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Everything you need to know about calculating your UCAT Decile and working out your rank amongst your cohort.
Use the deciles to calculate your chances of succeeding in your medical or dental school application.
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What are UCAT Deciles?
A decile is one tenth of the candidates who sat the exam, ranked by score. The UCAT Consortium splits every cohort into ten equal bands so you can see where your total score lands relative to everyone else who tested that year.
The UCAT publishes nine decile thresholds (the boundaries between the ten bands), commonly labelled 1st to 9th. The 1st decile is the score at the 10th percentile and the 9th decile (2220 in 2025) is the score at the 90th percentile, so beating it puts you in the top 10% of test-takers. Note that since 2025 the UCAT has only three cognitive subtests and is scored out of 2700 (not 3600), so any decile figure from 2024 or earlier is on the old scale and is not directly comparable.
Please see the tables below for the latest UCAT decile data. Remember that a good score is dependent on each university: you must balance it against your other grades and work out which schools your score is competitive for. Because Abstract Reasoning was removed in 2025, the score range changed from 3600 to 2700, so always compare your 2025 or 2026 score against 2025-onwards deciles, not older figures.
Often when employing UCAT cut-off scores, universities such as Keele University may say “only UCAT third decile and above will be considered”.
For a plain-English explanation of what counts as competitive each year, read our deep-dive on what is a good UCAT score, average scores and deciles, and check how individual schools set thresholds in our UCAT scores and scoring guide.
Please speak to one of our UCAT tutors if you are stuck.
Please note: Final 2026 UCAT results can be found here. To see how each university uses the UCAT, please see our UCAT University + Cut Off Guide.
👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Medical Schools - UCAT Cut Off Scores
👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Dental Schools - UCAT Cut Off Scores
👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Cut Off Scores 2027 Entry
UCAT Deciles 2026: Final Results
The UCAT Consortium's final 2026 statistics cover all 42,359 tests taken up to 24 September 2026, scored out of 2700. The final mean total score is 1918, up from 1891 in 2025. Subtest means are Verbal Reasoning 602, Decision Making 640 and Quantitative Reasoning 675.
Decile | Percentile | 2026 total | Verbal Reasoning | Decision Making | Quantitative Reasoning | 2025 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 10th | 1590 | 500 | 520 | 530 | 1580 |
2nd | 20th | 1700 | 540 | 560 | 580 | 1680 |
3rd | 30th | 1780 | 560 | 590 | 600 | 1760 |
4th | 40th | 1850 | 580 | 620 | 640 | 1820 |
5th | 50th | 1920 | 600 | 640 | 670 | 1880 |
6th | 60th | 1980 | 620 | 670 | 700 | 1950 |
7th | 70th | 2050 | 640 | 690 | 730 | 2010 |
8th | 80th | 2140 | 670 | 710 | 780 | 2100 |
9th | 90th | 2250 | 710 | 760 | 820 | 2220 |
Each decile is the score at that percentile: a total of 2250 was the 9th decile, so anything above it put you in the top 10% of 2026 candidates, and 2140 marked the top 20%. Every 2026 boundary sits 10 to 40 points above 2025, so compare a 2026 score with the 2026 column, not with last year's table.
Situational Judgement Test | 2026 final | 2025 final |
|---|---|---|
Number of candidates | 42,359 | 41,354 |
Band 1 | 15% | 21% |
Band 2 | 40% | 39% |
Band 3 | 34% | 29% |
Band 4 | 11% | 10% |
UCAT Decile Calculator 2026
You can use the tables on this page to estimate your UCAT decile. Since 2025 there are three cognitive subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning), so add up your three scaled section scores to get a total out of 2700, then compare that total against the most recent decile thresholds. For a worked conversion from raw marks to a scaled total, use our UCAT Score Calculator.
You can compare your score to the 2025 deciles (the first year on the 2700 scale) and use them to anticipate the 2026 deciles. Because the UCAT is standardised, the deciles stay broadly consistent year on year on the same scale, but treat any 2024-or-earlier deciles as old-scale (out of 3600) and not directly comparable to a 2025 or 2026 score.
You do not need to work out a separate decile for each subsection: cognitive deciles are calculated on your total scaled score (out of 2700 since 2025). The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is reported separately as a band from 1 to 4 and is not part of your decile.
Many universities employ a UCAT cut off score that requires you to have a UCAT score in the third decile or above. This implies that your score must be in the top 70% of candidates in a year.
This is why it is paramount that once you have your final UCAT score and are looking to apply to universities, in particular, applying to medical school, you carefully research which universities have which preference for UCAT scores.
This will allow you to guess what the UCAT deciles for the 2026 entry would be. You can find a summary of the latest UCAT university information per university here.
To turn your raw marks into a scaled total out of 2700 before you read it off against the decile table, use our free UCAT Score Calculator. You can also build the score itself with timed practice on the free UCAT skills trainer and the drills in our UCAT revision hub.
👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Score Calculator 2026
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UCAT Quartiles
What is a UCAT quartile? A quartile is a 25% section of distribution, i.e. the top quartile indicates a UCAT score in the top quarter of candidates in that cohort.
Therefore, there are four quartiles.
It is uncommon for universities to generally split candidates into quartiles for the exam.
👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Scores 2026 - The Ultimate Guide
UCAT Deciles 2025: Final Results
Below are the final UCAT 2025 decile results (2026 entry), the first year scored out of 2700 after Abstract Reasoning was removed. The mean total cognitive score was 1891 across 41,354 candidates. The final 2025 decile thresholds were: 1st 1580, 2nd 1680, 3rd 1760, 4th 1820, 5th 1880, 6th 1950, 7th 2010, 8th 2100 and 9th 2220 (a 9th-decile score puts you in the top 10%).
Decile | Total (out of 2700) | Verbal Reasoning | Decision Making | Quantitative Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 1580 | 500 | 520 | 520 |
2nd | 1680 | 540 | 560 | 570 |
3rd | 1760 | 560 | 590 | 590 |
4th | 1820 | 580 | 610 | 630 |
5th | 1880 | 600 | 630 | 650 |
6th | 1950 | 620 | 650 | 680 |
7th | 2010 | 640 | 670 | 710 |
8th | 2100 | 670 | 700 | 750 |
9th | 2220 | 700 | 740 | 820 |
Here is the 2025 breakdown per subtest (mean scaled scores): Verbal Reasoning 602, Decision Making 628 and Quantitative Reasoning 661. Abstract Reasoning no longer exists, so there are only three cognitive sections feeding into your total.
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Interim UCAT Deciles 2024 (2025 Entry) & UCAT Interim Average Scores Per Subset 2024 (2025 Entry)
Interim UCAT Deciles 2025
These are the preliminary UCAT scores in 2025.
Interim (preliminary) deciles are published partway through the testing window and have been lower in the final results: in 2026 the preliminary mean (to 13 September) was 1970 and the final mean was 1918, so do not panic if your score looks borderline against early-window deciles.
Please note that these change by the end of UCAT Testing (see below to what happened to the interim scores in 2025 (2026 Entry)!
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UCAT Preliminary Scores 2025
As you can see in the interim results for 2025 - there is a large decrease in the proportion of students getting band 1 in the SJT, and a greater proportion getting band 3 in the SJT. Use this wisely when applying.
UCAT Deciles from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025
Final UCAT Deciles 2018-2025
Given the change to UCAT scoring in 2025 (Abstract Reasoning removed, total now out of 2700), the historic 2018-2024 deciles below are on the old 3600 scale and are shown for context only. To compare your own score, use the 2025 deciles out of 2700 above, not these older figures.
👉🏻 Read more:Where To Apply With A Low UCAT Score
👉🏻 Read more:How To Choose A UCAT Test Day
How do UCAT Interim Deciles compare to UCAT Final Deciles ( using 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 as an example)
As you can see using the table below, the actual thresholds dropped by around 50-60 points in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (for 2025 entry) between the interim and final UCAT decile thresholds.
This is roughly consistent with what we have seen year on year at TheUKCATPeople.
Use these scores alongside information on UCAT Cut Offs to help.
👉🏻 Read more:UCAT Burnout - How To Avoid It
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UCAT Percentiles
What is a UCAT percentile? A percentile indicates what proportion of ranks are below your UCAT score. A 90th percentile UCAT score would indicate that your UCAT score was better than 90% of your cohort. A 99th percentile UCAT score would indicate that you are in the top 1% of UCAT candidates in your cohort.
Frequently asked questions
What are the UCAT deciles for 2025?
The final 2025 UCAT deciles (out of 2700) were: 1st 1580, 2nd 1680, 3rd 1760, 4th 1820, 5th 1880, 6th 1950, 7th 2010, 8th 2100 and 9th 2220. The mean total cognitive score was 1891 across 41,354 candidates. A score of about 2220 placed you in the top 10% (the 9th decile boundary).
What is a UCAT decile?
A UCAT decile divides everyone who sat the test that year into ten equal bands by total score. The 1st decile is the score at the 10th percentile and the 9th decile is the score at the 90th percentile, so a score above the 9th decile puts you in the top 10% of candidates. Deciles let you see where your score sits in your year without needing the exact percentile.
Are UCAT deciles still out of 3600?
No. From 2025, Abstract Reasoning was removed and the UCAT has three cognitive subtests scored out of 2700, not 3600. Any decile table from 2024 or earlier is on the old 3600 scale and is not directly comparable to a 2025 or 2026 score. Always compare your score against 2025-onwards deciles.
What is a good UCAT decile?
Aiming for the 8th or 9th decile (roughly 2100 to 2220 in 2025) keeps almost every UK medical and dental school open to you. The 6th to 7th decile (about 1950 to 2010) is competitive at many schools that score the UCAT holistically. Below the 5th decile you should target schools with lower cut-offs.
When do UCAT deciles come out?
You get your own scaled scores on the print-out as soon as you finish the test. The official decile statistics are published by the UCAT Consortium after the testing window closes, usually in late September or early October. Interim deciles appear partway through the window but typically fall by 50 to 60 points by the final release.
When do final UCAT deciles come out for 2026?
The 2026 UCAT testing window runs from 13 July to 24 September 2026. The UCAT Consortium publishes final 2026 decile statistics shortly after testing closes, usually in late September or early October, and your scores are sent to your chosen universities in early November. Until then, use the 2025 deciles as your best guide.
What is the difference between interim and final UCAT deciles?
Interim (preliminary) deciles are released partway through the testing window from candidates who have already tested. Final deciles cover everyone who sat the exam. The UCAT Consortium says interim figures should be treated with significant caution: in 2026 the preliminary mean (to 13 September) was 1970 and the final mean was 1918, so do not rely on early-window numbers.
How do I calculate my UCAT decile?
Add your three cognitive subtest scores (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning) for a total out of 2700, then read that total against the most recent decile table. Our UCAT Score Calculator converts raw marks to a scaled total for you. The SJT band is reported separately and is not part of your decile.
What was the average UCAT score in 2025?
The mean total cognitive score in 2025 was 1891 out of 2700, which falls around the 5th to 6th decile. Section averages were Verbal Reasoning 602, Decision Making 628 and Quantitative Reasoning 661. The 2025 mean was about 21 points higher than 2024 once converted to the new three-subtest scale.
What does third decile or above mean?
When a university says only the third decile and above will be considered, it means your total UCAT score must be at or above the 3rd decile boundary, the 30th percentile, so the lowest-scoring 30% of that year's cohort are screened out. In 2025 the 3rd decile boundary was 1760 out of 2700. Always check each school's exact wording, as a few describe deciles counted from the top.
Is the SJT part of my UCAT decile?
No. The Situational Judgement Test is reported as a band from 1 to 4, where Band 1 is the strongest. Deciles are calculated only on your total cognitive score out of 2700. Universities consider your SJT band separately, and a strong band can help your application even if your cognitive decile is mid-range.
Do UCAT deciles change much year on year?
On the same scoring scale, deciles stay fairly stable because the UCAT is standardised. However, 2025 reset the scale to 2700 after Abstract Reasoning was removed, so 2025 and 2026 deciles form a new baseline. Small year-on-year shifts of a few tens of points are normal, so treat predicted deciles as estimates, not guarantees.
What is the difference between a UCAT decile, quartile and percentile?
A decile splits the cohort into ten bands, a quartile into four 25% bands, and a percentile tells you the exact percentage of candidates you scored above. For example, a 90th-percentile score beat 90% of your cohort, which is the same as the 9th-decile boundary. Universities most often use deciles.
What UCAT decile do I need for medicine?
There is no single cut-off across all schools. Competitive applicants usually aim for the 7th decile or higher (about 2010+ in 2025), and the 9th decile (around 2220) keeps every option open. Some schools weight the UCAT lightly or use it holistically, so research each university and target schools that suit your decile.
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