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*MEGATHREAD* - The Big Medicine UKCAT 2013 Entry Thread Mk II
UKCAT discussion for 2013 entry
This is the second thread for all discussion of the UKCAT for 2013 entry applications to medicine.
The first thread can be found here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=667831
UKCAT discussion threads from previous years
What is the UKCAT?
The UKCAT stands for the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test and is an admissions test used by the majority of medical schools. The test is sat between 5 July and 7 October and should be taken by applicants who are planning to apply to medical school in the same year. The test takes about two hours and tests mental aptitude and ability and is not a test of knowledge. It is not possible to revise for the exam, however it is perfectly possible to practice. It is made up of four sections which each test different things: Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Decision Analysis and Verbal Reasoning. Each section is scored between 500 and 900, which leads to an overall UKCAT average score of between 500 and 900. The majority of applicants will score between 600 and 700, with approximately 620 being the average.
→ More Info
How do medical schools use it?
The UKCAT is used differently by different medical schools. Some medical schools hardly use the test at all, some medical schools look at the average score and some medical schools look at each individual sub-section score. Broadly, medical schools can either: 1) not use it for any significant part of their admissions procedure, 2) look at the average/sub-section score as part of an applicant's overall application or 3) rank applicants using their UKCAT score, and invite the top x% to interview.
→ More Info
Important Information
Key Dates
Registration Opens: 01 May 2012
Testing Begins: 03 July 2012
Registration Deadline: 21 September 2012
Bursary Application Deadline: 21 September 2012
Exemption Application Deadline: 21 September 2012
Last Testing Date: 05 October 2012
Key Costs
Tests taken in the EU between 3 July 2012 - 31 August 2012: £65.00
Tests taken in the EU between 1 September 2012 - 5 October 2012: £80
Tests taken outside the EU: £100
→ More information on bursaries
FAQ
Q: Do we need to put that we've done our UKCAT/or our score on UCAS?
A: There's no need. UKCAT will send your scores off to the universities you're applying to that need it.
Q: Do we get a calculator?
A: Yes. A simple on-screen calculator will be made available to you to assist you in the quantitative reasoning section. To access this you will need to click on the icon in the top left hand side of your screen.
Q: Do we have anything to write on?
A: Yes. You will be given a double sided whiteboard with a special pen to write with. There is usually no eraser available so taking some tissues with you might be useful.
Q: When should we arrive at the test centre?
A: You should arrive at least fifteen minutes before the exam to go through the formalities and prove your identity.
Q: What should we bring to the test centre?
A: You should bring to the test centre a printout of the email that you were sent confirming your test registration as well as photographic identification (see the list on the UKCAT website).
Q: What is the average score?
A: The average score for each subtest is 600. Most candidates will score between 500-700. If your score isn't as good as you would like, it's not the end of the road.
Q: Can we discuss the questions in the UKCAT once we've sat it?
A: No. You will sign something declaring that you agree not to.
Q: If I do badly can I take it again?
A: Nope, unfortunately not. You can only take the UKCAT once for each UCAS cycle so if you don't do as well as you'd have liked, you'll need to think carefully about where you are going to apply to.
Q: What book should I buy to practice from?
A: Various books have been recommended in the past:
This is the second thread for all discussion of the UKCAT for 2013 entry applications to medicine.
The first thread can be found here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=667831
UKCAT discussion threads from previous years
What is the UKCAT?
The UKCAT stands for the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test and is an admissions test used by the majority of medical schools. The test is sat between 5 July and 7 October and should be taken by applicants who are planning to apply to medical school in the same year. The test takes about two hours and tests mental aptitude and ability and is not a test of knowledge. It is not possible to revise for the exam, however it is perfectly possible to practice. It is made up of four sections which each test different things: Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Decision Analysis and Verbal Reasoning. Each section is scored between 500 and 900, which leads to an overall UKCAT average score of between 500 and 900. The majority of applicants will score between 600 and 700, with approximately 620 being the average.
→ More Info
How do medical schools use it?
The UKCAT is used differently by different medical schools. Some medical schools hardly use the test at all, some medical schools look at the average score and some medical schools look at each individual sub-section score. Broadly, medical schools can either: 1) not use it for any significant part of their admissions procedure, 2) look at the average/sub-section score as part of an applicant's overall application or 3) rank applicants using their UKCAT score, and invite the top x% to interview.
→ More Info
Important Information
Key Dates
Registration Opens: 01 May 2012
Testing Begins: 03 July 2012
Registration Deadline: 21 September 2012
Bursary Application Deadline: 21 September 2012
Exemption Application Deadline: 21 September 2012
Last Testing Date: 05 October 2012
Key Costs
Tests taken in the EU between 3 July 2012 - 31 August 2012: £65.00
Tests taken in the EU between 1 September 2012 - 5 October 2012: £80
Tests taken outside the EU: £100
→ More information on bursaries
FAQ
Q: Do we need to put that we've done our UKCAT/or our score on UCAS?
A: There's no need. UKCAT will send your scores off to the universities you're applying to that need it.
Q: Do we get a calculator?
A: Yes. A simple on-screen calculator will be made available to you to assist you in the quantitative reasoning section. To access this you will need to click on the icon in the top left hand side of your screen.
Q: Do we have anything to write on?
A: Yes. You will be given a double sided whiteboard with a special pen to write with. There is usually no eraser available so taking some tissues with you might be useful.
Q: When should we arrive at the test centre?
A: You should arrive at least fifteen minutes before the exam to go through the formalities and prove your identity.
Q: What should we bring to the test centre?
A: You should bring to the test centre a printout of the email that you were sent confirming your test registration as well as photographic identification (see the list on the UKCAT website).
Q: What is the average score?
A: The average score for each subtest is 600. Most candidates will score between 500-700. If your score isn't as good as you would like, it's not the end of the road.
Q: Can we discuss the questions in the UKCAT once we've sat it?
A: No. You will sign something declaring that you agree not to.
Q: If I do badly can I take it again?
A: Nope, unfortunately not. You can only take the UKCAT once for each UCAS cycle so if you don't do as well as you'd have liked, you'll need to think carefully about where you are going to apply to.
Q: What book should I buy to practice from?
A: Various books have been recommended in the past:
•
Get into Medical School - 600 UKCAT Practice Questions. Includes Full Mock Exam, comprehensive tips, techniques and explanations, Olivier Picard, Laetitia Tighlit, Sami Tighlit, and David Phillips, ISC Medical, ISBN 1905812094
•
Passing the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) and BMAT 2009, Taylor, Hutton and Hutton, Learning Matters Ltd, ISBN 1844452840
•
How to Pass the UKCAT: Unbeatable Practice for Success in the 2009 United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test, Mike Byron and Jim Clayden, Kogan Page Ltd., ISBN 0749453338
(edited 11 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Basically i've been doin proactice papers for ages (including questions in the 600 UKCAT book) and im finding the QR really hard. And my results havent really improved much. Im normally ood at maths but this is just annoying.
Has anyone got any tips/advice/stories to help? Are people normally pleasantly surprised with their QR results? HELP ME PLEAASEEE!
Has anyone got any tips/advice/stories to help? Are people normally pleasantly surprised with their QR results? HELP ME PLEAASEEE!
Original post by hamish.patel94
Basically i've been doin proactice papers for ages (including questions in the 600 UKCAT book) and im finding the QR really hard. And my results havent really improved much. Im normally ood at maths but this is just annoying.
Has anyone got any tips/advice/stories to help? Are people normally pleasantly surprised with their QR results? HELP ME PLEAASEEE!
Has anyone got any tips/advice/stories to help? Are people normally pleasantly surprised with their QR results? HELP ME PLEAASEEE!
Just as a heads-up, this will probably get moved to the medicine forum.
The quantitative questions in the 600 UKCAT book are much tougher than those in the actual test. So whilst you may be struggling for time now, there will be more leeway when you come to do the real thing.
The best advice I got was to only answer questions that are one line long. Anything longer than that, just guess and flag it (making sure to always guess the same letter for all your guesses). The way the test is structured, you're never going to complete every question, but they're all worth the same points. So by doing this, you ensure that you spend what little time you have on the easiest possible questions. If you have time left over, then you can move onto the harder questions by checking your flags. I did this and got 710, and I hadn't done maths for about five years.
Other than that, keep your cool! Breathe normally and remember that the only thing hard about this test is the time limit. The questions themselves are easy.
Original post by Jack.O
Just as a heads-up, this will probably get moved to the medicine forum.
The quantitative questions in the 600 UKCAT book are much tougher than those in the actual test. So whilst you may be struggling for time now, there will be more leeway when you come to do the real thing.
The best advice I got was to only answer questions that are one line long. Anything longer than that, just guess and flag it (making sure to always guess the same letter for all your guesses). The way the test is structured, you're never going to complete every question, but they're all worth the same points. So by doing this, you ensure that you spend what little time you have on the easiest possible questions. If you have time left over, then you can move onto the harder questions by checking your flags. I did this and got 710, and I hadn't done maths for about five years.
Other than that, keep your cool! Breathe normally and remember that the only thing hard about this test is the time limit. The questions themselves are easy.
The quantitative questions in the 600 UKCAT book are much tougher than those in the actual test. So whilst you may be struggling for time now, there will be more leeway when you come to do the real thing.
The best advice I got was to only answer questions that are one line long. Anything longer than that, just guess and flag it (making sure to always guess the same letter for all your guesses). The way the test is structured, you're never going to complete every question, but they're all worth the same points. So by doing this, you ensure that you spend what little time you have on the easiest possible questions. If you have time left over, then you can move onto the harder questions by checking your flags. I did this and got 710, and I hadn't done maths for about five years.
Other than that, keep your cool! Breathe normally and remember that the only thing hard about this test is the time limit. The questions themselves are easy.
Thnaks for the advice
really appreciate it. So just attempt the easier one liners and guess and flag the rest? I'll definately try that. I do it sometimes, but then I get a bit panicked - especially if i've flagged like three in a row because they were all long! But if it worked for you, I'l definitely give it a try. It can be a bit demoroalising when you do the test, think you did the questions right and then find out you did them wrong!
Thanks for the advice
Do you happen to know anything else about the AR?
Original post by Aishie
yep those questions are SO much harder than the actual ones
i think a better book for QR was this book with a picture of a dice on the front...if you want details im sure i can send you a link
ps: i got 790 in QR and sucked at those 600 questions book
i think a better book for QR was this book with a picture of a dice on the front...if you want details im sure i can send you a link
ps: i got 790 in QR and sucked at those 600 questions book
If you could send me the lik - that would be great!
WOW! 790.....thats wicked, although I feel rather inadequate...
Original post by hamish.patel94
If you could send me the lik - that would be great!
WOW! 790.....thats wicked, although I feel rather inadequate...
WOW! 790.....thats wicked, although I feel rather inadequate...
Lol thanks
Sorry if this is a bit late
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeeding-UKCAT-Matt-Green/dp/1906839204/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314702349&sr=8-8
The abstract is good practice but its not really like the real thing. DA's very good practice but the VR is all based on medical extracts
PM me if you need any more help
Good luck!
Original post by Aishie
Lol thanks
Sorry if this is a bit late
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeeding-UKCAT-Matt-Green/dp/1906839204/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314702349&sr=8-8
The abstract is good practice but its not really like the real thing. DA's very good practice but the VR is all based on medical extracts
PM me if you need any more help
Good luck!
Sorry if this is a bit late
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeeding-UKCAT-Matt-Green/dp/1906839204/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314702349&sr=8-8
The abstract is good practice but its not really like the real thing. DA's very good practice but the VR is all based on medical extracts
PM me if you need any more help
Good luck!
Thanks for you help! Really nice of you.
I just was to ask also if, for the VR, you should consider tenses?
E.g. I saw a question where the paragraph said:
The wealth that the firm brought to the city of Birmingham paved the way for further improvements over the coming century. In the 1820s, an extensive canal system—longer even than that of Venice—was created in the city, allowing greater access to the area's natural resources. In the 1830s, two rail lines, the Grand Junction and the London-Birmingham line, were built connecting the city to the rest of the UK. The firm of Boulton & Watt lasted over 120 years and was still making steam engines in 1895.
The statement said:
Venice's canal system is longer than Birmingham's.
I selected can't tell, as the paragraph states that the canal was longer in birmingham, but in the 1820's.
But they said the answer was FALSE!
The explanation was:
Scan the passage for Venice, or for canals. The final paragraph mentions Birmingham's canal system and makes a comparison to Venice. Birmingham's canal system is longer than that of Venice. The statement says the opposite, so the statement is false.
So should we consider dates extensively?
Thanks
Original post by karo16
So if the QR questions from the 600 ukcat practice questions book are much harder than the real thing, how come the practice tests from the ukcat website are EVEN WORSE?
Is the real thing really easier than both of the above? Because I SUCK
Is the real thing really easier than both of the above? Because I SUCK
THINK POSITIVE!!! I can't really talk from experince tbh, becaouse my test is tomorrow, BUT just practice and remain positive and dont give up!!
Original post by hamish.patel94
Thanks for you help! Really nice of you.
I just was to ask also if, for the VR, you should consider tenses?
E.g. I saw a question where the paragraph said:
The wealth that the firm brought to the city of Birmingham paved the way for further improvements over the coming century. In the 1820s, an extensive canal system—longer even than that of Venice—was created in the city, allowing greater access to the area's natural resources. In the 1830s, two rail lines, the Grand Junction and the London-Birmingham line, were built connecting the city to the rest of the UK. The firm of Boulton & Watt lasted over 120 years and was still making steam engines in 1895.
The statement said:
Venice's canal system is longer than Birmingham's.
I selected can't tell, as the paragraph states that the canal was longer in birmingham, but in the 1820's.
But they said the answer was FALSE!
The explanation was:
Scan the passage for Venice, or for canals. The final paragraph mentions Birmingham's canal system and makes a comparison to Venice. Birmingham's canal system is longer than that of Venice. The statement says the opposite, so the statement is false.
So should we consider dates extensively?
Thanks
I just was to ask also if, for the VR, you should consider tenses?
E.g. I saw a question where the paragraph said:
The wealth that the firm brought to the city of Birmingham paved the way for further improvements over the coming century. In the 1820s, an extensive canal system—longer even than that of Venice—was created in the city, allowing greater access to the area's natural resources. In the 1830s, two rail lines, the Grand Junction and the London-Birmingham line, were built connecting the city to the rest of the UK. The firm of Boulton & Watt lasted over 120 years and was still making steam engines in 1895.
The statement said:
Venice's canal system is longer than Birmingham's.
I selected can't tell, as the paragraph states that the canal was longer in birmingham, but in the 1820's.
But they said the answer was FALSE!
The explanation was:
Scan the passage for Venice, or for canals. The final paragraph mentions Birmingham's canal system and makes a comparison to Venice. Birmingham's canal system is longer than that of Venice. The statement says the opposite, so the statement is false.
So should we consider dates extensively?
Thanks
Hmmm thats reall weird..i would of answered that as cant tell. I can see why they said false, but they are assuming that there was no change from the 1820's
. We don't know that.From what i remember, we were told to never make assumptions and just base it on the text. I used to come across some questions that were true/false...when in actual fact are cant tell, in some of the books I practised.
The 600 questions book states dont make any assumptions, so I would of gone with cant tell. I think with the real test, making assumptions usually leads to the wrong answers.
Original post by Aishie
Lol thanks
Sorry if this is a bit late
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeeding-UKCAT-Matt-Green/dp/1906839204/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314702349&sr=8-8
The abstract is good practice but its not really like the real thing. DA's very good practice but the VR is all based on medical extracts
PM me if you need any more help
Good luck!
Sorry if this is a bit late
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeeding-UKCAT-Matt-Green/dp/1906839204/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314702349&sr=8-8
The abstract is good practice but its not really like the real thing. DA's very good practice but the VR is all based on medical extracts
PM me if you need any more help
Good luck!
hey im finding the 600ukcat QR section questions rly hard, so i think i might get this book instead aswell
alsooooo for that section did you like take your time and work slightly slowly to do less questions but get them all right all go quickly and try do all of them? could you give me some tips if you have anyyyy, THANNKK YOUUUUUOriginal post by jake34654
hey im finding the 600ukcat QR section questions rly hard, so i think i might get this book instead aswell alsooooo for that section did you like take your time and work slightly slowly to do less questions but get them all right all go quickly and try do all of them? could you give me some tips if you have anyyyy, THANNKK YOUUUUU
alsooooo for that section did you like take your time and work slightly slowly to do less questions but get them all right all go quickly and try do all of them? could you give me some tips if you have anyyyy, THANNKK YOUUUUUHi basically forn any questio in the first three sections - if you cant work it out, or make an educated guess - GUESS and flag for review. Make sure you guess before you flag as thee is not garuntee you'll have time to review the questions. always read the questions for VR and QR first.... DONT read the text - then SCAN for keywords. This will save SO much time
Original post by Aishie
Hmmm thats reall weird..i would of answered that as cant tell. I can see why they said false, but they are assuming that there was no change from the 1820's . We don't know that.
From what i remember, we were told to never make assumptions and just base it on the text. I used to come across some questions that were true/false...when in actual fact are cant tell, in some of the books I practised.
The 600 questions book states dont make any assumptions, so I would of gone with cant tell. I think with the real test, making assumptions usually leads to the wrong answers.
. We don't know that.From what i remember, we were told to never make assumptions and just base it on the text. I used to come across some questions that were true/false...when in actual fact are cant tell, in some of the books I practised.
The 600 questions book states dont make any assumptions, so I would of gone with cant tell. I think with the real test, making assumptions usually leads to the wrong answers.
Hey guys, I know this post is uber late and I'm sure you're all in medical school by now but was reading the sample VR and saw it in a different light..
The only important sentence is the second "In [Birmingham in] the 1820s, an extensive canal system—longer even than that of Venice—was created in the city".
The passage states that the canal system was created in the 1820s and makes no further mention of it, for example saying that the system was changed or demolished etc.
I admit it isn't the most perfectly worded question, but I think it's fair to conclude that it has not changed. At least, to assume status quo based on the implicit info from the text seems less heinous than assuming that the canal system in Venice has been lengthened by an arbitrary degree to best Birmingham despite no mention of it in the text.
It's not a great question and I think the official UKCAT questions are likely to be more carefully constructed. Even if something similar does pop up it'll only be 1 of 44 questions in the VR section. woop.
Okay, enough procrastination. I have the UKCAT in 10 days! Back to work. (the UKCAT 600 book's QR section definitely sucks!)
Good luck everyone!
I completed my UKCAT on Thursday and I was SO worried about the QR section (as well as the AR section) like many of you, and believe me, the real thing is much MUCH easier! In my practice tests I was scoring on average 550 in the QR section as I was only doing 4/9 questions then having to guess the rest! and AR the patterns I was finding really difficult to spot. However in the real thing, compared to the online tests and the 600Q book the QR is easier because they give you much less data to compute and the questions involve less working out! generally 1-2 steps, 3 at most. The AR patterns are also much easier to see, as I was also only averaging 600 in this in the practice tests! The timing on both should be fine! I managed to go through all of the questions and finish with about 10-20 seconds spare to savour (albeit I had to guess a couple AR due to having no clue of the pattern). It is also made easier as you know it's the real exam and know how much it means to you adrenaline will help you to work faster! (it worked for me). If any of you were wondering also, the VR section is about the same difficulty as the 600Q book and practice tests on the UKCAT site, however I personally found the DA harder as the codes were much longer in my opinion! If you have any more questions just ask! Just don't get too stressed if you're struggling with these sections as they are easier!
I personally scored:
VR: 660
QR: 780
AR: 750
DA: 730
Average: 730
I personally scored:
VR: 660
QR: 780
AR: 750
DA: 730
Average: 730
Hey, I did my ukcat for the first time, i think i messed up my VR went so bad, i was panicking soo much, anyways this is my score, plz tell me (as i am very new to this) is this good or bad?
VR - 530
QR - 620
AR - 710
DA - 710
Avg, 642.5
is that an ok score? If i hadnt panicked in VR i could have scored much higher
thank u for ur help!
anyways this is my score, plz tell me (as i am very new to this) is this good or bad? VR - 530
QR - 620
AR - 710
DA - 710
Avg, 642.5
is that an ok score? If i hadnt panicked in VR i could have scored much higher
thank u for ur help!
AS
Biology - 275 UMS
Chemistry - 242 UMS
Math - 275 UMS
Phyisics -239 UMS
A2 Predictions - A*A*A
GCSE
4 - A*
6 - A
2 - B
Work Experience + EPQ A grade
UKCAT - 670 however one of my subsets was 530!
I really want to go to King's College but im confused with my UKCAT. Can anyone help
Biology - 275 UMS
Chemistry - 242 UMS
Math - 275 UMS
Phyisics -239 UMS
A2 Predictions - A*A*A
GCSE
4 - A*
6 - A
2 - B
Work Experience + EPQ A grade
UKCAT - 670 however one of my subsets was 530!
I really want to go to King's College but im confused with my UKCAT. Can anyone help
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