Free UCAT ANZ practice questions
Here are 9 practice questions in the format of the UCAT ANZ, two or three from each of its four sections. Try each one, then open "Show answer" for the correct answer and a worked explanation of how to reach it.
For how the sections are timed and how many questions each has, see the UCAT ANZ test format guide.
Verbal Reasoning
You read passages and answer only from what they say, either judging a statement True, False or Can't Tell or choosing the right answer to a comprehension question. The real section has 44 questions in 22 min.
The surface under a school climbing frame is chosen first for what it does when a child falls on it. Playground standards give every surface a critical fall height, the greatest height from which a fall onto it is unlikely to cause a serious head injury, and a surface must be rated for at least the height of the equipment above it. After that come cost, upkeep and what happens to the surface in the weather.
Loose bark mulch, laid 300 millimetres deep, is rated for falls of about three metres and is the cheapest surface to install, at roughly $25 a square metre. It is also the one that moves. Children kick it out from under swings and slides, and within a term the layer beneath the most-used equipment can be half its laid depth, which reduces its protection unless it is raked back every week. It drains freely and can be used within an hour of rain.
Sand at the same depth is rated for falls of a little over two metres and costs about the same as bark. It moves as bark does, but it also packs down when wet, so its rating falls after a week of rain until it is dug over, and it has to be sieved for litter that settles out of sight below the surface.
Poured rubber, laid as a continuous mat, is rated according to its thickness, commonly for falls of between one and a half and three metres, and costs around $180 a square metre. It does not move and needs no raking, and it can be crossed by a child in a wheelchair, which neither loose surface allows. It softens in heat and hardens with age, and a mat more than about ten years old is usually tested again before its rating is relied on.
Question 1
Which of the following correctly pairs a surface with a drawback the passage gives for it?
- A.Sand: its rating drops after it has been wet for some time.
- B.Bark mulch: it cannot be used soon after rain.
- C.Poured rubber: it must be raked back every week.
- D.Bark mulch: it hides litter below the surface.
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Answer: A
Paragraph 3 says sand "packs down when wet, so its rating falls after a week of rain": A pairs correctly. B reverses bark, which "can be used within an hour of rain". C gives rubber the raking bark needs, when rubber "needs no raking". D gives bark the litter problem that belongs to sand.
Question 2
A school has a climbing frame 2.5 metres high, must keep costs low, and wants a surface that can be used straight after rain. Based on the passage, which surface meets all three requirements?
- A.Sand.
- B.Poured rubber.
- C.Poured rubber at its thinnest.
- D.Bark mulch, kept raked.
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Answer: D
Bark mulch is rated for about three metres, is the cheapest surface, and can be used within an hour of rain, provided it is raked back so it keeps its depth: D. Sand (A) is rated for only a little over two metres, below the frame's height, and packs down when wet. Rubber (B) costs about $180 a square metre against $25 for bark, and at its thinnest (C) it is rated for only one and a half metres.
Decision Making
You apply logic to reach conclusions, judge arguments and interpret statistical information, with a simple on-screen calculator. The real section has 35 questions in 37 min.
Every patient on the Ward 3 list this morning was seen by a doctor before 10 am, except a few who were in surgery. None of the patients in surgery had eaten breakfast, and every patient seen before 10 am was given a discharge plan.
Question 3 · Syllogisms
Place 'Yes' if the conclusion does follow. Place 'No' if the conclusion does not follow.
- 1.At least one patient on the ward list this morning had not eaten breakfast.
- 2.Most patients on the ward list this morning were given a discharge plan.
- 3.A patient on the ward list without a discharge plan was in surgery this morning.
- 4.Every patient on the ward list given a discharge plan was seen before 10 am.
- 5.Fewer than half of the patients on the ward list were in surgery this morning.
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Answers: 1 Yes, 2 No, 3 Yes, 4 No, 5 Yes
1. At least one patient on the ward list this morning had not eaten breakfast.
Yes. A few patients were in surgery, a few is not none, and none of the surgery patients had eaten breakfast.
2. Most patients on the ward list this morning were given a discharge plan.
No. Everyone seen before 10 am got a plan, and they are the majority, but the surgery patients may have got one too, and most means a majority that leaves at least one out.
3. A patient on the ward list without a discharge plan was in surgery this morning.
Yes. Every patient seen before 10 am got a plan, so a patient without one was not seen then, and the only patients not seen then were in surgery.
4. Every patient on the ward list given a discharge plan was seen before 10 am.
No. Patients seen before 10 am got a plan, but others may have been given one as well.
5. Fewer than half of the patients on the ward list were in surgery this morning.
Yes. Only a few of the patients were in surgery.
Five walkers on a guided tour each choose one activity on each of three days. Counting the whole group, the choices made were: Day 1: 2 kayaking, 2 cycling, 1 birdwatching Day 2: 3 cave tour, 1 gorge walk, 1 kayaking Day 3: 2 cycling, 2 gorge walk, 1 cave tour Four of the five walkers chose as follows: Bo: cycling, cave tour, gorge walk Elif: kayaking, cave tour, cycling Hana: kayaking, gorge walk, cycling Ravi: cycling, cave tour, gorge walk The fifth walker is Mika.
Question 4 · Logical puzzles
Which three activities did Mika choose, in day order?
- A.Birdwatching, the gorge walk and the cave tour
- B.Cycling, kayaking and the cave tour
- C.Birdwatching, kayaking and cycling
- D.Birdwatching, kayaking and the cave tour
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Answer: D
From the information given, we can deduce Mika's choices one day at a time. On day 1 the other four took both places on the kayaks and both on the bicycles, so Mika went birdwatching. On day 2 the other four took all three cave-tour places and the single gorge walk, so Mika kayaked. On day 3 the other four took both cycling places and both gorge walks, so Mika joined the cave tour. So D is the answer, birdwatching, kayaking and the cave tour.
A carnival spinner is divided into 8 equal segments. 3 of the segments award a prize.
Question 5 · Probabilistic reasoning
Is the probability of the spinner landing on a prize segment greater than 40%?
- A.Yes, because prize segments make up more than a third of the spinner, so the probability must be above 40%.
- B.Yes, because there are 3 prize segments against 5 non-prize segments, giving odds of 3 in 5 — well above 40%.
- C.No, because there are 5 non-prize segments compared to only 3 prize segments, so non-prize segments are more common.
- D.No, because 3 out of 8 segments is 37.5%, which is below the 40% threshold.
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Answer: D
Work the exact probability rather than estimating it: 3 prize segments out of 8 equal segments is 3/8, which is 37.5%, and that is below the 40% the stem names. So the answer is D.
Quantitative Reasoning
You solve problems using numbers, most often from a table, chart or graph, in sets of questions that share one piece of data, with a basic on-screen calculator. The real section has 36 questions in 26 min.
A school technology committee scored five tablet models out of 10 on each of four criteria, with each criterion carrying the weighting shown. A model's overall weighted score is the sum of its four scores, each multiplied by its own criterion's weighting. One score is missing from the table. Model S has an overall weighted score of 6.65.
| Criterion | Weighting | Model P | Model Q | Model R | Model S | Model T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 30% | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Screen quality | 25% | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | |
| Durability | 20% | 9 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Repair cost | 25% | 4 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
Question 6
What score did Model S receive for screen quality?
- A.5
- B.6
- C.7
- D.8
- E.9
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Answer: B
The three scores Model S does show contribute:
0.30 x 8 = 2.40, 0.20 x 5 = 1.00 and 0.25 x 7 = 1.75.
2.40 + 1.00 + 1.75 = 5.15.
6.65 - 5.15 = 1.50, which is the screen quality contribution.
1.50 / 0.25 = 6.
Question 7
A sixth model, Model U, was scored on the same four criteria but its row was left out of the table. Model U scored 6 for battery life, 9 for durability and 7 for screen quality, and its overall weighted score is 7.35. What score did Model U receive for repair cost?
- A.6
- B.7
- C.8
- D.9
- E.10
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Answer: C
Model U's three known contributions:
0.30 x 6 = 1.80, 0.20 x 9 = 1.80 and 0.25 x 7 = 1.75.
1.80 + 1.80 + 1.75 = 5.35.
7.35 - 5.35 = 2.00, which is the repair cost contribution.
2.00 / 0.25 = 8.
Try Quantitative Reasoning questions in the real exam interface
Situational Judgement
You read short scenarios set in clinical or training settings and rate how appropriate a response is or how important a consideration is. The real section has 69 questions in 26 min.
Tahmina is a medical student on an orthopaedic ward. An elderly patient, Anselm, broke his hip yesterday when he fell on a bush walk that his daughter, Juliette, had encouraged him to go on to keep active. Sitting by his bed while he sleeps, Juliette tells Tahmina that it is all her fault, that she keeps going over it, and that she has not slept. The nurse looking after Anselm is at the desk nearby.
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Tahmina in this situation?
Question 8
“It sounds as though you’ve been going over it a lot. Would it help to talk to the nurse looking after him?”
Assume that each of the following responses would be said politely.
- A.A very appropriate thing to say
- B.Appropriate, but not ideal
- C.Inappropriate, but not awful
- D.A very inappropriate thing to say
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Answer: A very appropriate thing to say
Tahmina acknowledges how Juliette is feeling without judging, and offers her someone who can support her and answer her questions about her father's care. It responds to her distress without making claims Tahmina cannot stand behind.
Question 9
“I’m sure your father doesn’t blame you at all.”
Assume that each of the following responses would be said politely.
- A.A very appropriate thing to say
- B.Appropriate, but not ideal
- C.Inappropriate, but not awful
- D.A very inappropriate thing to say
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Answer: A very inappropriate thing to say
Tahmina has no way of knowing what Anselm thinks, and speaking for him could backfire badly if Juliette later finds he feels otherwise. It sounds kind, but it is a claim she cannot stand behind.
Try Situational Judgement questions in the real exam interface
Common questions
Are these real UCAT questions?
No. They are original questions written in the UCAT ANZ format, the version of the test sat in Australia and New Zealand. The official practice tests and question banks are free on the UCAT ANZ website.
Do you lose marks for a wrong answer in the UCAT ANZ?
No. There is no negative marking for incorrect answers, so a guess never costs you anything and no question should be left blank.
Is there a calculator in the UCAT ANZ?
Yes, in two sections. Decision Making has a simple on-screen calculator and Quantitative Reasoning has a basic one. Verbal Reasoning and Situational Judgement have none.
How are Situational Judgement questions marked?
Full marks go to a response that matches the correct answer, and partial marks to one that is close to it. That is why the explanations here say why an answer sits at its point on the scale, not only whether it is right.
How are the five-statement Decision Making questions marked?
They are worth 2 marks. All five statements right earns both, and a partially correct response earns 1.
Facts checked 16 Oct 2026