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Medicine 2012...(hopeful entrants) !!

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Original post by Limitless
How is everybody doing with their personal statement?


1st draft done, i'll go back to it after my UKCAT's done, but it's starting to sound somewhat good, and not as cheesy as i thought it'd originally sound :smile:
Original post by Joseppea
1st draft down... about 75835 more to go xD

I'm realising how terrible my 1st draft is, so many things I need to reword/add/remove. :mad: Quite a difficult thing to get right! :tongue:


Same, just sent mine to two of my teachers via email. Waiting for replies and feedback. I also had a mock interview today it went well but they asked me a really difficult question about aspirin.
Original post by EternalDoom
1st draft done, i'll go back to it after my UKCAT's done, but it's starting to sound somewhat good, and not as cheesy as i thought it'd originally sound :smile:


Yeah I get what you mean I need to start revising for my UKCAT and start planning my EPQ. My hospital work experience starts next weeks so should be good. :biggrin:
Original post by Limitless
Yeah I get what you mean I need to start revising for my UKCAT and start planning my EPQ. My hospital work experience starts next weeks so should be good. :biggrin:


Hehe nice, have fun :smile:
Original post by EternalDoom
Hehe nice, have fun :smile:


I haven't been given a dress code any advice on what to wear? I'm thinking some pants and a white shirt, and maybe a tie and belt.
Original post by Limitless
I haven't been given a dress code any advice on what to wear? I'm thinking some pants and a white shirt, and maybe a tie and belt.


During my hospital work exp i just wore smart shirt, black trousers, black shoes, belt, tie, kinda what i wear to a normal day at my sixth form pretty much
Reply 5286
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highopes
Original post by Joseppea
I did loads of mock interviews at this course at the UEA specifically for medicine (it was free unlike Medsim etc. and for poorer students) and so that was quite helpful :smile: The hardest one to fully explain is "Why do you want to be a doctor" because it's difficult not to answer with one massive cliche. :tongue:


Oh that's good to know, might try to get on the course. I had two interviews for this year and didnt get in either time, so think some interview practice is in order. Only did one mock interview with my tutpr beforehand, my school was bit of a let down in that area (not that it's their responsibility/that I blame them - blame myself, I was a bundle of nerves!

UEA= University of East Anglia?? Assume you have to be a student there to be eligible?
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 5287
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highopes
Original post by EternalDoom
Status update:

Verbal reasoning: I can get 75-80% of the questions right
Quantitative reasoning: Just need to speed up a little
Decision analysis: Get majority correct
Abstract reasoning: complete fail

:colonhash:


That's great if you can do that.
Im the opposite, struggle with VR but fine with AR.
I think that if you persevere with AR you will eventually learn to see the patterns more easily.
Whereas I don't know how I can improve VR - other than practicing speed-reading the entire Guardian, dictionary in hand, every day til the October UKCAT deadline if Im to pass!
Original post by highopes
That's great if you can do that.
Im the opposite, struggle with VR but fine with AR.
I think that if you persevere with AR you will eventually learn to see the patterns more easily.
Whereas I don't know how I can improve VR - other than practicing speed-reading the entire Guardian, dictionary in hand, every day til the October UKCAT deadline if Im to pass!


For VR, skim through the entire article in roughly 20-30 secs, then answer each question one by one and because you'll have skimmed through it you'll know roughly which paragraph etc to look at, and just read that paragraph again before answering the question, that's how i do it anyway and i finish on time and get almost all of them right.

For AR, i can spot the simple patterns, but for some of them it takes me too long to find the pattern, and for some i can't find any even after a hour lol! I'll keep practising...
Reply 5289
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highopes
Original post by EternalDoom
For VR, skim through the entire article in roughly 20-30 secs, then answer each question one by one and because you'll have skimmed through it you'll know roughly which paragraph etc to look at, and just read that paragraph again before answering the question, that's how i do it anyway and i finish on time and get almost all of them right.

For AR, i can spot the simple patterns, but for some of them it takes me too long to find the pattern, and for some i can't find any even after a hour lol! I'll keep practising...


Hey thanks, will try that. For AR, I'm wondering if it is best to set a time-limit for finding the (obvious) pattern and guessing/moving on/then coming back to at the end if not found within that time, so as to avoid missing out or rushing more simple ones that are later in the test. In all of the practice tests that I have done it is usually only two of the (set A+set B) that I can't quickly find the pattern for/require more time to find/cant find at all!!

Will have to do some trials as maybe all that faffing about, especially under pressures of the real test, would cost rather than save time.

Good luck!
Original post by highopes
Hey thanks, will try that. For AR, I'm wondering if it is best to set a time-limit for finding the (obvious) pattern and guessing/moving on/then coming back to at the end if not found within that time, so as to avoid missing out or rushing more simple ones that are later in the test. In all of the practice tests that I have done it is usually only two of the (set A+set B) that I can't quickly find the pattern for/require more time to find/cant find at all!!

Will have to do some trials as maybe all that faffing about, especially under pressures of the real test, would cost rather than save time.

Good luck!


What are you using to revise for the abstract reasoning?
Reply 5291
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highopes
Hi, I just have the "How to master UKCAT: over 750 questions for United Kingdon Clinical Aptitude Test" (2010) and "Passing the UKCAT and BMAT" (2011) books.

I assume that you have read through the
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=621992&page=12 thread? Everyone on there seems to be usingthe 600Q book so must get one of them.

Maybe I will try purchasing something off one of these two sites, see how it goes. You can purchase 550 AR questions for £12 from UPO, but I see that someone has written on their facebook wall that their system (online) doesnt work, so not sure now.
http://www.developmedica.com/p-UKCAT_2011_Practice_Papers-356.aspx
http://ukcatpracticeonline.co.uk/


Everything else that I have found on the internet for AR seems too simplistic.

WHat are you using?


http://www.developmedica.com/p-UKCAT_2011_Practice_Papers-356.aspx
http://ukcatpracticeonline.co.uk/
Original post by highopes
Hey thanks, will try that. For AR, I'm wondering if it is best to set a time-limit for finding the (obvious) pattern and guessing/moving on/then coming back to at the end if not found within that time, so as to avoid missing out or rushing more simple ones that are later in the test. In all of the practice tests that I have done it is usually only two of the (set A+set B) that I can't quickly find the pattern for/require more time to find/cant find at all!!

Will have to do some trials as maybe all that faffing about, especially under pressures of the real test, would cost rather than save time.

Good luck!


I can do most of the questions on AR from the UKCAT book quickly, but the ones from the ukcat site (the downloadable one) are just really really hard... and for the ones that have like 3 or 4 relationships, i can only figure out 2 or so, and end up getting 2/5 or 3/5 marks for one set >_<
Reply 5293
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highopes
Original post by Joseppea
I did it in February this year, it was called Medical Aspirations. It was a 3 day overnight course for people living nearby who want to study medicine but come from a family with no degrees/poor family (or both in my case! XD) It was amazing :biggrin: got to look around campus and do a couple of PBL lessons, as well as ask med students stuff and talk to admissions. We also did a few workshops and it gets us an automatic interview for when we apply! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

But you have to live in East Anglia... :\ and it was earlier this year XD

Edit: and you had to be in year 12.


That's great isn't it. Im in London but I will defo be looking to go on the interview courses which they hold at KCL this year (I think was December last year).
Original post by highopes
Hi, I just have the "How to master UKCAT: over 750 questions for United Kingdon Clinical Aptitude Test" (2010) and "Passing the UKCAT and BMAT" (2011) books.

I assume that you have read through the
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=621992&page=12 thread? Everyone on there seems to be usingthe 600Q book so must get one of them.

Maybe I will try purchasing something off one of these two sites, see how it goes. You can purchase 550 AR questions for £12 from UPO, but I see that someone has written on their facebook wall that their system (online) doesnt work, so not sure now.
http://www.developmedica.com/p-UKCAT_2011_Practice_Papers-356.aspx
http://ukcatpracticeonline.co.uk/


Everything else that I have found on the internet for AR seems too simplistic.

WHat are you using?


http://www.developmedica.com/p-UKCAT_2011_Practice_Papers-356.aspx
http://ukcatpracticeonline.co.uk/


Screw paying more money....i've spent enough money just booking the test, and buying the books >_>
Original post by EternalDoom
Is that the general state you were at when you went to sit the UKCAT?


Yeah, that was reflected in my final result as well :smile:
Original post by TooSexyForMyStethoscope
Yeah, that was reflected in my final result as well :smile:


What mark did you get? :smile:
Btw for QR section, and the on-screen calculator, are you allowed to use the number keys on the keyboard? or do you have to click at the numbers with your mouse? or can you do either?
Reply 5297
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highopes
Original post by EternalDoom
I can do most of the questions on AR from the UKCAT book quickly, but the ones from the ukcat site (the downloadable one) are just really really hard... and for the ones that have like 3 or 4 relationships, i can only figure out 2 or so, and end up getting 2/5 or 3/5 marks for one set >_<


I can't really understand it because I did UKCAT last year (badly, the only study I did was flip through the book on the short journey to the centre - didn't understand the importance of it - that's lack of preparation for you) so had very little idea how to approach AR questions, yet it was like my best score (about 660, which is 73% isn't it? 660/900) so Im guessing that the practice questions must be harder than the real test or I wouldn't have got that score?

I have just downloaded the ones from the site so will have a go. I'm also hoping that revising answers will give one a greater reasoning data base for when trying to work out new patterns..
Original post by EternalDoom
What mark did you get? :smile:
Btw for QR section, and the on-screen calculator, are you allowed to use the number keys on the keyboard? or do you have to click at the numbers with your mouse? or can you do either?


662.5 average. I think I got 720 on DA and 560 for AR :rolleyes:

When I sat mine we got 'real' calculators, with buttons. Not the on screen one they seem to have now. Sorry :redface:
Reply 5299
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highopes
Original post by EternalDoom
Screw paying more money....i've spent enough money just booking the test, and buying the books >_>


I know. A friend of mine paid £300 for the 2 day kaplan course last year, got 680, and is off to uni to study med next year. I on the otherhand am dedicating my summer nights to the cause..

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