UCAT vs MCAT vs GAMSAT: Which Test Is Harder, and Which One Do You Need?

The UCAT, the MCAT and the GAMSAT are admissions tests for different routes into medicine, so most applicants only ever need one of them. Which one you sit depends on where you want to study and whether you already have a degree. Checked against ucat.ac.uk, aamc.org and gamsat.acer.org on 24 October 2026.

What is the difference between the UCAT, MCAT and GAMSAT?

The UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) is a two-hour aptitude test for UK medicine and dentistry that needs no science knowledge. The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is a seven-and-a-half-hour science and reasoning exam for US and Canadian medical schools. The GAMSAT (Graduate Medical School Admissions Test) is a graduate-entry test with essays and science, used in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

For the UCAT itself in more detail, see what the UCAT is and how it works. Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT in 2025, which is why totals now run to 2700, not 3600.

Is the UCAT harder than the MCAT?

Neither is simply harder: they are hard in different ways. The MCAT tests a large body of university-level science over a full day, while the UCAT tests reasoning speed over two hours with no science content at all.

• Knowledge vs aptitude. The AAMC describes the MCAT science sections as testing introductory biology, general and organic chemistry, physics, first-semester biochemistry, psychology and sociology. The UCAT's four subtests contain no science content, and in Verbal Reasoning candidates are told not to use prior knowledge, so preparation is about technique and timing, not learning content.
• Speed. UCAT Verbal Reasoning gives you 30 seconds a question and Situational Judgement about 23. The MCAT allows roughly 97 seconds a question in its science sections and 102 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, but many of them sit on long passages you must read first.
• Stamina. The MCAT is about seven and a half hours seated, with breaks. The UCAT is just under two hours and cannot be paused once it starts.
• Second chances. You can sit the MCAT up to three times in a testing year. The UCAT can be sat once a year, so a weak result means waiting a full cycle.

For a section-by-section view of what makes the UCAT difficult, read how hard the UCAT is and which section is hardest.

Is the GAMSAT harder than the UCAT?

The GAMSAT is longer and asks for more: two timed essays and science reasoning at first-year university level, against the UCAT's two hours of reasoning with no essays and no science. It is designed for graduates; the UCAT is the test UK school leavers sit.

• ACER states that the science section expects first-year university biology and chemistry and A-level physics, and that success will be difficult without a good knowledge of the biological and physical sciences, even though graduates of any subject can apply.
• The GAMSAT Written Communication tasks are marked on the quality of your thinking and your control of language. The UCAT has no written component.
• GAMSAT results last two years in the UK and Ireland and there is no limit on sittings. A UCAT result counts for one application cycle only.

If you are a graduate weighing the two, our GAMSAT overview shows which UK graduate-entry courses ask for each test.

Which test do I need for medicine?

Applying to UK medicine or dentistry from school, you need the UCAT. Applying as a graduate, you need the UCAT or the GAMSAT depending on the course. Applying to US or Canadian medical schools, you need the MCAT.

Graduates should read our graduate entry medicine overview, and anyone applying from abroad can check the universities that accept the UCAT outside the UK and our guide to UCAT requirements for NUS and NTU.

Can you use the MCAT for UK medicine?

Only for a few graduate-entry courses. Standard five- and six-year courses at UCAT Consortium universities ask for the UCAT, not the MCAT. As of 24 October 2026, three UK graduate-entry courses list the MCAT on their own pages.

Read the full requirements for Chester graduate entry medicine, Worcester graduate entry medicine and Swansea graduate entry medicine. If you are a US or Canadian student without a degree, you sit the UCAT like any other applicant: see studying medicine in the UK from the USA and from Canada.

What happened to the BMAT?

The BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) no longer exists. It was last sat in autumn 2023 by applicants for 2024 entry, and Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, which ran it, no longer delivers any tests. Cambridge and Imperial moved to the UCAT from the 2024 application cycle, and Oxford, UCL, Leeds, Lancaster and Brighton and Sussex, which also used the BMAT, are all on the UCAT list for 2027 entry.

Why it was withdrawn and what changed for each school is in BMAT cancelled: what to sit instead.

UCAT vs UCAT ANZ: what is the difference?

The UCAT ANZ is the same test, identical in content, sat on an earlier timetable for universities in Australia and New Zealand, which accept only UCAT ANZ results. UK universities accept a UCAT ANZ result, so if you are applying to both, sit the UCAT ANZ; you may not sit both in the same year. The details are in UCAT ANZ vs UCAT UK.

How do you prepare for each test?

• UCAT: timed practice with the official UCAT practice tests and question banks, plus technique for each subtest. Our UCAT guides cover every section, and 1-to-1 online UCAT tutoring works on your weakest subtest.
• MCAT: content revision across the science and social science disciplines the AAMC lists, then full-length practice exams for stamina.
• GAMSAT: science revision to first-year university level, essay practice and long-passage reasoning. ACER includes a practice test with registration, and our GAMSAT tutors cover all three sections.

For context on UCAT scores, the 2026 mean was 1918 out of 2700 across 42,359 tests: see what counts as a good UCAT score.