In UCAT Verbal Reasoning, choose False when the passage gives evidence against the statement. Choose Can't Tell when the passage leaves the statement open, even if it sounds likely or unlikely from what you know outside the passage.
How do I tell False from Can't Tell in UCAT?
Test the exact claim in the question. A stated opposite makes it False. Missing information makes it Can't Tell. The call gets harder when the statement adds a time, a quantity or a reason that the passage never gave. Don't fill that gap with common sense.
The UCAT ANZ format page says Verbal Reasoning asks whether specific conclusions can be drawn from a passage, and that you're not expected to use prior knowledge. For the current question types, use the official tutorial. I wrote the passage and statements below for this post; they are not UCAT material.
Can you work through three original statements?
Passage: On Saturday, the Riverside library opened at 10 am because its morning staff training finished late. It normally opens at 9 am on Saturdays. The children's reading group still met at noon. The library closed at 4 pm, as it does on other Saturdays. A notice at the entrance mentioned the changed opening time.
Statement 1: The library opened at 9 am that Saturday. False. The passage says it opened at 10 am. The usual Saturday time is the trap if you skim and miss the exception.
Statement 2: The children's reading group was cancelled. False. The passage says the group still met at noon. That is a direct contradiction, even though a late opening makes a cancellation sound plausible.
Statement 3: Everyone who came at 9 am read the entrance notice. Can't Tell. The passage tells you a notice existed. It says nothing about who turned up early or whether they looked at it. You can't mark False because "everyone" sounds too strong. For False you would need evidence that at least one early visitor missed the notice.
Use the same test each time. For False, point to the words that conflict with the statement. For Can't Tell, picture two versions of events that both fit the passage, one where the statement holds and one where it fails. In one version, every early visitor stopped and read the notice. In another, someone walked straight past it. Nothing in the passage rules out either, so the answer is Can't Tell.
What words make False and Can't Tell tricky?
Watch for "all", "only", "first", "because", and for dates and times. A passage can say an event happened without saying it was the first. It can say two events happened together without saying one caused the other. A statement can be more specific than the passage without contradicting it, and that makes it Can't Tell.
Read the statement first, find the sentence it depends on, then read that whole sentence. If the passage states the opposite, mark False. If it supports the claim, mark True. If it leaves room both ways, mark Can't Tell and move on. Our Verbal Reasoning tips cover this under the section clock. UCAT ANZ 2027 is sat in July 2027 for 2028 entry, and the UCAT ANZ 2027 guide explains the NZ cycle.
FAQ
Is a statement False if the passage does not mention it?
No. A gap on its own points to Can't Tell. False needs a contradiction or evidence that rules the claim out.
Can outside knowledge decide a UCAT Verbal Reasoning answer?
No. Work from the passage, even when you know the topic well.
Does a word such as "always" make a statement False?
Not on its own. It raises the bar for True, but without a counterexample in the passage the answer can still be Can't Tell.
To practise that evidence check on a 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 for the 2027 cycle when it is published.
