A UCAT result arrives as a total and a band, and on its own the total tells you very little. You learn far more from two comparisons: where that total sits against everyone who sat the test this year, and what the universities on your list do with it. The UCAT Consortium publishes the first answer every cycle. This guide puts the 2026 figures in one place and shows you how to read your own score against them.
The figures below come from the official 2026 UCAT test statistics, covering 42,359 tests taken up to 24 September 2026. We read them on 1 November 2026. The consortium replaces them with a new set each year, so check that page again if you are reading this in a later cycle.
How the UCAT is scored
The UCAT has four sections. Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning are the three cognitive subtests, and each one is scored from 300 to 900. Add the three together and you get your total, which runs from 900 to 2700.
Situational Judgement, the fourth section, sits outside that total. It comes back as a band from 1 to 4, and Band 1 is the strongest. You earn a mark for each correct answer, and the UCAT ANZ consortium, which runs the same test in Australia and New Zealand, states that there is no negative marking. A guess on a question you cannot finish costs you nothing.
The 2026 averages
The mean total in 2026 was 1918. Across the subtests, candidates averaged 602 in Verbal Reasoning, 640 in Decision Making and 675 in Quantitative Reasoning. Verbal Reasoning had the lowest average of the three, 73 points below Quantitative Reasoning. Compare each of your subtests with its own average, because a 620 in Verbal Reasoning beat the 2026 mean while a 620 in Quantitative Reasoning fell short of it.
Where your score sits: the 2026 deciles
The consortium also publishes deciles, the score at the 10th percentile of candidates, the 20th, and so on up to the 90th. A score at the 70th percentile was at least as high as 70% of the scores in 2026.
| Decile | Percentile | Total | Verbal | Decision | Quantitative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10th | 1590 | 500 | 520 | 530 |
| 2nd | 20th | 1700 | 540 | 560 | 580 |
| 3rd | 30th | 1780 | 560 | 590 | 600 |
| 4th | 40th | 1850 | 580 | 620 | 640 |
| 5th | 50th | 1920 | 600 | 640 | 670 |
| 6th | 60th | 1980 | 620 | 670 | 700 |
| 7th | 70th | 2050 | 640 | 690 | 730 |
| 8th | 80th | 2140 | 670 | 710 | 780 |
| 9th | 90th | 2250 | 710 | 760 | 820 |
Source: UCAT 2026 test statistics, ucat.ac.uk, 42,359 tests to 24 September 2026. Read 1 November 2026.
Three lines in that table carry most of the meaning. The middle score in 2026 was 1920. A total of 2050 put you in the top 30%, and 2250 in the top 10%. At the other end, anything below 1700 sat in the bottom fifth of the field.
Reading three common totals against 2026
Families ask about particular numbers, so here are three of them placed on the 2026 table.
- 1900 fell between the 40th percentile (1850) and the median (1920), a little below the middle of the field.
- 2000 fell between the 60th percentile (1980) and the 70th (2050), comfortably above the middle.
- 2200 fell between the 80th percentile (2140) and the 90th (2250), inside the top fifth.
The official site also has a percentile look-up: type in an exact 2026 total and it returns your percentile. Use it for anything that falls between two deciles.
The Situational Judgement bands in 2026
Of the 42,359 candidates, 15% reached Band 1, 40% Band 2, 34% Band 3 and 11% Band 4. A Band 1 or Band 2 result therefore put you with the stronger 55% of the field. How much weight the band carries is each university's decision, so read what yours say about it before you decide whether a Band 3 is a problem.
A good score depends on where you apply
The deciles compare you with everyone who sat the test. Whether a medical school shortlists you depends on how that school uses the score: some lean on it heavily, some use it as a threshold, and some weigh it alongside grades and interview. The consortium also notes that some universities calculate their own percentiles from their own applicants, which means the field you are measured against at a popular school can be stronger than the national one.
The practical order is the same every year. Build your shortlist, read each university's admissions page for how it uses the UCAT, and take your target from the most demanding school on the list. Our guide to UCAT UK vs ANZ covers how the two regions handle registration and weighting.
A total near the median is the most common kind of result: half of the 2026 candidates scored 1920 or below. What it means for your application depends on the universities you choose, and a list built around how each school uses the UCAT lets a mid-table total do its best work.
Where a diagnostic fits
If the test is still ahead of you, the number that helps most is a projected range on this same scale, worked out under real timing. LENS·UCAT gives you that in about 45 minutes across the four sections: a projected score range, an SJT band, and the section where your marks are leaking. If you are already in range for your universities, the report says so and points you to the free official practice. We sell the diagnosis, not the cure.
Quick answers
What is a good UCAT score?
Is 1900 a good UCAT score?
What is the highest possible UCAT score?
How is the UCAT scored?
What UCAT score do you need for medicine?
Do the UCAT statistics change every year?
Find out where you stand on this scale, before you spend months on prep
LENS·UCAT is a 45-minute diagnostic at real exam pace across all four sections. It returns a projected score range, your SJT band and one honest verdict on what to do next. If you are already competitive, it says so. It is a diagnosis, not a course.
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