Ukcat experiences

I used this title so it would attract more people to this thread but my question really is about the ISC 600 UKCAT book and how f****** impossible it is to do those questions with those timings. So for anyone who has already done the UKCAT and has used this book, is this book a true reflection of how hard the actual exam will be.
I have my test in 3 weeks!!!


Posted from TSR Mobile

I found the questions in the 600 UKCAT book to be harder than the actual UKCAT exam. I personally wouldn't worry if your struggling with the questions. I would suggest medify as another alternative to use as a benchmark for yourself. Good luck!

Alright I see considering your a year 4 medic, you may or may not be aware that for this years UKCAT they are replacing decision analysis for decision making. This new subtest is a pilot test and won't be given to universities so in the actual exam would you recommend guessing all of the questions so that I can open up more time for the other subtests?


Posted from TSR Mobile

As in having more time for the other sections? Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you only have a fixed time for each one so it shouldn't make much of a difference if you wiz past it or not.

Alright I see considering your a year 4 medic, you may or may not be aware that for this years UKCAT they are replacing decision analysis for decision making. This new subtest is a pilot test and won't be given to universities so in the actual exam would you recommend guessing all of the questions so that I can open up more time for the other subtests?


Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi,

Just had a quick look at the description of the new section on their website. The new section looks quite interesting and would personally have a try at it. Since each section is separately timed it would therefore have no bearing on how quickly you finished the new section. This obviously depends on how the exam board will order the sections within the UKCAT this year. If it's at the end, I imagine it will be, you can either skip it or have a try.*

Honestly just stay positive and keep pracitising as much as you can. There is an online practise test for the UKCAT, try that and see what areas you need to focus on. Unfortunately, you only have a fixed time for each section, and realistically you will not be able to rush because you are already pressed ofr time.

I did my UKCAT and got a grand score of 630, and I was still able to get an interview by some miracle at King's in 2015. It's not the end of the world if you do terribly

If you have time, try reading/skimming bits of the GMC website related to ethics. This website was one of the ones I used, I got a band 1 in this bit.
http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp
It will honestly help with situational judgement, it is the easiest section, just use common sense!

Hope this helps

Are timings just guidelines or is
It something in which if you over you automatically move on to another subtest?


Posted from TSR Mobile

I found the questions in the 600 UKCAT book to be harder than the actual UKCAT exam. I personally wouldn't worry if your struggling with the questions. I would suggest medify as another alternative to use as a benchmark for yourself. Good luck!

Would you say the ISC 600 book made the actual exam easier because of how hard it the questions in the book were or did it not influence your exam performance


Posted from TSR Mobile

Honestly just stay positive and keep pracitising as much as you can. There is an online practise test for the UKCAT, try that and see what areas you need to focus on. Unfortunately, you only have a fixed time for each section, and realistically you will not be able to rush because you are already pressed ofr time.

I did my UKCAT and got a grand score of 630, and I was still able to get an interview by some miracle at King's in 2015. It's not the end of the world if you do terribly

If you have time, try reading/skimming bits of the GMC website related to ethics. This website was one of the ones I used, I got a band 1 in this bit.
http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp
It will honestly help with situational judgement, it is the easiest section, just use common sense!

Hope this helps

Wow how did you get the Kings interview?!


Posted from TSR Mobile

Would you say the ISC 600 book made the actual exam easier because of how hard it the questions in the book were or did it not influence your exam performance
Posted from TSR Mobile

As people mentioned there is an updated version of the 600q book, which has 1000q. What you need to realise is that at the exam there will be some extremely easy questions and some harder ones. The 1000q book basically doesn't bother so much with the easier ones, hence why it will appear harder. But most people use it because it has good explanations you can learn techniques from and because it does force you to work on your timing, so in the end the exam appears easier.

Everyone struggles with questions at the start but keep at it and you will do well.

I used this title so it would attract more people to this thread but my question really is about the ISC 600 UKCAT book and how f****** impossible it is to do those questions with those timings. So for anyone who has already done the UKCAT and has used this book, is this book a true reflection of how hard the actual exam will be.
I have my test in 3 weeks!!!


Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi Dr Cobbold

As other people have mentioned it is worth making sure that you have the most up to date resources to help you with your preparation. I think you said that you have now ordered a more recent book, which is a great idea and I am sure it will help. There are so many fantastic resources available, it's a really good idea to have a good look at them all before deciding the best books to help you. It sounds as though you are doing a great job in getting yourself ready.

Also, remember to take a minute and remind yourself of the importance of how you approach things on the day of your test. I imagine that at the moment you are consumed with thoughts of preparing and practising but we have a great blog post with some tips for your test by those who have experienced it first hand! You can have a read of it here.

I really hope that is some help to you. Just shout if I you have any questions I can answer.

UniAdmissions

Thanks I really appreciate the response


Posted from TSR Mobile

Honestly just stay positive and keep pracitising as much as you can. There is an online practise test for the UKCAT, try that and see what areas you need to focus on. Unfortunately, you only have a fixed time for each section, and realistically you will not be able to rush because you are already pressed ofr time.

I did my UKCAT and got a grand score of 630, and I was still able to get an interview by some miracle at King's in 2015. It's not the end of the world if you do terribly

If you have time, try reading/skimming bits of the GMC website related to ethics. This website was one of the ones I used, I got a band 1 in this bit.
http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp
It will honestly help with situational judgement, it is the easiest section, just use common sense!

Hope this helps