Whens the best time to book/sit the UKCAT?

Just wondering when is the best time to book the UKCAT? I was thinking end of august giving me around a month to revise for it after my last exams.. But after exams you feel exausted and the last thing you want to do is revise for UKCAT! And its near to results day so you feel anxious! Or i could book it end of september so that would give me a clear whole month revise from sept 1st to 30th sept.. but then i wud have only a few days to sort my whole ucas app off since the deadlines around the begining of oct! Any advice?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

seventyfourable

I'd say do it in the end of August. If you do it after August 18th or whenever the results come out you won't be anxious and also doing it then will give you at least a week to research unis with both your AS results and your UKCAT results which will help you send off you application so much quicker.

Reply 2

Dreamweaver

Just before school starts:

- plenty of time for revision
- won't have to sit it whilst you have school work/ucas

Reply 3

composite

I'm thinking of booking mine 2nd October (I will no longer be in education then) ... how does that sound?

Reply 4

TheDannyManCan

Earlier rather than later. This will give you time to choose your choices, based on whether you ace it or screw it up.

Reply 5

composite

Original post by TheDannyManCan

Earlier rather than later. This will give you time to choose your choices, based on whether you ace it or screw it up.

It doesn't take long to decide which universities you meet the requirements for. 1 day is all you need to research all the entry requirements for each school and identify which ones you meet.

Reply 6

seventyfourable

Original post by composite

I'm thinking of booking mine 2nd October (I will no longer be in education then) ... how does that sound?

If you are out of education by then, thats the best time ... no distractions :smile:

Reply 7

Waterstorm

I'm thinking of doing it mid July, kinda just to get it over with.

Reply 8

doctork2

I wrote mine around mid/end of August. This gave me time to put the UKCAT aside and concentrate on my personal statement during august/september. I started revising/preparing for the test around july-august, around 2 hours a day. I started to brainstorm about my personal statement around april/may.

As everyone else on this thread have said - better to write it now rather than later. :smile:

Best of luck!

Reply 9

llessur123

I booked mine for 22nd August. A good enough time after exams and exam results but before I go back to school so enough time to relax and pick my choices.

Reply 10

Vian

If you feel that September would be the best time to take it, do it in September! You can still finish off your entire UCAS form as you don't include the UKCAT score in it.

If it's applying to your strengths that you're thinking about, you can make a list in advance of Uni's you'll apply to if you do well and which one's you'll apply to if you haven't, then finalise your decision once you've got your results. From what I understand, as long as you apply within the deadline it makes little difference whether you apply early or not.

Reply 11

composite

Original post by Vian

That's what I've done. I already know the 4 that I'm applying to (I don't really have a choice because I only meet the academic entry requirements for 4 courses), so regardless of how well or bad I do in the UKCAT, I'll definitely be sending in an application to them.

Reply 12

StraightUpG

I am actually a re-applicant and got a very low score last time sitting it begining of september.. so if i sit it end of September i will have a clear month to work for it since i wont have college! is a month (probz 3 hours a day) of revision for UKCAT enough? Thank you!

Reply 13

StraightUpG

Original post by seventyfourable

I am a reapplicant, so would you suggest doing it in september since i wont have to worry about college/a levels

Reply 14

StraightUpG

Original post by Dreamweaver

Just before school starts:

- plenty of time for revision
- won't have to sit it whilst you have school work/ucas

probz shud have posted this in the OP but i am a re-applicant so i wont have college afterwards. So should i do it like end of september since that way i will have more time to prep? thanks!

Reply 15

composite

Original post by StraightUpG

That's exactly what I'm doing. :biggrin:

I have the UKCAT 600 questions and KAPLAN booklet to work through, if I did it over July and August, I'd be rushing and wouldn't feel mentally prepared for the test.

Reply 16

StraightUpG

Original post by composite

I'm thinking of booking mine 2nd October (I will no longer be in education then) ... how does that sound?

are you a reapplicant?

Reply 17

composite

Original post by StraightUpG

are you a reapplicant?

Yup.

Reply 18

TheDannyManCan

Original post by composite

It doesn't take long to decide which universities you meet the requirements for. 1 day is all you need to research all the entry requirements for each school and identify which ones you meet.

In theory, true, but I'd wager that very few people make their four choices in 1 day. Besides, if you sit the UKCAT towards the end of the period in which you can take it and do less well than you'd hoped, you may have to give up that dream Uni i.e. Kings, Bristol and find another within a week, which is often no easy decision when you're deciding on where and how to spend your next 5/6 years.