UKMLA AKT pass mark: there is no single number
There is no single fixed UKMLA AKT pass mark: it's set for each paper, and ranged from 115/200 to 117/200 in 2024-25. Checked November 2026.
Key facts
- Two 100-item papers, consecutive days, two hours each, Medical Schools Council handbook.
- Pass mark range 115/200 to 117/200 in 2024-25, Medical Schools Council annual report.
- Pass rate 98.3% August 2025, same report.
- Standard set per paper by Modified Angoff panels, Medical Schools Council annual report.
Warm up while you read with a two-minute quick case.
What is the UKMLA AKT pass mark?
The UKMLA AKT pass mark is not a single fixed number. The AKT is a pass/fail assessment, and each paper sets a raw score out of 200 as its pass mark. For 2024 to 2025, the official range reported was 115/200 to 117/200 across sittings.
Sitting | Pass mark | As a percentage | Students | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sept 2024 to Aug 2025, all sittings | 115/200 to 117/200 | 57.5% to 58.5% | 10,437 | 98.3% |
June and Aug 2024, penultimate-year schools | 115/200 to 116/200 | 57.5% to 58% | 1,580 | 96.4% |
Source: Medical Schools Council annual AKT report, academic year 2024-25. Percentages are our own arithmetic.
Percentages are our arithmetic on the official range.
Percentages use 200 questions as the denominator. See the 2024-25 annual report and the AKT student handbook, which confirms pass/fail status and that scores are not used for national ranking.
How the AKT pass mark is set for each paper
UKMLA AKT pass marks are set per paper using Modified Angoff, where expert panels estimate how a minimally competent candidate would perform, then psychometric checks and the Exam Board finalise a per-paper standard.
See the Medical Schools Council's board reports page and how the MRCP sets marks for how other UK exams standard-set too:
Step | What happens |
|---|---|
1 | Judge each question for a minimally competent candidate using Modified Angoff panels. |
2 | Convene Standard Setting Group, 17 from 14 schools, plus 30 panellists, set pass score. |
3 | Run psychometric analyses after each exam using Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. |
4 | Send pass score recommendations to the Exam Board to ratify the final pass mark. |
How the AKT pass score is set, from panel judgements to ratification. Source: Medical Schools Council AKT report 2024-25.
The handbook is explicit: "There are a number of AKT papers in use for each academic year." It also states that per-paper standards aim to give "the same likelihood of passing the assessment regardless of the paper sat", so your chance should be equivalent whichever form you sit.
Why some pages quote a different AKT pass mark
Pages differ on the UKMLA AKT pass mark because two exams share AKT. The RCGP’s AKT is part of MRCGP, a GP training exam, not the Medical Schools Council AKT sat during medical school.
In a Google UK search on 1 November 2026 for "ukmla akt pass mark", two of the top five results were MRCGP AKT feedback reports. See the RCGP's AKT page, and also see the MRCGP SCA figures as the other MRCGP exam we cover.
Watch out. Check who sits it, who runs it, and the year. The UKMLA AKT is a Medical Schools Council exam at medical school. UK graduates pass the MLA as part of their degree, per the GMC's MLA page.
How Diagnosica helps with this
Two-minute quick case: one line, five clues, guess the diagnosis after each.
Diagnosica app, quick case, as of November 2026.
- 29-year-old man, 2 days of sharp central chest pain, mild viral cold.
- Each guess opens the next clue.
- Five clues total, guess after each.
Simulated patient. Screenshot from Diagnosica, November 2026.
What the pass mark means for your revision
The UKMLA AKT pass mark sets minimum competence, not class rank. Treat it as a minimum competence exam, know the content map not a number, and note 98.3% passed in 2024-25, per the Medical Schools Council board report:
Rule | What the source says |
|---|---|
Negative marking | No negative marking, answer every question, per the handbook. |
Results timing | Expect results in around five weeks, per the handbook. |
Attempts allowed | MSC recommends max four valid attempts, max two per academic year; your school sets local rules. |
The CPSA | Clinical half; see how the CPSA is marked. |
Want structure without chasing a moving threshold? Start with a UKMLA revision plan. For more repetition on your phone, tablet or laptop, use AI tools for UKMLA revision.
Knowing the AKT bar is set at minimum competence frees you to focus on applying knowledge to patients, and questions focus on application over recall. Keep that muscle warm: practise a full case with a video AI patient. The AI patient appears on screen as a video avatar. Then skim AI for finals revision.
