The process for applying to Medicine and Dentistry is significantly different than that applying to other university courses. There are some commonalities however an essential component of Medicine and Dentistry applications is the UCAT. In this article, we discuss how you can get ready for the UCAT.
The UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) is an admission aptitude test as used by most and 31 out of 44 universities in the UK. It’s a critical aspect and imperative part of the admission criteria for Medicine (This same test is also used for Dentistry candidates).
Booking the UCAT
Booking your UCAT exam is straightforward via the UCAT website. The exact test date can be chosen or booked by yourself so register early and get your slot with what fits your own circumstances the best. Some students are more alert in the morning and others prefer afternoons.
The test is made up of 5 sections or parts as follows:
- Verbal Reasoning (VR)
- Decision Making (DM)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Abstract Reasoning (AR)
- Situational Judgement (SJT)
Each section is succinctly unique and therefore will challenge you accordingly. The UCAT tests different attributes other than academic abilities. This means that you do not need to refer to your own scientific knowledge as the UCAT provided the content for you to answer the questions.
How is the UCAT scored?
The final overall score of this test, along with the rest of the UCAS application such as Grades and Personal statement are used to select students for the interview stages.
All universities use the UCAT score differently where some placing a major emphasis on it for interview invitation but with others having a slightly lesser emphasis on it. Check the admissions departments to have an idea on their criteria for selection. Overall, you must get a sufficiently high mark in your UCAT exam.
Why Do I Need To Sit The UCAT Exam?
The exam tests your critical thinking, deduction and problem solving skills but it is not based on academic knowledge. (A certain level of mathematical ability is required for one section but it is not A Level standard as many students will not be carrying Maths for A Levels.)
When Is The UCAT Exam?
The exams sittings are from late June all the way to September on designated days and times. Plus, you can only sit it once in that year. The UCAT exam lasts for 2 hours and is a computerised exam where you will sit at your chosen specific designated exam centre. You should choose the centre most convenient for you if possible.
UCAT Questions
In total, there are 228 questions across the 5 different sections. The test is scored out of 900 maximum for Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4. There is a minimum score of 300 in each so this is a total of 1200.
Scores are calculated as an average of the four sections. The last SJT segment is scored as Bands 1, 2, 3 or 4 with 1 as the top band. Band 1 and 2 are considered as acceptable by medical schools.
What Is a Good UCAT Score?
This depends on the cohort each year but you should aim for a range 655-730 when doing your Mock Tests. It also helps to see if your particular university has a cut off score and what that was in the previous years.
We will discuss the 4 sections in further detail below.
Verbal Reasoning UCAT Section Questions
This part of the examination tests your ability to absorb a significant amount of given information, analysing statements and finally to interpret the data in terms of how it relates to the given passage. Many students seem to struggle with the time aspect in order to complete all the questions. It is not important to have prior information about the topic and you must only use the information in the passage. Different questions will have passages of different lengths.
If you are struggling with Verbal Reasoning UCAT questions, do contact us for a free initial consultation. Our tutors give one to one online UCAT tutoring/ coaching and go through all the different types of statements that you can come across. They will then teach you the skills and techniques you require in order to achieve a high mark. We also provide ways in which to improve your timing so that you feel more confident.
Decision Making UCAT Section Questions
All the different sections of the test have different times allocated to them and this section is the lengthiest one. In this section, you are given a total of 31 minutes and are provided with 29 questions. In other words, you cannot afford to linger on for more than 60 seconds per question.
There is an element of working with numbers in this part of the UCAT hence you are given an online calculator as standard.
Types of Decision Making UCAT Questions
The answers for UCAT decision making section are broadly in 2 types depending on what kind of response is needed. Some questions have to be answered as just “YES” or “NO”
But, the other type of response is like a MCQ and you have to choose one answer which you feel is the most appropriate. A key skill of being a good doctor is making difficult decisions and where the best solution is not immediately apparent.
This Decision Making part of the UCAT tests your logical reasoning skills in relation to a particular problem in order to reach the correct answer. You can be given text, charts, tables, diagrams and graphs and then interpret the information within them. We work one to one as online UCAT tutoring with the students in order to answer these questions in the best possible manner within the shortest amount of time. Through experience, we have crafted a set of techniques and methods with students to find useful when you need extra help with UCAT Decision Making questions.
What is a good UCAT Decision making Score?
For a good score, when doing Mock questions, your target should be from 610 to 625. If you are not achieving this, it may be that your technique is causing you to lose time and marks.
Quantitative Reasoning UCAT Section Questions
Although for this section, you need mathematical skills, you do not need to be an advanced mathematician so don’t worry if you have not got A-level Maths. During our one-to-one sessions, if you feel that you require help with the maths, we will teach you all the mathematical principles in order to achieve a good mark in this particular section. The data that you can be presented with can involve text, tables, graphs and charts. The problem skills required are multi-factorial in this Quantitive Reasoning UCAT section.
Abstract Reasoning UCAT Section Questions
During this part of the test, you will be presented with different shapes and where you need to identify recurring patterns. During our one to one lessons with our students, we will teach you the different set of patterns that repeatedly come up in Abstract Reasoning UCAT sections and how you can identify them easily and accordingly.
Situational Judgement UCAT Section Questions
This section of the test has real life scenarios and ethical dilemmas where you are asked to interpret accordingly. However it is important to realize that you do not need any prior knowledge on the various topics that you will come across. The other difference with this section is that you do not get an overall numerical mark but a score band which is separate to the individual average marks of the other four sections.
How does 1 To 1 UCAT Tutoring Work?
Over the last 10 years, we have had many hundreds of students who have come through mainly from recommendation and one thing that we help all of them with is expert knowledge in this new UCAT exam. All our tutors have received high marks themselves, are good at communicating with students and are good at teaching the inside knowledge of the system.
Many of our tutors graduate from the top medical schools in the UK and have even sat in interview panels for university so they do have a broad range of knowledge they can impart to you. Our tutors also know what this part of the exam entails and in fact they know that they themselves were in your position not so long ago. Therefore we at University Expert have the relevant knowledge and strategies to boost your UCAT score.
When Should I Start Preparing For My UCAT Exam?
This is an important question and if you call us, we can advise what will work best for you. Some students require shorter time and others require longer UCAT prep for their Medicine or Dentistry UCAT exam applications. In general, you should start thinking about the UCAT preparation early on in year 12 of your A Levels.