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How to calm down during the UKCAT!????

I have noticed that when I'm doing the ukcat by myself and comfortable , EVEN with time I'm ok and get around 700 :smile:

However, come to "mocks" the word is just enough. So now the problem is my nerves, how did you tackle them or what do you recommend? I am fast at doing the questions but how do you slow down lol if that even makes sense!

Thank you

Reply 1

StationToStation

I have a habit of going in to a "panic mode" where even though I read things etc really fast I notice that nothing sticks and I'm not able to concentrate well enough. The best thing for me was to just try and focus on the meaning of what I'm reading as much as I can, if that makes sense. If you manage to pull your whole attention into the meaning of the questions, your nervousness disappears as you just don't have the capacity to focus that hard and be nervous at the same time. Good luck! :smile:

Reply 2

papajani123

Original post by StationToStation

hi, thanks for your reply, can I ask what you got for your UKCAT (if you dont mind?)
and what yer you took it in? (again if you dont mind)

Thank you

Reply 3

Lewishier

I'm probably a bit weird but I kinda liked the UKCAT by the end. I did so many mocks (13 in total over 9 days) that it felt like a hobby or something. Of course there were nerves on the day, but after I got started, it felt like another mock and I enjoyed myself (??? I sound ridiculous). I did that thing that they always suggest: visualise yourself in the exam room before you take a mock to familiarise yourself with this situation.

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Reply 4

StationToStation

Original post by papajani123

hi, thanks for your reply, can I ask what you got for your UKCAT (if you dont mind?)
and what yer you took it in? (again if you dont mind)

Thank you

I did mine a month or so ago, and got an average of 753, with 680 in VR, 850 in QR, 730 in AR, and Band 1 in SJ. I didn't trust my nerves at all, and even though my practise had went fairly well, I thought that it might be hard to keep myself composed. In the actual exam it was easier than I had thought to stay calm. I tried to focus entirely on my breathing during the time between sections, and during the sections, I just jumped straight in without giving myself time to think about how I was doing or how I felt. :smile:

Reply 5

Marathi

Having good time management helps a lot. If you have milestones in your head to have x questions done in y amount of minutes at 25/50/75% or 33/66% of questions it can help reassure you that you are on track, or if you're slipping behind then it's time to catchup. You also have to be strict with yourself with some of the complicated or long winded questions and sometimes you have to guesstimate here to make sure you have time to finish the rest of the questions which will be shorter/easier in comparison.

These were techniques I practised during my GAMSAT sittings and ones I will use again when I sit my UKCAT at the end of this month.