UCAT Situational Judgement: Format and Preparation

Situational Judgement is one of the four current UCAT subtests. It measures the capacity to understand real-world situations and identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them. Applicants should use the official UCAT test-format guidance as the primary source for current requirements.

What the Subtest Involves

The current UCAT format includes 69 Situational Judgement questions, with 26 minutes for the subtest after the timed instruction section. Situational Judgement is reported in bands from 1 to 4, with Band 1 the highest. The official UCAT guidance explains how the scoring approach works.

A Practical Preparation Routine

Preparation is more useful when students review why an answer was correct or incorrect. After practice questions, use the official answer rationale to identify the critical information in the situation and compare it with the reasoning used for the answer.

• Start with official question tutorials and the question bank.
• Practise short sets before moving to timed sessions.
• Review the official answer rationale after each set.
• Use full practice tests nearer the test date to rehearse timed conditions.

Use Official UCAT Resources

The UCAT Consortium provides free question banks and practice tests. These resources help applicants become familiar with the current question formats and on-screen tools.

UCAT Preparation Support

Applicants looking for additional structure around their preparation routine can explore MedScore’s UCAT preparation and one-to-one tutoring options or book a consultation to discuss the support route they are considering.

For an overview of the full test, read What Is the UCAT? Test Format and Preparation.