UCAT Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield UCAT facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A table shows hospital staff absences per month: Jan 50, Feb 45, Mar 60, Apr 55, May 40. What is the mode? → No mode
2. There are numerous animals that reside in the forest. The majority of the animals are foxes, while few are bears. → Both foxes and Bears live in the jungle
3. A graph shows surgery waiting times (weeks): Jan = 6, Feb = 8, Mar = 7, Apr = 5. What is the mean waiting time over the 4 months? → 6.5 weeks
4. A hospital administrator argues: 'Patient satisfaction scores are high, so our care quality must be excellent.' Which flaw weakens this argument most? → Satisfaction and clinical quality are not the same thing
5. A scatter plot shows a strong positive correlation between handwashing compliance (%) and patient-acquired infection rates. Which interpretation is correct? → Higher compliance is associated with more infections
6. A chart shows that 360 out of 1,200 outpatient appointments were missed. What is the did-not-attend (DNA) rate? → 30%
7. How long do you have to complete the UCAT? → You have to complete the UCAT in 120 minutes
8. In a UCAT practice context, which of the following best describes 'analogical reasoning'? → Drawing conclusions about a new case based on its similarity to a known case
9. A table shows 4 hospitals' readmission rates. Hospital A: 9%, B: 11%, C: 8%, D: 14%. What is the range of readmission rates? → 6 pp
10. Emergency admissions data: Monday 45, Tuesday 60, Wednesday 50, Thursday 55, Friday 70. What is the median number of admissions? → 55
11. A table shows that Hospital A had 2,400 admissions in Q1 and Hospital B had 1,800. What percentage more admissions did Hospital A have compared to Hospital B? → 33%
12. What types of questions are included in the Decision Making subtest? → Questions that may refer to text, charts, tables, graphs or diagrams.
13. Which of the following statements is a value judgement rather than a factual claim? → Patients should always be prioritised over cost concerns
14. How is the UCAT scored? → Each section is scored from 300 to 900, with a total score range from 1200 to 3600
15. What should be the minimum time period for preparing for the UCAT? → * 9 months
16. Which section of the UCAT assesses candidates' ability to evaluate information presented in various formats? → Decision Making
17. Which subtest measures the ability to use reasoning and interpret statistical data? → Decision Making
18. What is the recommended preparation time for the UCAT? → Around 20-30 hours of practice
19. A study reports a relative risk (RR) of 0.6 for a new vaccine. What does this mean? → Vaccinated people have 40% less risk of disease compared to unvaccinated
20. An argument claims that because Hospital X has the best survival rates, it must have the best doctors. Which logical flaw is present? → Confusing correlation with causation
21. Patient data shows that 180 patients were screened, 45 tested positive, and 30 were true positives. What is the positive predictive value (PPV)? → 67%
22. A hospital's length of stay data shows: mean = 5.2 days, median = 4.0 days. What does the difference between mean and median suggest about the data? → The data is skewed by some very long stays
23. A new hospital policy reduces patient waiting times by 20% but increases administrative costs by 15%. Which conclusion is best supported? → The policy improves patient flow but has a financial trade-off
24. Can you resit the UCAT? → Yes
25. What is the main purpose of the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)? → To evaluate candidates' suitability for healthcare careers
26. A study concludes that doctors who drink coffee make fewer errors. Which of the following is the strongest alternative explanation? → Doctors who drink coffee are more alert due to better sleep, not the coffee itself
27. Which of the following best describes the term 'equipoise' in clinical trial design? → There is genuine uncertainty about which treatment arm is superior
28. What is the difference between UCAT, UKCAT and UCAT ANZ? → UCAT is the updated name for UKCAT
29. A line graph shows patient satisfaction scores increasing from 68% in January to 82% in June. What is the percentage point increase? → 14 pp
30. Which cognitive skill is NOT directly assessed by the UCAT? → Musical ability