So you have decided to apply to medical or dental school in the UK. The vast majority of medical and dental schools in the UK use the UCAT exam as part of the admissions process. Without the UCAT your choice of medical schools are severely limited.

The UCAT exam is also required for many Foundation entry, Widening access to Medicine, Gateway to Medicine and Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) programmes.

It is important to get a high score in the UCAT exam in order the maximise the choice of universities you can apply for. You need to get at least into the 6th decline (top 50%). If you do this our statistics show your chances of getting an offer from at least one university are good.

The UCAT exam has to be booked by yourself and there are a few logistical steps you need to complete and there are deadlines to meet. Your school cannot do this for you.

UCAT exam important dates for 2021

We have made a list of all the important dates for the UCAT exam in the UK in 2021. You need to save these in your calendar and stick to them. The UCAT consortium is very strict about these and you do not want to be in the situation of not being able to sit the exam this year. You are only allowed to sit the exam once in each exam year.

UCAT registration and booking begins on 2 June, 2021.

You can sit the exam starting 26 July 2021, and the final test date is 29th September 2021. This means that you will have your UCAT score before the UCAS application deadline of 15 October 2021. This allows you to strategically choose which medical schools to apply for based on your UCAT score.

UCAT 2021 Registration and Booking

UCAT registration opens on 2 June 2021.

You will need to first register online using the Pearson VUE online registration system. As mentioned previously you will have to do this yourself – your school cannot do this for you. Once you have created an account you are able to choose a test date. You can choose any of the Pearson VUE test centres – the same centres are also used for the theory test for the DVLA.

Take care when putting your name in that it matches the ID you will you on the day of the test. You also have to use the same name on your UCAS application so get it right.

If you are resitting the test this season the consortium says can use your existing account. There is a short questionnaire to complete which will ask for some demographic information (e.g., what type of school you do to, your ethnic group). You will also apparently be asked if Parent 2 is a doctor or dentist – don’t get put off or disheartened by such questions.

The registration is scheduled to close 22 September 2021 at 12 noon BST. Once the online registration is closed, you are still able to book, reschedule or cancel a test date by phoning Pearson VUE until the 28 September 2021 at 12 noon BST.

Be careful leaving things too late – the number of spaces towards the end of the season may be limited and your local test centre may be full. This would potentially mean a long journey to attend the test centre which adds to the stress.

Last year students also had the option of sitting the exam at home using a system called online proctoring. At the time of writing, this option is not present on the UCAT consortium website for this year.

UCAT, UCATSEN, UCATSA, UCATSENSA or UCATSEN50

You also have to book the correct version of the test. You should book the standard UCAT exam unless you are eligible for extra time in public exams. If you think you need extra time in exams, for example for medical reasons, you must approach your school about this straight away as there is a process which needs to be followed. You must apply for approval to sit the other versions of the UCAT, such as UCATSEN, UCATSA, UCATSENSA or UCATSEN50 before you book a test.

There is a version of the UCAT for Australia and New Zealand called the UCAT ANZ – you should not book this version of the test unless you are applying to a university in Australia or New Zealand.

UCAT 2021 Test Dates

The UCAT test dates for 2021 will be:

26th July 2021 to 29th September 2021.

UCAT 2021 Fees

The prices for sitting the UCAT 2021 are the following:

UCAT tests taken in the UK will be £75

UCAT tests outside of the UK (and by this we assume this means the EU as well) will be £120

It is possible for prices and dates to change, so keep an eye on the UCAT official website.

UCAT Bursary Scheme

The UCAT consortium operates a bursary scheme which enables UK candidates who have financial concerns to sit the UCAT for free. Again, there are deadlines for this – you will need to make an online bursary application form once you have registered for the UCAT exam. If your application is successful you will receive a bursary voucher code by email which you can add to the booking checkout when you book an exam date.

• Bursary scheme opens on 2 June 2021 at 9am BST

• Application deadline is 29 September 2021 at 4pm BST – this is also the date to send in any supporting evidence

• Voucher expiry date is 15 October 2021

To be eligible for a bursary the UCAT consortium has indicated you only need to meet one of the criteria below and provide one piece of evidence to support your application:

• Free school meals - funded by the local authority

• 16 to 19 bursary (England), or Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) (Scotland, Wales or NI) - does not apply for independent or fee-paying schools

• Learner support (FE19*) or equivalent FE funding for Scotland, Wales or NI

• Student Finance England Maintenance Grant or Maintenance Loan* (full-rate), or Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) Young Students’/Independent Students’ Bursary (full-rate), or Student Finance Wales or Northern Ireland Maintenance Grant (full-rate)

• Income Support, or Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA), or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• Universal Credit

• Working or Child Tax Credit

• Asylum Support

The consortium has indicated it does not accept the P60 (end of year certificate), annual accounts, council tax, housing or child benefit letters.

Here is a summary of all the important test dates for 2021, as per the UCAT’s official website information. Please note that these are subject to change, especially given the COVID19 pandemic, so keep an eye on the official UCAT website.

• Registration opens 2 June 2021

• Bursary scheme opens 2 June 2021 9am BST

• Testing starts 26 July 2021

• Registration and online booking closes 22 September 2021 (12 noon BST)

• Access arrangements / UCATSEN application deadline 22 September 2021 (12 noon BST)

• Final booking deadline 28 September 2021 (12 noon BST)

• Bursary deadline 29 September 2021, 4pm BST

• Last testing date 29 September 2021

• UCAS application deadline 15 October 2021, 6pm BST

• Results delivered to universities Early November 2021

Blue Peanut runs successful self-study online and in person classroom courses to help students prepare for the UCAT exam. We also run workshops for UCAS medicine personal statements and Medical School Interview Courses.

Unlike other companies we insist on only medical school tutors, doctors experienced in medical education and top A-level teachers to teach you. We offer a day of live classroom training either online via live interactive webinar or in person in Blackburn (Lancashire), Manchester, Birmingham and London. We also give you over 5 hours of follow up video tutorials and an up to date question bank.

If you are a widening participation student, or want to book for a group or students, or even your whole school, get in touch and we can offer bursaries and discounts by email at support@bluepeanut.co.uk

Click the link below to learn more about our intensive UCAT courses.