If you sat the UCAT ANZ this year, you've had your score report since July or August, and the universities got theirs in early September. That leaves the question most people are stuck on in October: is my score any good, and do I need to do anything about it?
The answer depends on which of three groups you're in. Before that, here's where your number sits.
Where your 2026 score sits
The UCAT ANZ consortium published the 2026 summary statistics for all 17,341 candidates. Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning are each scored from 300 to 900 and added into a cognitive total from 900 to 2,700. Situational Judgement gets its own separate score from 300 to 900. There's no Abstract Reasoning anymore, so any older total quoted out of 3,600 isn't comparable with yours.
| Percentile | Verbal Reasoning | Decision Making | Quantitative Reasoning | Cognitive total | Situational Judgement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 510 | 530 | 530 | 1,610 | 486 |
| 20th | 550 | 570 | 580 | 1,720 | 525 |
| 50th (median) | 610 | 650 | 680 | 1,950 | 589 |
| 80th | 680 | 740 | 820 | 2,220 | 640 |
| 90th | 730 | 770 | 880 | 2,340 | 664 |
The mean cognitive total was 1,964. In 2026 Quantitative Reasoning had the highest average (691) and Verbal Reasoning the lowest (619), so a VR of 640 is a better result than a QR of 640. Compare each subtest with its own median, not with your other subtests.
Your score report also shows your percentile, so use that rather than reading it off this table. The table is useful for seeing how far each subtest is from a particular line.
Group 1: you're in HSFY and applied for 2027 entry
Your 2026 score is the one that counts for your application, and there's nothing more to do with it. The test is done and you can't resit in the same cycle.
At Otago the UCAT works as a hurdle. For 2027 entry, Otago's thresholds were the 20th percentile or above in Verbal Reasoning and the 10th percentile or above in Situational Judgement, with a result needed in all four subtests. Against the 2026 table, that's roughly a VR of 550 and an SJT of 486. Once you clear the thresholds, the University's admissions guidelines say your UCAT gets no further weight, and you're ranked on your HSFY marks.
So if you cleared both lines comfortably, a higher total doesn't help your Otago rank. Your best seven HSFY marks do, and semester 2 exams start on 19 October. Your time goes there now. If you're not sure how to split it, our semester 2 revision plan has a worked example.
If you also applied to Auckland for 2027 entry, the UCAT is 15 percent of the ranking there, alongside GPA at 60 percent and the MMI at 25 percent, all standardised against the cohort. A strong score helps a little and a weak one costs a little. It's still the last year Auckland uses it, which our guide to Auckland dropping the UCAT explains.
Group 2: you sat it in Year 13
This catches a lot of people. Otago asks for a UCAT ANZ result from the year you apply, and HSFY students apply during their HSFY year. If you start HSFY in 2027, you'll apply in 2027, so you'll need to sit the UCAT again in 2027. Your 2026 result won't be used.
That doesn't make it wasted. It's real data on how you do under the actual test conditions, which most first-time sitters don't have. Look at it like a mock:
- Which subtest was furthest below the median? That's where your 2027 prep starts.
- Did you finish each subtest, or run out of time? Running out of time is the most common reason for a low section score, and it's the most fixable.
- How did your SJT compare with the 10th percentile line? It's the one subtest where a low score can stop an Otago application, so make sure you're nowhere near it next time.
Then park it. Your HSFY marks will decide your Otago application far more than your UCAT does, so the first half of next year belongs to your papers.
Group 3: you haven't sat it yet and plan to in 2027
The 2027 dates aren't out yet. For the 2026 cycle, bookings opened on 3 March, the standard booking deadline was 15 May, and testing ran from 1 July to 5 August. Expect a similar shape next year, and check the official site as soon as it updates.
The deadline people miss is booking, not the test itself. Booking closes about six weeks before the first test date, at a time when HSFY students are deep in semester 1. Put it in your calendar the day the dates are published.
On prep, starting early with a light load beats cramming in June. Learn each question type untimed first, then do timed sets, and only then full mocks. We'll go through a month-by-month plan next week.
Do you need the UCAT at all?
It depends on where you're applying.
- Otago Medicine (HSFY or Graduate category): yes, from the year you apply.
- Otago Dentistry: no. Otago dropped the UCAT from dentistry admission from the 2025 intake. You need it only if you're also applying for Medicine.
- Auckland Medicine, 2027 entry: yes, it's 15 percent.
- Auckland Medicine, 2028 entry onwards: no. Auckland moves to the MMI and Casper, 50 percent each, with a GPA threshold.
For the full school-by-school picture, including the year-numbering trap with Auckland's change, read what UCAT score you need for medicine in NZ.
FAQ
Is 2,000 a good UCAT ANZ score in 2026?
A cognitive total of 2,000 is a bit above the 2026 median of 1,950, so it's around the 55th percentile. For Otago, though, the total isn't what's checked. What matters is whether your VR and SJT cleared the thresholds.
Can I resit the UCAT ANZ this year?
No. The consortium's FAQ says you can sit it only once per test cycle, and trying to sit it twice counts as misconduct. The next chance is the 2027 cycle.
Does my 2026 score carry over to 2027 applications?
Not for Otago Medicine, which wants a result from the year you apply. Check each university's own rules if you're applying elsewhere.
If you're sitting in 2027 and want practice that's timed and laid out like the real test, see how Cutline UCAT practice works.
Cutline is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UCAT ANZ Consortium, the University of Otago or the University of Auckland. UCAT is used here only to describe the test. Figures are from the consortium's 2026 summary statistics and the universities' admissions pages, checked 8 October 2026. Thresholds and weightings are set each year, so check the official pages for your year.
