No. In UCAT Decision Making, "some" means at least one, and it leaves open the possibility that all of them are. If you read that some of the mugs on a shelf are chipped, every mug could still be chipped unless another statement rules that out.
Does "some" mean "not all" in UCAT?
Read the word as a minimum claim. "Some cards are blue" tells you the group of blue cards is not empty. It tells you nothing about how many cards there are, or whether a card of another colour exists. In everyday conversation people use "some" to hint at "not all". A syllogism can't rely on that hint.
Try two possible worlds. In one, a box holds five blue cards and five green cards. In the other, it holds ten blue cards. "Some cards are blue" is true in both. "Some cards are not blue" is true only in the first. The premise allows the second world, so the second claim does not follow.
The UCAT ANZ format page says Decision Making tests your ability to apply logic to reach a decision or conclusion, and that you don't need to know formal logic terms. The official Decision Making tutorial shows how current questions present their conclusions.
What do "all", "none", "some" and "most" mean?
This table gives the standard logical reading to use when a question doesn't define the word for you.
| Word | Safe reading | What it leaves open |
|---|---|---|
| All A are B | Each A is B | Whether B exists outside A |
| No A are B | A and B do not overlap | How many A or B exist |
| Some A are B | At least one A is B | Whether all A are B |
| Most A are B | More than half of A are B | Whether all A are B |
I wrote these readings and examples myself; none of them is quoted from UCAT material. "None" works like "no" in the table. "Most" gives you a majority and stops there. It doesn't prove there is an exception, because all of a group is also more than half of it. If a question defines a term itself, follow its definition.
How do I check a UCAT syllogism?
Ask whether the conclusion holds in every arrangement the premises allow. Draw two overlapping circles if the categories are hard to hold in your head. Put a dot in the overlap for a known "some", and leave the rest of each circle blank unless a premise fills it. For a proposed "not all" conclusion, try putting the whole smaller group inside the larger one. If that arrangement still fits the premises, you have a counterexample and the conclusion fails.
Here's one I made up: "All ferry tickets are travel documents. Some travel documents are digital." You can't conclude that some ferry tickets are digital, because the digital documents could all be train tickets. You also can't conclude that no ferry tickets are digital, because a digital ferry ticket fits both premises too. The "some" describes travel documents in general, so it never forces an overlap with ferry tickets.
Practise that check untimed first, then add a clock. The Decision Making tips cover the rest of the section, and the official practice guide shows where to find current questions. UCAT ANZ 2027 is sat in July 2027 for 2028 entry, and our UCAT ANZ 2027 guide covers the whole test for NZ students.
FAQ
Can "some" include every member of a group?
Yes. "Some A are B" sets a floor of one and no ceiling below all of them.
Does "most" prove "some"?
Yes, as long as the group has members. More than half means at least one. It still doesn't prove that anyone sits outside the majority.
Does "all A are B" mean "all B are A"?
No. All ferries are boats, and plenty of boats are not ferries. Check which way the statement runs.
For timed Decision Making sets after you have learnt the logic, 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 for the 2027 cycle when it is published.
