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1Use this book to

maximize your UKCATscore

If you have been searching for a way to improve your UKCAT score then you have foundit. This book provides practice to maximize your chances of getting into medical schoolwith over 600 questions and signposts to thousands more. Use it to get down to someserious score-improving practice.

Our aim is simply to provide everything you need to ace the test. We will not spendtime discussing why you want to be a doctor or how you might best prepare for medicalschool. Instead we will focus purely on giving you the practice you need to meet the chal-lenge of the five sub-tests that make up the UKCAT.

You should have carefully studied the very important information provided atwww.ukcat.ac.uk. You should be completely familiar with the details regarding the statedpurpose of the test, what it attempts to predict and its key features. You should follow theonline application process to the letter and regularly check your inbox for e-mails fromUKCAT. You should have already downloaded the practice questions and tests. You willrealize that the UKCAT is made up of sub-tests of verbal reasoning, decision making,quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and non-cognitive analysis. Note that some ofthe questions in each sub-test may be non-scoring as they are being trialled for inclusionas scoring items in future tests. You are not given any indication as to which are scoring,so treat every question with the same determination. You should also realize that, like allselection tests, the UKCAT is under almost constant development and so some thingsmay change. You will find a great deal of interesting (soft) information about the UKCATon forums, for example www.thestudentroom.co.uk. Take some of the views expressedon these sites with a largish pinch of salt.

The computer-administered testBe sure to take the time to become entirely familiar with the way in which the UKCAT isadministered onscreen. Pay attention to, for example, how to use the onscreen calculatorin the qualitative sub-test. Be aware that diagrams on the computer screen can bemisleading, especially in the case of geometric shapes, tables and graphs, as the screencan distort the image or the scale or both! The test author is aware of this and will haveprovided sufficient information to arrive at the answer. Take note what is said and avoiddrawing unnecessary assumptions about the appearance of a diagram, table or graph onthe screen. For example, if a shape is described as a cube but on the screen the sides donot all seem quite equal, ignore it and treat the shape as a cube. Equally, if a table or graphsays that quality x is the largest but on the screen it looks like quality y is the same or infact bigger, then take no notice and treat quantity x as the largest.

You need a good UKCAT scoreCompetition for places at medical (dental and veterinary) school and especially at themore prestigious schools is fierce. The score range for the UKCAT is 300–900, with500–700 being the normal range and 600 being the average mark in each section (notethat the non-cognitive paper is scored differently from the other four sub-tests). To ensurethat your score supports your application you will generally need an above-average scorein each sub-test. However, the averages are based on a very broad range. Some peoplewill get into the school of their choice with lower scores than others. There will not be aminimum score that you have to achieve. The UKCAT is only one of the many assess-ments used to decide if an applicant is to be offered a place, but it is in your interests to tryto maximize each element of your application.

You may also need a well-balanced scoreDoing really well in, for example, the quantitative part of the UKCAT will compensatefor a weaker performance in the verbal parts of the test, but this compensation needs to bewithin certain limits. Most schools will prefer candidates who do well across all five sub-tests. The need for a balanced score makes it really important that candidates identify andwork to address areas of personal weakness. If you have always found maths difficult butuntil now have succeeded in spite of it, it is time to correct this. You will feel moreconfident and will recognize what is behind a question and the significance of the subtledifferences in the suggested answers.

Most UKCAT candidates will have strengths and weaknesses, but if you believe thatyou have an imbalance that may be seen as too great, make sure you start work early toaddress it. Everyone can become proficient in the aptitudes examined; it is simply amatter of giving yourself enough time to practise. It takes some candidates longer toreach the required standard in any area of personal challenge, but given hard work anddetermination everyone can realize it. It can be boring, painful even, but if you havedecided to follow a career that requires you to realize a good balanced pass in the

2 How to pass the UKCAT

UKCAT then you have little alternative but to get down to some serious hard work. Onceagain, if you are not prepared to put in the hard work to maximize your scores on thesetests, then it is likely that medical, dentistry or veterinary school and a related career arenot for you.

Practice makes a big difference in UKCAT scoresIt is important that you realize that most people who score well in the UKCAT will haveworked hard preparing for the test. There is no secret. Studies show that those who put inthe most hours do best, whether in sport, music or academic achievement. Above all else,this requires time and especially commitment. Without the latter it is unlikely that youwill do very well.

In addition to plain hard slog, there are also some strategies to adopt so that you are notonly working harder, but smarter too.

Adopt a ‘no going back’ philosophyTreat every question as a passport to fulfilling your dreams. Adopt the mindset that eachquestion counts, so be sure of every answer before moving on to the next. When prac-tising, resist the temptation of going back and reviewing your answers. In the real test youwill not have time to do this, so do not hit the submit button for each answer without afinal, brief review.

Manage your time expertlyYou need to work quickly through every sub-test. Sometimes you may find it difficult toattempt all the questions in the given time. You should practise answering the questionsin this book in an average of 30 seconds per question, so that in the real test you will beable to concentrate on the questions and take your time management for granted. Resistwasting too much time on difficult questions.

Guess intelligentlyIf you do not know the answer you have little alternative but to guess. Straight guessingoffers a 20 per cent chance of getting the right answer, but remember to look at thesuggested answers to see if you can rule any out as definitely wrong. If you can, then youwill improve your chances of guessing correctly. If the end of the test approaches and youhave not attempted all the questions, then in the last 60 seconds or so, randomly guessinganswers to the remaining questions may well secure a couple of extra percentiles.

Make a really good startIn the UKCAT every question counts, but try especially hard to get the first question rightin each sub-test, then the first five questions and then all the rest! The opening questionsin a computer-administered test are especially significant because these tests are often

Use this book to maximize your UKCAT score 3

computer adaptive. This means that the first question will be of the level that the‘average’candidate should get right. The next question will be a bit harder and so on. But,and this is important, you have to get the question right before the program presents youwith the harder questions. Keep getting the questions right and you will soon befollowing along branches into the upper percentiles, rapidly leading to the level that willwin you a place at medical school.

Whatever you do, avoid a bad startA bad start is something you should work hard to avoid in any test but especially in acomputer-adaptive test like the UKCAT. Get the first few questions wrong and thecomputer-adaptive test will present you with easier questions and you will struggle to getback to the level expected by many institutions. This adaptive process continues throughthe test, so keep trying to get as many questions right as possible to maximize yourchance of being awarded a winning score.

Key stages in preparingWe each have our preferred method of revising for exams and your study to date willhave made you aware of what you have to do to meet the challenge of the UKCAT.However, if it is some years since you last sat an exam (and there are many mature appli-cants to medical schools), then the following advice should help you towards a successfulUKCAT campaign.

Adopt a winning mindsetDoing well in the UKCAT is not simply a matter of intelligence. It is critical that yourealize that to do well you have to try very hard indeed. Weeks before the test you willneed to undertake extensive revision, then during the exam you will need to really ‘go forit’. After the exam you should feel mentally fatigued. If you don’t then you probablyfailed to apply yourself sufficiently and may not have fully done yourself justice. Youmay well have to dig deep towards the end of the test session and find the mental strengthto keep going, otherwise you risk getting a disappointing score in the last paper becauseby this stage in the process you felt tired.

It is common to experience feelings of irritation or resentment about having to do a testlike the UKCAT, as after all the institutions can see how good you are from, for example,your A level results, school references and so on. If you harbour these kinds of feelingsthen it is crucial that you put them aside. They can be very counterproductive. Try not towonder about the validity of the test or how it is used by institutions. What you think ofthe UKCAT and its predictive value is entirely irrelevant. You need to do well in this testif you are to realize your goal of winning a place in medical/dental/veterinary school. Dowell and an important opportunity will become possible. Focus on that goal and put allelse aside for a few weeks. You really need to let your determination to do well in theUKCAT take over your life for a while.

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