In the UK, all medicine and dentistry degrees require one of two admissions tests to be completed by all applicants – the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) and the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).
While you won’t get to choose which of these tests you sit, there are many differences between them that are useful to be aware of. In this guide, we’ll compare these two tests to see how each one is formatted, what they include and how hard they are.
UCAT vs GAMSAT: An Overview
The differences between the UCAT and the GAMSAT can be split into four primary categories:
Each test is used for different levels of education.
The two tests are structured very differently.
The two tests are displayed on different systems.
Each test covers very different topics within its questions.
Let’s go through these one by one so that we can understand what makes these tests so different.
Be prepared for the UCAT with expert support from UniAdmissions
The UCAT plays a crucial role in your Medicine application, and achieving a strong score can be the deciding factor between receiving an offer or facing rejection. At UniAdmissions, we specialise in helping students improve their UCAT performance and significantly increase their chances of securing a place to study Medicine.
Explore our Medicine Full-Blue Programme by clicking the button below to enrol and boost your chances of success.
UCAT vs GAMSAT: Exam Usage
While both of these tests are used in the admissions processes for UK (and Australian) medicine and dentistry degrees, they have one key difference. The UCAT is used for undergraduate courses, while the GAMSAT is used for graduate-entry programmes only. Some graduate degrees will use the UCAT instead, but no undergraduate courses require the GAMSAT.
This means that the UCAT is more widely used, with more than 35 undergraduate degrees requiring it, plus a handful of postgraduate degrees. In contrast, the GAMSAT is used at just 12 universities:
GAMSAT Universities UK
UCAT vs GAMSAT Dates
The tests are sat at different times of the year, with there being a major difference in how these dates are distributed.
The UCAT takes place over a single testing period from July to September. There are no set dates for when the test can be sat, so you can pick any day and time slot within the period.
The GAMSAT’s test dates are a bit more complicated, as there are firstly two different testing periods to consider, one in March and one in September. Within these periods, there are then two separate test days that the applicant will need to attend. These test dates each cover different sections of the test, with one including Sections 1 and 3, and the other containing Section 2. There are two – three dates available to pick from per period.
UCAT vs GAMSAT Fees
Both tests require a fee to register for them, but one is considerably more expensive than the other.
Meanwhile, the GAMSAT costs £292 in the UK, €372 in Ireland and $560 AUD in Australia. This fee applies to the country that you’re applying to rather than the country you’re applying from. There is also a late fee of £69 if you register past the standard deadline.
Finally, we should consider how the universities use these admissions tests. Broadly speaking, the usage is roughly the same for both, as they are used before candidates are shortlisted for interviews to help differentiate applicants and determine their abilities in certain areas.
However, it’s the abilities being tested that differ between the two tests, as the UCAT focuses on more general thinking skills, while the GAMSAT tackles a wider range of skills, including writing and scientific knowledge.
These differences are highlighted in the two tests/ formats, so let’s review these next.
UCAT vs GAMSAT: Format Differences
Beyond both being computer-based and featuring multiple-choice questions, the formats of the UCAT and GAMSAT are very different from one another. Let’s break each one down:
UCAT Format
- Test Length: ~2 Hours
- Sections: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Situational Judgement
- Questions: 184
- Scores: 900 - 2700/ Band 1 - Band 4
Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to read and interpret written passages, testing comprehension and the capacity to make logical inferences. The applicant will be given a passage and a question about an aspect of the writing, usually reading to arguments, meanings and other concepts within the piece.
Decision Making
Decision Making presents scenarios, data, and arguments, asking you to apply reasoning and evaluate information to reach sound conclusions.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning involves problem-solving using numerical data, requiring you to work quickly with charts, tables, and calculations. The questions are essentially simple mathematics problems.
Situational Judgement
Situational Judgement presents workplace-style scenarios to evaluate how you might respond in professional contexts, measuring qualities such as integrity, empathy, and team orientation. In each question, you will either need to rate the appropriateness of a given response or select the response that would be best for the scenario.
Each of these sections has a different time limit and number of questions:
Also, be aware that a fifth section, Abstract Reasoning, was removed from the test in 2024.
GAMSAT Format
- Test Length: 5 Hours 15 Minutes
- Sections: Section 1, Section 2, Section 3
- Questions: 137 + 2 Essays
- 0 - 100 (+ Percentile Curve)
Unlike the UCAT, each of the three sections in the GAMSAT test fully unique skills, all of which are crucial in Medicine.
Section 1: Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences
The first section, Humanities and Social Sciences Reasoning, presents passages from a wide range of texts, such as essays, fiction, poetry, cartoons, or media articles. Candidates are required to analyse and interpret meaning, evaluate arguments, and demonstrate critical reasoning in a humanities and social sciences context. This section is similar to the Verbal Reasoning subtest in the UCAT.
There are 62 multiple-choice questions in total here, and applicants are given 100 minutes to complete them. This includes 8 minutes of reading time before questions can be answered.
Section 2: Written Communication
The second section, Written Communication, requires the production of two short essays assessing the common themes found within sets of prompts. These essays test your ability to construct and communicate ideas effectively, assessing clarity, organisation, and originality of thought.
This section is completed on a separate day from the others, and you will have 60 minutes to write both essays. You will also have five minutes beforehand to read the prompts and start planning your work.
Section 3: Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences
The third section, Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences, is arguably the simplest section to understand in principle, as it focuses on problem-solving in scientific contexts. It draws primarily on biology and chemistry, with some physics, but it is not a test of rote knowledge. Instead, it measures how well candidates can apply scientific principles and interpret data in novel situations.
This is the longest section, lasting 150 minutes (with 8 minutes of reading time) and featuring 75 multiple-choice questions.
The GAMSAT doesn’t have many similarities to the UCAT, but it’s far more similar to the discontinued Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT), which featured three sections covering similar skills.
UCAT vs GAMSAT Scoring
Both tests feature multiple-choice questions, so how are the results presented to the universities?
UCAT Scoring
In the first three sections of the UCAT, you are scored on a scale between 300 and 900, with your raw marks converted into a final score. Your overall score for these three sections is then reported as one final score between 900 and 2700.
For Situational Judgement, your raw marks are instead placed into one of four scoring bands, Bands 1 – 4. This score remains separate from your other scores and is sometimes considered separately by medical schools from the rest of your performance.
GAMSAT Scoring
Although each section of the GAMSAT is marked separately, each one uses the same reporting method for scores. For Sections 1 and 3, your raw marks are converted into a score between 0 and 100, while Section 2 will assign you a score on this scale based on the quality of your work. The conversion uses Item Response Theory in order to assign scores based on the performance of other applicants and the compared difficulty of the test.
After this, your overall GAMSAT score is calculated using the following formula:
Overall Score = (1 × Section I + 1 × Section II + 2 × Section III) ÷ 4
After each sitting, a percentile graph is published, showing applicants how their scores compare to others and where they rank overall. Because ACER applies a scaling system, individual results and performance comparisons can differ from one sitting to another.
Feeling Overwhelmed by the UCAT? The Big Book of Oxbridge Applications Makes It Simple.
For many applicants, the UCAT is one of the most demanding parts of the medicine application process. This isn’t just because of the content, but because of the time pressure you’ll be under as well. Whether you’re encountering it for the first time or looking to refine your preparation, having a clear understanding of what’s expected is key.
The UCAT section of The Big Book of Oxbridge Applications provides a structured, easy-to-follow guide to help you prepare effectively and approach the test with confidence.
Inside this free book, you’ll find:
- A detailed explanation of what the UCAT covers
- The latest information on structure, timing, and key dates
- Guidance on how to prepare strategically and stay focused
- Practice questions to help you get familiar with the format and level
UCAT vs GAMSAT: Presentation Differences
Let’s next look at how each of these tests is presented to the applicants who take them. Both tests are computer-based, but there are plenty of small differences that make them unique from one another.
UCAT Presentation
The UCAT is operated by Pearson VUE, which has developed a dedicated digital testing system that is used for a variety of admissions tests. This platform is simple to use, with options to flag questions, review your progress through each subtest and use keyboard shortcuts to perform a variety of actions.
A digital calculator is included to use at any time, and you will also be given markers and erasable sheets to help you with any notes or working out may need.
What Is The UCAT Taken?
The UCAT can be taken at any Pearson VUE testing centre across the globe. In the UK alone, there are several hundred centres to choose from, so you likely don’t live too far from your nearest one.
GAMSAT Presentation
The GAMSAT testing system isn’t too different from the UCAT’s, with questions being displayed on the left and answers on the right. The system features more of the same features as the UCAT, although calculators are not allowed in the GAMSAT, so this feature is missing.
Sections 1 and 3 look close to the UCAT, but Section 2 is where things get different. As this section isn’t a multiple-choice quiz, the layout of the page is completely different, presenting you with a large writing space instead of answer options.
As well as this, consider that Section 2 is completed on a separate day from the rest of the test. This break in the flow may feel unusual for some applicants, especially when the UCAT is taken all in one go.
UCAT vs GAMSAT: Specifications
Lastly, let’s compare the content found within the specifications of these two exams.
This is actually a fairly one-sided comparison, as the UCAT doesn’t have a content specification in a traditional sense. Most admissions tests will have a document that details all of the content that could potentially be featured in the tests, but since the UCAT doesn’t feature any specific knowledge requirements beyond general skills, this document doesn’t exist for it.
There are still things that you need to know about the UCAT, such as the types of questions that could be included in each subtest and the concepts that those questions may test you on, but you won’t need to do a lot of revision in order to do well. Instead, your time is best spent working through practice questions to improve your timings and accuracy, as the UCAT’s biggest challenge is its time limits.
As for the GAMSAT, the only section of the test that actually has any required knowledge is Section 3. Due to the nature of the section, it’s essential that applicants have a good level of scientific knowledge in order to succeed.
As mentioned before, the section has a greater emphasis on Biology and Chemistry, as these are more relevant to medicine, but some understanding of physics will be required too. You’ll also need to ensure you have a good understanding of key Mathematics principles like Geometry, Trigonometry and rearranging equations.
All of the topics covered in the paper are lower-level concepts, as the questions themselves are more about solving scenario-based problems rather than stating scientific facts. Therefore, you’ll need to be confident in using these principles practically rather than just understanding them.
So, that covers all of the key differences between the UCAT and GAMSAT, but before we finish, let’s consider one more key question.
Is the UCAT or GAMSAT Harder?
While it’s not too fair to compare the difficulty of such different tests, we can consider what makes each test difficult on its own terms.
The GAMSAT is most likely the harder test in terms of content, as there is a lot more to prepare for and remember. Beyond the thinking skills needed for Section 1, applicants will also need good writing skills and scientific knowledge. While nothing in the test is extremely difficult overall, the mixture of the testing environment and the number of questions to take on can make it feel harder.
Meanwhile, the UCAT is more challenging because of its time restrictions. Taken in isolation and with unlimited time, the average UCAT question would be fairly easy to solve when given some time to think. The challenge comes from the number of questions you have to answer and the time you have to do them in. In most cases, applicants will have around 30 seconds to answer each question in order to get to the end of the subtest.
The GAMSAT does have tough time limits too, but applicants can have up to two minutes per question to answer, making it a little bit less stressful. However, remember that these questions are harder and require more time to complete anyway.
That concludes our look at the UCAT and GAMSAT. At the end of the day, you won’t need to choose between these two admissions tests, unless your graduate university application options will be based on which test is taken. In some cases, you will sit one of these tests, in other cases you will sit both, but it’s good to know how each one functions so you can be prepared for either one when the time comes to take it.
If you’re applying for undergraduate medicine, you feel overwhelmed by all of the steps required in the application process. The UCAT is just one part, and there’s a lot else that you need to be focusing on at the same time. You may be looking for support to help you get through it all, which is where UniAdmissions can help.
Through our Full-Blue Medicine Programme, we will work with you for the entirety of your application, from the first steps until your final interview. You’ll have access to an expert medicine tutor who will guide you through all of the processes they successfully navigated, as well as a full suite of expert resources, intensive courses and much more. We have a dedicated programme for Oxbridge medicine if you’re trying to get into one of the top medical schools in the world.
To learn more about our support, visit our programme page here, or book a free consultation to speak with our admissions team about starting the enrolment process.
Dedicated support for the UCAT and the rest of your Medicine application
The UCAT is a vital component of your medicine application so scoring highly can mean the difference between receiving your dream offer or rejection.
Our Medicine Premium Programme gives you complete application support to boost your chances of success.
