What does my UCAT SJT band mean?

Pick your band to see how many candidates got it, what UCAT says it means, and how Edinburgh's applicants in that band fared.

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  • Data checked 26 September 2026
Your SJT band
Test year
Fee status, for the Edinburgh comparison

2026 shares come from UCAT’s preliminary table of early testers; 2024 and 2025 are final.

UCAT SJT Band 2 · 2026 preliminary, UK candidates

16% did better, 42% did worse

Band 2 went to 42% of the 20,794 early 2026 testers; 16% got a higher band. Those in Band 2 demonstrated a good, solid level of performance, showing appropriate judgement frequently, with many responses matching model answers. At Edinburgh (2025 entry), 105 of 229 rest-of-UK applicants with Band 2 were interviewed (46%), but those groups also differed in UCAT scores and grades.

Edinburgh rates: observed, not causal
Band 410%
Band 332%
Band 242%
Band 116%
How common each band was, 2026

Share of 2026 candidates in each band

0%
25%
50%
16%
42%
32%
10%
Band 1B1Band 2B2Band 3B3Band 4B4
  • Published share
  • Your band
Edinburgh interviews by SJT band, rest-of-UK applicants
  • Band 168%86/127
  • Band 246%105/229
  • Band 327%42/156
  • Band 4n/a7 applied, outcome n/a
  • Interviewed (published counts)
  • Your band

Which schools accept Band 2? That depends on each school’s rule for 2027 entry. Check every school’s SJT rule.

UCAT 2026 test statistics, 20,794 early 2026 testers · Edinburgh MBChB 2025 admissions statistics

UCAT · 2027 entry

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How we estimate

Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.

What it covers

UK UCAT Situational Judgement bands. Band shares for the 2024 (37,913 candidates) and 2025 (41,354) tests are final; 2026 covers 20,794 early testers to 13 September 2026. Edinburgh figures are MBChB applicants for 2025 entry, who sat the 2024 UCAT.

Sources

Method

  1. Band shares are copied from UCAT's test statistics. "Did better" adds the shares of the higher bands; "did worse" adds the lower ones.
  2. The band descriptions are UCAT's own wording, given to every candidate with their result.
  3. The scaled-score ranges come from UCAT's 2025 technical report: each band covers a range of scaled SJT scores (Band 1 was 658 to 900 in 2025). These are not raw marks or percentages correct.
  4. Edinburgh interview rates divide interviews by applicants in each band and fee group, with a 95% Wilson range. Band 4 outcomes are printed as n/a by Edinburgh and stay missing.
  5. UCAT's eligibility page says candidates may only sit the test once in any test cycle (https://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/eligibility/, checked 27 September 2026).

Uncertainty and limits

  • UCAT rounds each band's share separately, so a year's shares can add to 99% (2025) rather than 100%.
  • The 2026 shares come from early testers only; the final 2026 table can differ.
  • Edinburgh's groups differ in UCAT scores, grades and contextual status as well as SJT band, so the gaps between bands are associations, not the effect of the band itself. For 2027 entry Edinburgh gives the SJT band 7.5% of its selection score and does not accept Band 4.

Dates and versions

  • UCAT UK score distributions, 2024 to 2026: data version 2026-09-26.1, checked 26 September 2026 (preliminary).
  • UCAT SJT bands: scaled-score boundaries and Edinburgh outcomes by band: data version 2026-09-27.1, checked 27 September 2026 (historical).
  • Page last changed 27 September 2026.

What the answer means

The answer tells you how common your band was, what UCAT says it reflects, and how one school's applicants with that band were treated. It cannot change your band, turn a raw SJT mark into a band, or tell you whether a particular school will interview you. For each school's published rule, use the SJT band checker.

What each SJT band means

UCAT's description of each band, and the 2025 scaled-score range behind it
BandUCAT's description2025 scaled scoreDesigned share
Band 1Those in Band 1 demonstrated an excellent level of performance, showing similar judgement in most cases to the panel of experts.658 to 90022%
Band 2Those in Band 2 demonstrated a good, solid level of performance, showing appropriate judgement frequently, with many responses matching model answers.596 to 65738%
Band 3Those in Band 3 demonstrated a modest level of performance, with appropriate judgement shown for some questions and substantial differences from ideal responses for others.502 to 59530%
Band 4The performance of those in Band 4 was low, with judgement tending to differ substantially from ideal responses in many cases.300 to 50110%

Scaled scores, not raw marks: UCAT does not publish how many marks each band needs. Checked 27 September 2026.

Questions people ask

Is SJT Band 2 good?

Yes, for most applicants. In the 2025 UCAT, 21% of candidates got Band 1 and 39% Band 2, so Band 2 put you above the 39% in Bands 3 and 4. None of the 2027-entry school rules we checked on 26 September 2026 rule out Band 2.

Is SJT Band 3 bad?

Band 3 is common: 29% of 2025 candidates and 38% of 2024 candidates got it. Most schools still consider it, but Manchester does not, and Sheffield's dental school needs Band 1 or 2. At Edinburgh, 27% of rest-of-UK applicants with Band 3 were interviewed for 2025 entry, against 46% with Band 2.

What percentage of people get SJT Band 1?

21% in 2025, 13% in 2024 and 16% of early testers in 2026. UCAT's 2025 technical report says Band 1 was designed to cover about 22%.

How many SJT marks do I need for Band 1?

UCAT does not publish a raw mark or percentage for each band. Bands are set on a scaled SJT score: in 2025, Band 1 was 658 to 900, Band 2 596 to 657, Band 3 502 to 595 and Band 4 300 to 501.

Can I resit the UCAT to improve my SJT band?

Not in the same cycle. UCAT says you may only sit the test once in any test cycle, so the band stands for that application round.

Sources

UCAT UK score distributions, 2024 to 2026: version 2026-09-26.1, First published version, transcribed by script from the 26 September 2026 UCAT research snapshot. UCAT SJT bands: scaled-score boundaries and Edinburgh outcomes by band: version 2026-09-27.1, First version, transcribed by script from the 26 September 2026 UCAT research snapshot.

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