and in 2021, we spoke to numerous applicants who were invited for interviews with UCAT scores as low as 43rd percentile.
ATAR and GPA: In short, if you are not considered a rural applicant, the ideal ATAR score which would get you an interview should be in the 98+ range. This does not mean that applicants with lower score do not make it into medical or dentak degrees. It is just less likely unless you are considered a special category applicant (e.g. rural applicant). In saying this, there are far more irregularities when it comes to these marks compared to the UCAT scores. What most universities publish as their cut-off score is often lower by at least 3 marks compared to those who actually receive an interview offer.
Do UCAT Scores show the number of questions correctly answered?
Somewhat but not exactly. The number of questions you had right gets you a mark out of 600. Thereafter 300 marks are added to your scores for each one of the sections and your final score gets scaled against the scores of other candidates to obtain your UCAT Section Scores and overall percentiles.
What does the UCAT percentile rank mean?
A UCAT percentile rank indicates how a candidate performed in relation to all other candidates who sat UCAT in the same year. Percentiles do not allow comparison between candidates who sat the test in different years.
IMPORTANT: Candidates will not be provided with any additional information on the scoring process. All such information remains the property of Pearson VUE and the UCAT Consortium. A candidate has no right to examination of Pearson VUE's scoring processes and methodologies.
Some important points to consider.
Before you get into analysing your own UCAT scores and in turn overly criticising your own performance, you need to understand a couple of very important points:
- UCAT is a heavily scaled test and hardly anyone ever gets all questions right. Those that do, are far and few. Therefore, your expectation of what a good mark is, needs to be more realistic and in tune with the marking criteria.
- If you find any UCAT Section/Subtest difficult, chances are that others do too. So, do not be too harsh on yourself.
- If you are a beginner and only starting UCAT prepation now, chances are that you will score low in each UCAT subtest. This will more than likely put you in the bottom percentile. This is not because you are incapable in doing well in the UCAT, it is simply because UCAT is a culling test, and so the largest number of applicants with most common scores end up in the bottom to mid range-percentile. Things will get better with consistent practice. Pearson VUE encourages students to practcie and prepare for the test if they want to do well.
Suggested further reading:
UCAT 2022 - So, what does your UCAT Score / UCAT Percentile mean? Recently published article
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