What changed this cycle

From the 2025 cycle the UCAT dropped the Abstract Reasoning subtest. There are now three cognitive subtests, Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning, each scored between 300 and 900, giving a total between 900 and 2700. Previously there were four cognitive subtests scoring 1200 to 3600.

The Situational Judgement Test is still taken and reported separately in bands 1 to 4. When you compare a student's score with older cut-off figures, make sure you are comparing against the right era, as a strong 2700-scale score is a different number from a strong 3600-scale score.

The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was delivered for the last time in the autumn 2023 sitting and is no longer used for 2024 entry onwards. Universities that previously required BMAT have moved to other admissions tests or to the UCAT.

If your applicants are working from older guidance, they may still see BMAT mentioned. Point them to each course's current entry requirements to confirm which admissions test, if any, is needed.

From the 2026 entry cycle, UCAS replaced the single free-text personal statement with three structured questions. Applicants answer each question in turn rather than writing one continuous essay, within an overall limit.

The questions focus on why the applicant wants to study the course, how their studies have prepared them, and what else they have done to prepare. Check the exact wording, order and character limit on the UCAS site, as these are the details most likely to change between cycles.

Several new medical schools have opened or begun taking students in recent cycles, expanding the number of UK places. Recent additions include Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, the University of Greater Manchester, St Mary's and Ulster.

New places are typically capped and depend on General Medical Council approval, so which schools are open to which applicants changes year to year. Encourage applicants to check the current status of any newer school before adding it to a UCAS choice.

A new apprenticeship route into medicine, the Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship, allows apprentices to train towards a medical degree and General Medical Council registration while employed and earning, with training funded through the apprenticeship levy rather than student loans.

Pilots began from around 2024 to 2025 with a small number of places, and the list of employers and university partners is still developing. It is a genuine alternative route rather than a replacement for the standard UCAS application, so treat details as provisional and check the current pilot before advising a student to rely on it.