What Is A Good UCAT Score For Dentistry?
Dental schools in the UK use an aptitude test as part of their admissions procedure. The UCAT is a 2 hour long exam exam required for most dental schools in the UK. It is made up of five sections including verbal reasoning, abstract reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning and the situational judgement test. The time allocated for each section is slightly different and each section has a different number of questions.
Do you need UCAT to study dentistry?
Almost all undergraduate dental schools in the UK, with the exception of the University of Leeds, require you to take the UCAT as part of the admissions process. The University of Leeds, requires you to take the BMAT, another aptitude test.
For those applying to graduate entry dentistry, the UCAT may not be required or, you may need to sit another exam such as the GAMSAT. It is important to check the exact course you are applying to (specific to graduate, undergraduate or fast-track courses) to find out whether you are required to sit the UCAT.
The GAMSAT is another aptitude test required for those applying to study graduate entry medicine at Plymouth University Peninsula Dental School, St. George’s University of London, the University of Nottingham or the University of Wales, Swansea.
What is a good UCAT score?
The first four sections of the UCAT are scored separately with scores ranging from 300 to 900 giving a total scoring range of 1200 - 3600. The situational judgement score is expressed in bands with band 1 being the highest. On average, a score of 650+ in each section with band 1 or 2 in the situation judgement section is seen as a competitive score.
As with all exams, those sitting the UCAT are compared against candidates sitting the exam in the same cycle. Averages from each year will vary and universities who use the UCAT will adjust their cut off scores based on the year’s average. Average scores are published twice in the testing cycle, once in the middle and once just before the UCAS deadline. It is useful to look at the averages for your year to determine how well you did as part of your cohort. It should also be noted that the average scores do tend to differ between the mid and final averages published.
The average UCAT score in 2020 was 2511 with averages in the individual subtests ranging from 570 (verbal reasoning) to 664 (quantitative reasoning). Full details of the test statistics can be found here: https://www.ucat.ac.uk/media/1446/ucat-test-statistics-oct-2020-updated-281020.pdf
How universities use my UCAT score and cut offs and which universities to apply for based on my score
Cut off scores for the UCAT vary depending on each university. Below is a list of dental schools requiring the UCAT and how the UCAT score is used to make decisions based on admission. It is important to understand how the universities use your score and to use this information to guide you when applying.
University of Aberdeen: UCAT scores are considered when selecting for interview alongside academic performance. When considering the UCAT for interview selection, Aberdeen do not use SJT scores however, these may be used when giving out offers if two candidates have very similar scores. There is no UCAT cut off score but in 2020 the lowest UCAT score invited to interview was 2460. More info found at: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/ukcat.php
University of Birmingham: The scores of all applicants are ranked and divided into quartiles. Those in the bottom quartile are rejected and those in higher quartiles are more likely to get an interview however, this can be balanced out elsewhere in the application. The SJT score is not taken in to account. More info found at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/dentistry/courses/undergraduate/bds-faqs-2019.aspx
University of Bristol: UCAT scores hold a 35% weighting when selecting for interview with the other 65% made up of the personal statement (35%), GCSE results (15%) and A-level results (15%). More info found at: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2020/dentistry.pdf
University of Cardiff: There is no UCAT cut off score. Academic achievements are used to filter high achieving candidates. Those who are successful at this stage will then be ranked based on personal statement and UCAT scores then invited to interview. More info found at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2464229/DENTL-School-level-Admissions-Policy.pdf
University of Dundee: There is no UCAT cut off score however, scores will be compared with other applicants in the test cycle. Selection for interview is based on predicted grades and UCAT scores. More info found at: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/undergraduate/dentistry/entry-requirements
King’s College London: There is no UCAT cut off score. The overall UCAT scare (average of the 4 sub-tests) is given more importance than individual test scores. Exam results (including predicted grades) and UCAT scores are the most important factors when considering applications). More info found at: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/dentistry-bds
University of Liverpool: There is no cut off score but those scoring band 4 in the SJT section are unlikely to be considered for interview. More info found at: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/study/undergraduate/healthsciencesentrycriteria/A200,BDS,Course,Admissions,Document,2021,Entry.pdf
University of Newcastle: There is an average cut off score which is determined by the individual scores of the cohort of applicants applying to the University of Newcastle. The cut off score for 2019 entry was 637. More info found at: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/mediav8/study-with-us/general-documents/applications-amp-offers/School_of_Dental_Sciences_ucat_cut_off_Oct_19.pdf
University of Manchester: There is no cut off score for applicants at the university of Manchester however, those who score band 4 in the SJT section will not be considered further for interview. Those with band 1 and 2 will be given priority over band 3 when selecting for interview. More info at: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2021/00398/bds-dentistry-first-year-entry/application-and-selection/
University of Plymouth: There is a cut off score which is determined by the overall UCAT performance of candidates in that cycle. The cut off score for 2021 entry is 2290. More information can be found at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bds-dental-surgery
Queen Mary’s University of London: Those with a UCAT score below the third decile will not be considered for interview. More information at: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/smd/undergraduate/courses/full-entry-requirements/dentistry-bds/
Queen’s University Belfast: Academic achievements, including the UCAT are ranked based on a points system. Those with higher points will be selected for interview. You can be awarded up to 6 points for your UCAT score with the max score achieved for scores of 2900-3600. The SJT is not considered unless it is used to differentiate between borderline applicants who have achieved similar scores. More info at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/pdf/howwechooseourstudents/Filetoupload,868260,en.pdf
University of Sheffield: Those scoring band 4 in the SJT section will not be considered for interview. Typically, those who are invited to an interview score will need to score above average. More info at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/dentalschool/undergraduate/selection-process
University of Glasgow: UCAT scores make up an important part of the selection criteria for interviews. The cut off score for 2020 entry was 2530. More info at: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/dental/undergraduate/ucat/#whatisthecutoffscoreforucat%3F
FAQ's
Can i retake the UCAT?
You can only take the UCAT once in each cycle. If you re-apply to dentistry the following year, you will be required to resit the test in the cycle you apply.
What are the best resources to help me?
The IWTBAD has many resources including UCAT online mastery, UCAT mock tests, online UCAT mastery courses and 1-1 UCAT tuition. With our pre-interview packages you can buy a combination of these services.
All UCAT courses and resources have been developed by top ranking UCAT candidates and the online courses will be tailored to you.
The UCAT website also has practice questions and papers which are very useful to go through as these mimic the exam.
What score should I aim for?
Average UCAT scores stay similar each year. You can find these on the UCAT website using the following link: https://www.ucat.ac.uk/media/1446/ucat-test-statistics-oct-2020-updated-281020.pdf.
A competitive UCAT score will be above average scoring in the top 3-4 deciles. In 2021, those with a minimum score of 2580 were placed in the top 4 deciles with a top decile score being anything higher than 2850.
How many weeks/months shall i practice?
It is important to start practicing early so that you are able to maximise your performance however, you do not want to burn out! Ideally you should spend 4-8 weeks preparing for your exam but this will vary between applicants.
The most important thing is to ensure you are using your time efficiently! Make sure you spend time reviewing answers and understanding the different techniques used to answer questions. It is also important to recognise which types of questions you get wrong and come up with ways to approach these.
What section is most difficult?
On average, students tend to score lower on the verbal reasoning sub-test than other sections. The questions may not be as difficult as others however, due to the time pressured nature of the station, applicants often find themselves struggling in the exam.
The best way to tackle this is by practicing under timed conditions! Set yourself a number of questions and give yourself the exact amount of time to complete them. For example, if you want to do 12 questions (3 passages), set yourself 6 minutes to do them all.