UKCAT for 2018 Entry Discussion

Original post by DibbyDabby

Hi everyone I took my UKCAT this year and got quite a high score so if anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer.

As I think someone said above it's too early to start revising now but it is a good time to start preparing by finding out more information about what the test entails etc

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I think you meant last year? Are you a medicine student then? :smile:

Reply 23

DibbyDabby

10

Original post by SandyZiggy

I think you meant last year? Are you a medicine student then? :smile:

Sorry that wasn't clear. I mean that I took mine this cycle for 2017 entry :smile:

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Reply 24

Original post by DibbyDabby

Sorry that wasn't clear. I mean that I took mine this cycle for 2017 entry :smile:

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Ahhh right! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, unless you already got some good news :smile:

Reply 25

Maybe not the best thread to post this on, but sometimes I am just overwhelmed by the fact it's 10-14 years (depending on specialisation) out of your life before you can start working on your own. Am I alone in this thinking? Also, I am a bit worried if I will manage the study overload. Maybe I worry too much, but I've already spent some time at the uni, and I know how it is.

Reply 26

MattJacks

3

Original post by SandyZiggy

Maybe not the best thread to post this on, but sometimes I am just overwhelmed by the fact it's 10-14 years (depending on specialisation) out of your life before you can start working on your own. Am I alone in this thinking? Also, I am a bit worried if I will manage the study overload. Maybe I worry too much, but I've already spent some time at the uni, and I know how it is.

what do you mean by working in your own?...

Reply 27

Original post by MattJacks

what do you mean by working in your own?...

I meant it takes so long time before you can actually open your own practice.

Reply 28

Original post by SandyZiggy

I meant it takes so long time before you can actually open your own practice.

Hey there, you're right it is a long time before doctors would be able to open their own practice and very few do it (at least in the UK anyway). But regarding your comment about wanting to work on your own, even if you have your own practice you will still have to work with other people all the time. Teamwork is extremely important in medicine, working and interacting with other doctors, other healthcare professionals, patients etc. is part of the bread and butter of the job. Therefore if working on your own is really important to you then maybe medicine isn't for you? There's nothing wrong with this of course and better to figure that out now than 20 years down the line!

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med

Reply 29

Original post by 6med

Hey there, you're right it is a long time before doctors would be able to open their own practice and very few do it (at least in the UK anyway). But regarding your comment about wanting to work on your own, even if you have your own practice you will still have to work with other people all the time. Teamwork is extremely important in medicine, working and interacting with other doctors, other healthcare professionals, patients etc. is part of the bread and butter of the job. Therefore if working on your own is really important to you then maybe medicine isn't for you? There's nothing wrong with this of course and better to figure that out now than 20 years down the line!

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your input :smile:

I think you are right. I need to rethink my options, I guess...

Reply 30

Original post by SandyZiggy

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your input :smile:

I think you are right. I need to rethink my options, I guess...

No problem, let me know if I can be of any more help!

Reply 31

Original post by 6med

No problem, let me know if I can be of any more help!

Ok, since I am wondering what to do, can you please let me know if anatomy is really that bad to learn? I mean, it surely is possible to learn all the Latin, but wow, it seems like a lot to remember! What is your study method? What worked best for you? AnkiApp?

Thanks in advance :smile:

Reply 32

Original post by SandyZiggy

Ok, since I am wondering what to do, can you please let me know if anatomy is really that bad to learn? I mean, it surely is possible to learn all the Latin, but wow, it seems like a lot to remember! What is your study method? What worked best for you? AnkiApp?

Thanks in advance :smile:

Sure, yes you're right anatomy is quite hard. However I would say that conceptually it's not super difficult to grasp like theoretical physics or something (except maybe for some head and neck anatomy), there's just quite a lot and it just requires some time to fit it all in. However, I and many of my friends find it really interesting which makes the learning much easier! Everyone has their own study methods and it's all about finding out what works best for you which many people discover in their first year. I personally like to read/highlight books and use online 3D imaging resources but I know some people use apps, flashcards etc.

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med

Reply 33

Original post by 6med

Sure, yes you're right anatomy is quite hard. However I would say that conceptually it's not super difficult to grasp like theoretical physics or something (except maybe for some head and neck anatomy), there's just quite a lot and it just requires some time to fit it all in. However, I and many of my friends find it really interesting which makes the learning much easier! Everyone has their own study methods and it's all about finding out what works best for you which many people discover in their first year. I personally like to read/highlight books and use online 3D imaging resources but I know some people use apps, flashcards etc.

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med

Thanks Alex! Your answer sheds a light on anatomy :smile:

I won't bother you with more questions though. I try to read what I can online on what is a typical day of medicine student etc. Being 29 years old makes me wonder a lot about the medical career. I actually start to enjoy the whole ukcat test, which starts to worry me slightly 😂 Only joking :smile:

thanks again for your time to write back to me, I really appreciate it :smile:

Reply 34

deathbeforeimmortality

16

This is going to be my 4th time trying the UKCAT. I don't know if my prep is bad... I JUST don't know. I used Medify last year and also some of the available books but still got 630. I'm applying for GEM... UGH any guidance?!

Reply 35

Original post by deathbeforeimmortality

This is going to be my 4th time trying the UKCAT. I don't know if my prep is bad... I JUST don't know. I used Medify last year and also some of the available books but still got 630. I'm applying for GEM... UGH any guidance?!

Hey there :-) Have there been any particular sections that you've struggled with in the past? How long do you usually spend preparing? Did you ensure that never left any answers blank in the exam?

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med

Reply 36

GradMedWannabe

9

Original post by deathbeforeimmortality

This is going to be my 4th time trying the UKCAT. I don't know if my prep is bad... I JUST don't know. I used Medify last year and also some of the available books but still got 630. I'm applying for GEM... UGH any guidance?!

Depends what kind of person you are, but i'd try and get really good at AR - I was rubbish at these when I started last year (like couldn't see any of them at first!), but targeted this section, and pretty much maxed it out in the exam bringing the rest of my score up.. Looks like I may be joining you applying next year for GEM tho....(barring a miracle from Newcastle) Just moping around on TSR after a couple of rejections after interview :frown:

Reply 37

cameron_

1

Original post by medchem

To all people just starting to look at revision stuff - don't waste money on loads of books!!!!

Stick to practise tests and maybe 1-2 weeks of medify but keep your focus on the tests provided by UKCAT x

no don't ignore the books!!!!!! To the people who are doing the UKCAT this summer, if you want to give yourself the best chance of doing well you literally can't do enough practice, 1-2 papers is nothing considering UKCAT give you 3 anyway, and you can buy books with 1000+ practice questions in. I found that the way people do well on the UKCAT is through strategy and technique. Books from ISC and Kaplan give really useful tips about this. Medify is useful, but don't forget about the books, they're deffo worth the money!

Reply 38