UCAT 2026 Results: Average Score, Deciles and SJT Bands Explained

20 Sept

You've got your number. It was on the printout before you'd even left the test centre, and it's been rattling around your head ever since.

Now the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) Consortium has published its first look at how everyone else did. The question has quietly changed from "what did I get?" to "what is that actually worth?"

That's what this guide answers. We'll go through every figure in the 2026 preliminary release, show you roughly what percentile your score sits at, explain why these numbers are very likely to shift before the final table appears, and set out what to do in the few weeks before the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) deadline. 📊

Last updated 16 September 2026, using the Consortium's preliminary statistics for tests sat up to 13 September 2026.

Looking for school-by-school thresholds? Those live in our UCAT cut-off scores guide for medical schools and our UCAT cut-off scores guide for dental schools. This page is about the numbers themselves.

UCAT 2026 Results at a Glance 📌

Tests counted so far: 20,794, with around 22,000 more candidates expected before testing ends
Preliminary average total score: 1,970 out of a possible 2,700
Subtest averages: Verbal Reasoning 614 · Decision Making 657 · Quantitative Reasoning 699
Middle score (5th decile): 1,980
Top 30% (7th decile): 2,110 and above
Top 10% (9th decile): 2,300 and above
Situational Judgement Test (SJT): Band 1 16% · Band 2 42% · Band 3 32% · Band 4 10%
Final figures: due shortly after the last test day, 24 September 2026

If you remember one thing from this page, make it this: these are early numbers, and early numbers run high.

What the UCAT Consortium Has Published for 2026

The average UCAT score in 2026: 1,970

The preliminary mean for the total cognitive score is 1,970. That total is your three cognitive subtests added together — Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning — each scaled between 300 and 900, which gives a range of 900 to 2,700.

Your SJT isn't part of that figure. It's reported separately as a band, and we'll come to it shortly.

A word on what "average" means here. It's the mean of everyone who had tested by 13 September. It is not the score medical schools are aiming for. Plenty of schools interview applicants below the mean, and some won't look twice at applicants comfortably above it. The average tells you where the middle of the crowd is standing, and that's all.

Subtest averages: where this year's cohort is strong, and where it isn't

📖 Verbal Reasoning: 614
🧩 Decision Making: 657
🔢 Quantitative Reasoning: 699

The interesting part is the spread. Quantitative Reasoning is running 85 points ahead of Verbal Reasoning. Candidates are finding it far easier to score highly on the numbers section than on the reading section, which means the same scaled score can represent a very different achievement depending on where you earned it. We'll put numbers on that in the percentile section below.

The UCAT 2026 decile table

A decile boundary is simply the score at a set percentile. The 1st decile is the 10th percentile, the 2nd is the 20th, and so on up to the 9th, which is the 90th percentile. Here is the preliminary table:

1st decile (10th percentile): 1,630
2nd decile (20th percentile): 1,750
3rd decile (30th percentile): 1,840
4th decile (40th percentile): 1,910
5th decile (50th percentile): 1,980
6th decile (60th percentile): 2,040
7th decile (70th percentile): 2,110
8th decile (80th percentile): 2,190
9th decile (90th percentile): 2,300

So a score of 2,190 means you did at least as well as roughly 80% of the candidates who had tested by mid-September. In plainer terms: top 20%.

The detail most people miss: the gaps aren't even 🔍

Look at the distance between each boundary. The whole middle 40% of candidates, from the 3rd decile to the 7th, is squeezed into just 270 points. The step from the 8th decile to the 9th is 110 points on its own.

That has two practical effects.

In the middle, small differences move you a long way. Between roughly 1,840 and 2,110, every 70 points or so is worth about ten percentile points. A 1,910 and a 1,980 feel almost identical, yet one sits at the 40th percentile and the other at the 50th.

At the top, each step costs more. Climbing from the 80th percentile to the 90th takes 110 points. That's why the gap between a very good score and an exceptional one feels so wide.

SJT band distribution in 2026

🟢 Band 1: 16%
🔵 Band 2: 42%
🟠 Band 3: 32%
🔴 Band 4: 10%

Band 1 is the highest. So far, 58% of candidates have landed in Band 1 or Band 2, and 42% in Band 3 or Band 4.

Why the UCAT 2026 Preliminary Scores Will Probably Fall ⚠️

Early testers aren't a typical group

Think about who sits the UCAT in July and August. Largely it's the organised crowd: students who booked the day slots opened, practised through the summer and wanted the test out of the way before term. It's a group that leans well-prepared.

The final fortnight brings a broader mix. Later starters, students who couldn't get an earlier slot, people who needed longer to get ready. As their results come in, the average usually slides.

The Consortium says as much. It describes the preliminary figures as numbers that "should be treated with significant caution", and it points to last year as an example.

What happened in 2025

Preliminary mean: 1,939
Final mean: 1,891
Change: down 48 points, roughly 2.5%

This year's preliminary figures are built on 20,794 tests, with about 22,000 still to come. Put simply, fewer than half of this year's candidates are in the numbers you're looking at.

How far could the 2026 figures move? 📉

If 2026 follows last year's pattern, this is roughly where the final table would settle. The preliminary figure is in brackets. These are Blue Peanut Medical's own estimates, not official figures.

Mean: around 1,920 (1,970)
1st decile: around 1,590 (1,630)
2nd decile: around 1,710 (1,750)
3rd decile: around 1,790 (1,840)
4th decile: around 1,860 (1,910)
5th decile: around 1,930 (1,980)
6th decile: around 1,990 (2,040)
7th decile: around 2,060 (2,110)
8th decile: around 2,140 (2,190)
9th decile: around 2,240 (2,300)

Two honest caveats. First, nothing guarantees that 2026 behaves like 2025, so the fall could be larger or smaller. Second, it probably won't be perfectly even. If later testers are, on the whole, less prepared, the lower boundaries could drop further than the upper ones. Treat this as a sensible planning estimate, not something to stake a UCAS choice on.

What you can reasonably rely on is the direction of travel. If your score sits close to a boundary, the final table is more likely to help you than hurt you. 🧊

Once your score gets you the interview

Your UCAT gets you the interview. The interview gets you the offer.

A mid-range score can win offers when your interview is strong, and even a high one can fall short without preparation. Our interview course is taught in small groups by NHS doctors, with realistic MMI practice and feedback on every station.

See the medical interview course Add a mock MMI circuit

UCAT 2026 vs 2025: Is This Year's Cohort Stronger? 📈

Compare like with like

The tempting comparison is this year's 1,970 against last year's final 1,891, a jump of 79 points. That sets an early snapshot against a finished picture, and it exaggerates the change badly.

The fair comparison is preliminary against preliminary: 1,939 last year, 1,970 this year. That's a rise of 31 points. Real, but modest.

Subtest by subtest

Here's how this year's preliminary averages compare with last year's final ones:

📖 Verbal Reasoning: 602 → 614 (up 12)
🧩 Decision Making: 628 → 657 (up 29)
🔢 Quantitative Reasoning: 661 → 699 (up 38)

Because each of those compares preliminary with final figures, each one overstates the true rise. The Consortium's current pages don't show last year's preliminary subtest averages, so a cleaner comparison isn't possible. Even so, the shape is clear. Verbal Reasoning has barely moved while the two number-heavy subtests have pulled further ahead, and the gap between Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning has widened from 59 points to 85.

SJT: Band 1 is harder to come by

🟢 Band 1: 21% → 16%
🔵 Band 2: 39% → 42%
🟠 Band 3: 29% → 32%
🔴 Band 4: 10% → 10%

This is the comparison worth pausing on. If early testers tend to be the better-prepared group, you'd expect the preliminary Band 1 share to look flattering. Instead it's already five points below last year's final figure. That suggests Band 1 genuinely is scarcer this year, although the final split may still differ.

It also highlights something many applicants don't realise: SJT bands aren't fixed quotas. Deciles split candidates into tens by definition. Bands don't. In 2024, 13% of candidates received Band 1 and 13% received Band 4. In 2025 those figures were 21% and 10%. The share in each band rises and falls with how the cohort performs.

A bigger field

2024: 37,913 tests
2025: 41,354 tests
2026: around 42,800, if the Consortium's expected 22,000 further candidates all sit the test

A larger field doesn't make your percentile any less accurate. It does mean more applicants competing for broadly similar numbers of interview places.

Why you can't compare with 2024 or earlier

Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT in 2025. The maximum total fell from 3,600 to 2,700, so older scores sit on a completely different scale. The final 2024 mean, for example, was 2,523, which is a total that couldn't be compared with anything on today's test. The Consortium carries the same warning on its own statistics pages.

Any average, decile or cut-off you find from 2024 or earlier simply doesn't apply to you. Check the year before you trust a number. ✋

What Percentile Is My UCAT Score in 2026? 🎯

This is usually the question students really want answered. The Consortium publishes full percentiles only with its final data, so we've estimated the values between boundaries by reading proportionally from one decile to the next.

UCAT 2026 score-to-percentile guide

Each line shows your approximate percentile on the preliminary table, followed by where you'd sit on our projected final table.

1,600: below the 10th percentile → around the 11th
1,650: around the 12th → around the 15th
1,700: around the 16th → around the 19th
1,750: the 20th → around the 25th
1,800: around the 26th → around the 31st
1,850: around the 31st → around the 39th
1,900: around the 39th → around the 46th
1,950: around the 46th → around the 53rd
2,000: around the 53rd → around the 61st
2,050: around the 61st → around the 69th
2,100: around the 69th → around the 75th
2,150: around the 75th → around the 81st
2,200: around the 81st → around the 86th
2,250: around the 85th → top 10%
2,300 and above: top 10% on both

Real score distributions don't run in straight lines between boundaries, so treat each figure as accurate to within a few percentile points.

The pattern to notice: if last year's drift repeats, most scores will gain somewhere between three and eight percentile points by the time the final table is published. The biggest gains are in the crowded middle, roughly 1,850 to 2,050.

Three students, three readings

These are illustrative composites to show how the numbers work in practice, not real applicants.

Priya scored 2,100 in August. She checked last year's final table, saw 2,100 sitting exactly on the 8th decile, and relaxed. Against this year's preliminary table the same score is around the 69th percentile, and on our projection it's nearer the 75th. Still a strong result, but not the top-20% score she thought she had, and that matters if she's planning to lean on schools that rank purely on UCAT.

Josh scored 1,900 in early September. The preliminary table puts him around the 39th percentile and he's anxious. If this year follows last year, he's more likely to finish somewhere in the mid-40s. His score won't change. The crowd around him will.

Amara scored 2,310 with Band 3. Her cognitive total is top 10% on any version of the table. The thing she needs to check, school by school, is her SJT band. 🚩

Is my Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making or Quantitative Reasoning score good?

The 2026 preliminary release gives subtest averages only, not subtest deciles. The latest full breakdown is the final 2025 table. It's still a useful guide, but bear in mind this year's averages are running higher, particularly in Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning, so this year's boundaries will probably be a little higher too.

In 2025:

📖 Verbal Reasoning: 500 was the 10th percentile, 600 the median and 700 the 90th percentile
🧩 Decision Making: 520 was the 10th percentile, 630 the median and 740 the 90th percentile
🔢 Quantitative Reasoning: 520 was the 10th percentile, 650 the median and 820 the 90th percentile

Here's why that matters. A 700 in Verbal Reasoning put you in the top 10%. A 700 in Quantitative Reasoning put you at only around the 67th percentile. Same number, very different achievement.

So if your total looks middling but your Verbal Reasoning is strong, you may be in better shape than you think, especially at schools that give Verbal Reasoning extra weight or use it to separate tied applicants. And if one subtest is unusually low, find out whether any of your choices sets a minimum for individual subtests. Our medical school cut-off guide names the schools that do.

What Is a Good UCAT Score in 2026?

There's no single answer, because "good" depends on how your chosen schools use the score. In pure ranking terms, though, here's how the preliminary table breaks down:

🟢 2,300 and above: top 10%. An excellent score by any measure.
🟢 2,190 to 2,290: top 20%. Very strong.
🔵 2,110 to 2,180: top 30%. Strong, and competitive at many UCAT-led schools.
🟠 1,980 to 2,100: above the middle. Solid, and this is where school choice starts to matter enormously.
🟠 1,840 to 1,970: below the middle, but well within range at schools that weigh academics and context heavily.
🔴 Below 1,840: bottom 30%. Harder, not hopeless. Your shortlist needs to be very deliberate.

These bands are drawn on the preliminary table, so if anything they're on the cautious side.

Which schools reward which range is a separate question with a long answer. These are the guides to read next:

Understanding Your UCAT 2026 SJT Band 🧭

What each band means

The Consortium describes the four bands roughly as follows:

🟢 Band 1: excellent performance, with judgement matching the expert panel in most cases
🔵 Band 2: good, solid performance, with appropriate judgement shown frequently
🟠 Band 3: modest performance, with good judgement on some questions but substantial differences from the ideal on others
🔴 Band 4: low performance, with judgement often differing substantially from the ideal

Marking rewards closeness. A response that matches the model answer earns full marks, and one that's near it earns partial credit.

Why your band deserves as much attention as your total

The SJT sits outside your 2,700, which makes it easy to glance at and move on. Please don't. Some medical and dental schools reject Band 4 outright, a few won't consider Band 3 either, several convert bands into points, and a handful ignore the SJT altogether.

With 42% of this year's candidates so far in Band 3 or Band 4, that's a large group of applicants for whom school choice could decide the outcome. We've set out each school's SJT policy in our medical and dental cut-off guides. Check all four of your choices against your band before you press submit.

Is Band 2 a good SJT result?

Yes. It's the most common band and it's accepted almost everywhere. Band 1 gives you an edge at schools that award points for it, but Band 2 rarely holds anyone back on its own.

Got Your UCAT 2026 Score? What to Do Next ✅

1. Find your position on both tables

Look up your score on the 2026 preliminary table and on our projected final table. The truth will most likely land somewhere between the two. Write both down.

2. Stop measuring yourself against last year

If you've been using the 2025 final deciles, you've probably been placing yourself about one decile too high. Every boundary on this year's preliminary table sits 50 to 100 points above last year's final one.

3. Match your score to how schools actually use it

Some schools rank applicants on raw score. Some work from deciles. Some blend UCAT with GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) grades, A-levels and contextual data. A few barely use it. The Consortium's own advice is to use your result to shape your UCAS choices so you don't waste an application, and it's right.

4. Check your SJT band and subtest scores against every choice

Two short checks that can save you a whole application cycle.

5. Plan in two stages, not one panic

Final figures publish shortly after testing ends on 24 September. The UCAS deadline for medicine and dentistry is 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2026. That gives you roughly three weeks. Draft your choices now against the preliminary numbers, then sanity-check them once the final table is out, particularly if you're sitting near a boundary.

6. Make your fifth choice count

You can apply to a maximum of four medicine courses, and the same limit applies to dentistry. Use your fifth UCAS choice on something you'd genuinely enjoy, such as Biomedical Science, Pharmacology or Physiology, rather than treating it as an afterthought. A good degree keeps graduate-entry routes open later. 🎓

7. Accept the score you have, then make it work

The UCAT can only be sat once in a testing year, and a second attempt is treated as misconduct. The Consortium also doesn't adjust scores after the event, because its Fitness to Test policy covers illness and difficult circumstances before you sit. So the job now is to get the most out of the result you've got.

If you're disappointed, that's completely understandable. The Consortium has a wellbeing page worth reading, and our guide to where to apply with a low UCAT score is a practical next step. Lots of applicants who were unhappy with their score still end up with offers, because they chose their schools strategically.

8. Start thinking about interviews now

Results reach universities in early November, and most interviews run from December onwards. When invitations arrive, the students who've already practised under timed conditions have a clear head start.

If you want to rehearse properly, our Mock MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) Circuits and MMI Courses run full timed stations with individual feedback, delivered by interviewers who are current UK medical and dental students. Your UCAT gets you the interview. The interview gets you the offer. 🎤

Common Mistakes When Reading UCAT 2026 Results 🚩

Treating the preliminary table as final. It covers fewer than half this year's candidates and is likely to fall.

Comparing a 2026 score with the 2025 final table. It flatters you by roughly a decile.

Using averages or cut-offs from 2024 or earlier. They're on the old 3,600 scale and meaningless now.

Assuming the average is the target. Schools don't aim for the mean. Some interview well below it, and others ignore anyone near it.

Forgetting the SJT. A top-decile total paired with the wrong band can still end an application at the wrong school.

Looking only at your total. A few schools look inside it, and a 650 in Verbal Reasoning is a better result than a 650 in Quantitative Reasoning.

Trusting cut-offs from group chats and forums. They're often from the wrong year, the wrong scale or the wrong applicant group. Go to the university's own admissions page every time.

Sitting the UCAT in 2027? What These Results Mean for Year 12 🗓️

If you're in Year 12 and reading ahead, well done. A few things from this year's figures are worth knowing now.

Averages under the three-subtest format have edged upward, and the number of test-takers rose between 2024 and 2025 and looks set to rise again this year. Your final score will be judged against everyone sitting alongside you, so it's your preparation relative to the cohort that counts.

Verbal Reasoning is where candidates score lowest, so it's also where steady, early practice is most likely to set you apart. And the SJT deserves real preparation rather than a quick look the night before.

The Consortium's official practice materials are free and should be your starting point. If you'd like structured teaching across every subtest, take a look at our UCAT Online Course. 📚

⏰ Key Dates for UCAT 2026 and 2027 Entry

20 May 2026: UCAT registration opened
23 June 2026: test booking opened
13 July 2026: testing began
13 September 2026: cut-off date for the preliminary statistics, based on 20,794 tests
16 September 2026, 15:00 UK time: booking deadline and registration closed
24 September 2026: last test day, and 15:00 deadline for Bursary Scheme applications
Shortly after 24 September 2026: final means, deciles and percentiles published
15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time: UCAS deadline for medicine and dentistry
Early November 2026: UCAT results sent directly to universities
December 2026 onwards: most medical and dental school interviews begin

❓ UCAT 2026 Results: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average UCAT score in 2026?

The preliminary average total cognitive score is 1,970, based on 20,794 tests taken up to 13 September 2026. Subtest averages are 614 for Verbal Reasoning, 657 for Decision Making and 699 for Quantitative Reasoning. Expect the final average to be lower. Last year's fell by 48 points between the preliminary and final figures.

When will the final UCAT 2026 results be published?

The Consortium says final means, deciles and percentiles will appear shortly after testing ends on 24 September 2026. It hasn't given a fixed date, so keep an eye on its Test Statistics page or its official Instagram account.

Will the UCAT 2026 deciles go down?

Very probably. Early testers tend to be better prepared, so preliminary figures usually run high. If 2026 follows 2025's pattern, we'd expect the final mean to settle around 1,920 and each decile boundary to fall by roughly 40 to 60 points. That's our estimate, not an official figure.

What percentile is my UCAT score?

Use the score-to-percentile guide earlier on this page. As a quick reference on the preliminary table: 1,750 is the 20th percentile, 1,980 the 50th, 2,110 the 70th, 2,190 the 80th and 2,300 the 90th.

Is 2,000 a good UCAT score in 2026?

It's above average. On the preliminary table it sits around the 53rd percentile, and on our projected final table nearer the 61st. That's a competitive score at many schools, particularly those that combine UCAT with academic results, though it's unlikely to be enough at the schools that rank most heavily on score.

Is 1,800 a good UCAT score?

It's below this year's average, at around the 26th percentile on the preliminary table and perhaps the low 30s once final figures arrive. It's still workable. Several schools set low minimums or none at all, and others weight GCSEs and A-levels far more than the UCAT. Our low UCAT guide goes through the options.

What percentile is 2,200 in the UCAT 2026?

Around the 81st percentile on the preliminary table, and around the 86th on our projected final table. Either way, a top-20% score.

Why is the UCAT 2026 average higher than 2025?

Partly because of timing. Comparing this year's preliminary 1,970 with last year's final 1,891 exaggerates the change. The fair comparison is preliminary with preliminary, which shows a rise of 31 points. That points to a modestly stronger cohort so far, not a dramatic shift.

Is the UCAT harder or easier in 2026?

The figures can't tell you that. The Consortium equates its different test versions within each year so that scaled scores are fair between them, and it notes that averages can shift from one year to the next. A higher average may simply reflect a better-prepared group of candidates.

Is Band 2 a good SJT score?

Yes. Band 2 is the most common band, covering 42% of candidates so far, and it's accepted almost everywhere. Bands 3 and 4 are the ones to check carefully against each school's policy.

Can I resit the UCAT in 2026 if I'm unhappy with my score?

No. You can only sit the UCAT once in a testing year, and a second attempt is treated as misconduct. There's no penalty for sitting it again in a future year if you reapply.

Do I need to send my UCAT score to universities?

No. The Consortium sends results directly to your chosen universities in early November, after matching your details with UCAS. Make sure the name and date of birth on your UCAT account match your UCAS application exactly. If a university can't find your result, give them your candidate identification (ID) number. It starts with the letters UKCAT, from the test's former name, the UK Clinical Aptitude Test, followed by six digits.

Can I use my UCAT 2026 result for 2028 entry?

Only as a deferred entry. UCAT 2026 results are valid for the 2027 admissions cycle, which covers 2027 entry or deferred entry in 2028. If you apply in a later cycle, you'll need to sit the test again.

What is the highest possible UCAT score?

The maximum total cognitive score is 2,700, made up of 900 in each of the three subtests. The best SJT result is Band 1.

Can I compare my 2026 UCAT score with scores from 2024?

No. Abstract Reasoning was removed in 2025, cutting the maximum total from 3,600 to 2,700. Scores from 2024 and earlier are on a different scale and can't be compared.

The Bottom Line

The 2026 preliminary figures tell you three useful things. The cohort is performing a little better than last year. Band 1 is harder to earn. And Quantitative Reasoning scores are running well ahead of Verbal Reasoning.

What they don't give you is a final verdict. The table is built on fewer than half this year's candidates, and it's more likely to move down than up. Work out your position on both versions, check your SJT band and subtests against every school on your list, and build your four choices around how those schools actually use the score. Then turn your attention to the part of the process where you can still make the biggest difference: the interview. 💪

🔗 Useful Links

Blue Peanut Medical guides and courses

Official UCAT Consortium pages

Admissions bodies

Blue Peanut interview course

Done reading about your score? Start preparing to win the offer.

Small-group interview and MMI preparation taught by NHS doctors, in Manchester, London or live online.

Medical interview course Mock MMI circuits

The Blue Peanut Team

This content is provided in good faith and based on information from medical school websites at the time of writing. Entry requirements can change, so always check directly with the university before making decisions. You’re free to accept or reject any advice given here, and you use this information at your own risk. We can’t be held responsible for errors or omissions — but if you spot any, please let us know and we’ll update it promptly. Information from third-party websites should be considered anecdotal and not relied upon.