Yes, UCAT Situational Judgement matters if you are applying to Otago Medicine in a category that requires UCAT. For 2027 entry, Otago required an SJT result at or above the 10th percentile and gave UCAT no further weight once its thresholds were met; the threshold for 2028 entry is not published yet.
Does UCAT SJT matter in NZ?
For domestic Health Sciences First Year and Graduate applicants, the Otago Medicine rules required a UCAT result from the year of application. The published rule for 2027 entry set thresholds for Verbal Reasoning and SJT. A stronger SJT result earned no extra ranking points after an applicant cleared that gate. So a weak SJT can stop an application, and a top SJT score can't lift one.
Otago's Alternative category did not require UCAT under that rule. Otago Dentistry has not used UCAT since the 2025 intake, and Auckland Medicine has removed UCAT for 2028 entry. If you are applying in Australia too, check each programme separately, because they can use the same test differently.
What is a good UCAT SJT score for Otago?
There is no fixed number for 2028 entry yet. UCAT ANZ reports SJT as its own scaled score from 300 to 900, separate from the cognitive total. Otago's threshold for 2027 entry was the 10th percentile, and Otago decides the threshold each year. The 2026 UCAT ANZ statistics put the national 10th percentile at 486. Don't read 486 as Otago's cutoff: Otago's page doesn't say whether its percentile uses all UCAT ANZ candidates or its own applicants, and the figure can move from year to year.
A better target is to reach the point where you can explain each choice against the official SJT examples and stay steady under the section clock. The official question tutorial and question banks show you the current ANZ framing. Our SJT guide covers how to practise without importing UK admissions advice.
Do UK UCAT SJT bands apply to an ANZ score?
Your UCAT ANZ score report gives an SJT scaled score, and ANZ universities use that score. The UK UCAT reports its own SJT result as Band 1 to Band 4, so a UK guide that says "aim for Band 1" says nothing about Otago's requirement. Bands do touch ANZ results in one case. When an ANZ result is sent to a UK or partner university, the UK UCAT office converts the SJT score to a band. For 2026 results, Band 1 started at 658 and Band 4 covered 300 to 501. That conversion only matters for those UK and partner applications.
UCAT ANZ 2027 is sat in July 2027 for 2028 entry. The 2027 NZ guide covers who needs that sitting and which rules are still pending.
FAQ
Is SJT included in the UCAT ANZ total out of 2,700?
No. The total adds Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning. SJT has its own 300 to 900 score.
Is 486 the Otago SJT threshold for 2028 entry?
No. It is the national 10th percentile in the 2026 UCAT ANZ statistics. Otago has not published its threshold for 2028 entry.
Does a higher SJT score help after I meet Otago's threshold?
Under the published rule for 2027 entry, UCAT scores carried no further weight after the thresholds. Check the rule for your entry year when Otago publishes it.
To practise SJT under its own clock, see how Cutline UCAT practice works.
Cutline is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UCAT ANZ Consortium or the University of Otago. UCAT is used here only to describe the test. Official information checked 14 October 2026. Check ucat.edu.au and Otago for the 2027 cycle and 2028 entry rules when they are published.
