If you're sitting the UCAT ANZ in 2027, the best time to start is a few months before you think you need to, at a much lighter load than you'd guess. For most NZ applicants that means a little over summer, a little in semester 1, and a proper push in the weeks right before the test.
Here's why, and a month-by-month plan built around an HSFY year. If you're a graduate applicant, the same plan works around your degree.
What you're preparing for
The current UCAT ANZ format has four subtests and runs just under two hours. Abstract Reasoning has been removed.
| Subtest | Questions | Time | Time per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 44 | 22 min | about 30 seconds |
| Decision Making | 35 | 37 min | about 63 seconds |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 36 | 26 min | about 43 seconds |
| Situational Judgement | 69 | 26 min | about 23 seconds |
Look at that last column. Almost nobody finds the questions impossible. With unlimited time, most people would get most of them right. The test is hard because of the clock, so your preparation is mostly about getting fast at question types you already understand.
Why starting early (but light) works
Speed comes from doing lots of the same question types until the method is automatic. That happens best spread over months, with short sessions, rather than in a cram. It also means that when the HSFY workload gets heavy, you aren't learning the UCAT from scratch.
But for Otago, the UCAT is a hurdle. Once you're over the thresholds it isn't weighted in your ranking at all, and your HSFY marks decide your rank. We explain this in what UCAT score you need for medicine in NZ. So the aim is to clear the thresholds comfortably without taking time off your papers. Heavy UCAT prep in April, when you've got progress tests, is a bad trade.
The month-by-month plan
This assumes a test date in July, like the 2026 testing window of 1 July to 5 August. The 2027 dates aren't out yet, so adjust once they are.
November to February: learn the question types
One or two hours a week is plenty. Work untimed and get to know every question type in each subtest: the true, false or can't tell format in Verbal Reasoning, syllogisms and Venn diagrams in Decision Making, percentages and rates in Quantitative Reasoning, and how Situational Judgement asks you to rate responses.
Start an error log now, with one line per mistake saying why you got it wrong. It'll be your most useful revision tool later. Get comfortable with the on-screen calculator style too. It's a basic calculator, and people who are used to scientific ones lose time on it.
If you're a Year 13 heading into HSFY, keep this light. Your summer is better spent on the chemistry and physics that HSFY starts with.
March: book your test
In 2026, bookings opened on 3 March and the standard booking deadline was 15 May. That deadline arrives weeks before the test and in the middle of semester 1, which is why people miss it. Book as soon as bookings open, and pick a date that doesn't clash with anything in your HSFY calendar.
March to May: keep it ticking over
Two or three 20 to 30 minute sessions a week, around your HSFY timetable. Start doing short timed sets, for example two Verbal Reasoning passages (8 questions) in 4 minutes, or 9 Quantitative Reasoning questions in about 6.5 minutes. The goal is to keep the methods fresh and slowly build speed. Our HSFY weekly timetable shows where short blocks like this can fit.
June: pause for exams
Semester 1 exams come first. Your HSFY marks matter far more for your ranking, so drop UCAT prep to almost nothing for the exam period.
The two to four weeks before your test: the real push
This is where most of your hours go, and it works because of the groundwork you've already laid.
- Do a full timed subtest every day or two, rotating through all four.
- Do two or three full mocks, spread out, with the review taking as long as the mock.
- Go back through your error log every few days.
- Practise flagging. Every question is worth the same, so a long multi-step question should be flagged and left for the end.
Use the official practice material from the UCAT ANZ website for at least some of this, especially for Situational Judgement and Decision Making. It's the best guide to how the real test words things and what counts as a correct inference.
Mock scores jump around from one to the next, so use them to find what to fix. A bad mock a week out still tells you something useful.
The day before
No full mock. A few easy questions to stay warm, then sort out logistics and sleep. Have a light breakfast, and get there early.
If you're a graduate applicant
The same shape works. Otago's Graduate category also wants a UCAT ANZ result from the year you apply, and it uses it as a screen before ranking you on weighted GPA. Fit the March to May sessions around your degree, and plan the push for the weeks between semester 1 exams and your test date.
FAQ
How many hours of UCAT prep do I need?
There's no fixed number, and it depends on where you're starting. A light load over several months, plus a focused few weeks before the test, gets most people to a comfortable pass without hurting their papers.
Is it too late to start in May?
No, as long as you've booked. You'll do more of your prep in the final weeks, which is fine. Missing the booking deadline is the thing you can't recover from.
Can I sit it more than once?
Only once per test cycle, according to the UCAT ANZ FAQ. If you sat it in 2026, our post on what to do with your 2026 score covers whether you need to sit again.
If you want timed practice that works like the real test, with each subtest on 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. Format and dates are from ucat.edu.au, checked 8 October 2026. Check the official site for the 2027 dates when they're published.
