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Omg feeling panicky and screwed right now!! Really struggling with AR!! Any tips other than SCANS that could help me?? Any exercises that could help me build up to the AR section?
Original post by NatsP29
Omg feeling panicky and screwed right now!! Really struggling with AR!! Any tips other than SCANS that could help me?? Any exercises that could help me build up to the AR section?


hi, its ok, you have lots of time yet! abstract reasoning is daunting at first at how on earth you can work out the patterns but it gets a lot easier. people develop strategies, most just involve a sequence e.g 1. numbers - counting all the shapes, count black shapes or white, how many of one shape, how many sides etc, 2. position - if the square if at the top does the arrow point up? just random things, circle always right bottom corner etc. Then usually symmetry, angles etc. if its a clock its often the numbers times together make prime number that sort of thing or times to make odd or even number or something, or set a they are acute angles, set b theyre obtuse.
its just with time, this is the second time ive done the UKCAT and its usually my best section however in real thing last year my best was QR.
Just try simple first. the 1250 book which is the third edition of the 600 questions book has a reputation for being harder than the actual exam but its good for the workings through of all the questions and how to do it timings etc, a good basis. then get something like medify closer to the exam, i have it for about a month as i need a lot more time to revise for it, its £40 for a month but totally worth it thousands of questions, videos of advice and techniques and the platform is exactly the same as the actual test so gets you used to the layout, shortcuts, the calculator, also has mock tests, definitely recommend
good luck :smile:
Original post by xJessScott
hi, its ok, you have lots of time yet! abstract reasoning is daunting at first at how on earth you can work out the patterns b ut it gets a lot easier. people develop strategies, most just involve a sequence e.g 1. numbers - counting all the shapes, count black shapes or white, how many of one shape, how many sides etc, 2. position - if the square if at the top does the arrow point up? just random things, circle always right bottom corner etc. Then usually symmetry, angles etc. if its a clock its often the numbers times together make prime number that sort of thing or times to make odd or even number or something, or set a they are acute angles, set b theyre obtuse.
its just with time, this is the second time ive done the UKCAT and its usually my best section however in real thing last year my best was QR.
Just try simple first. the 1250 book which is the third edition of the 600 questions book has a reputation for being harder than the actual exam but its good for the workings through of all the questions and how to do it timings etc, a good basis. then get something like medify closer to the exam, i have it for about a month as i need a lot more time to revise for it, its £40 for a month but totally worth it thousands of questions, videos of advice and techniques and the platform is exactly the same as the actual test so gets you used to the layout, shortcuts, the calculator, also has mock tests, definitely recommend
good luck :smile:


Cheers for the tips!! I have the Kaplan course too so might try medify as well. Thank you soo much :3
Reply 123
Original post by NatsP29
Omg feeling panicky and screwed right now!! Really struggling with AR!! Any tips other than SCANS that could help me?? Any exercises that could help me build up to the AR section?


Hey there :-) Here a copy of a message a posted on another thread a while back about AR. The stuff about SSSPN is pretty similar to scans but you may not have come across the concept of a pattern bank:

So in a nutshell we recommend making a 'pattern bank' i.e. making a record of all the AR patterns you come across. At the end of the day, there is only a finite number of patterns that they can do with six boxes of 2D black and white shapes so the same things are bound to recur. The pattern bank may be a written descriptive list or a word document with images of the patterns, whatever works best for you.

We also suggest categorising patterns using our mnemonic 'SSSPN' which stands for 'shape, size, shade, position, number.' This technique is often something that students love when we expound it further on our UKCAT crash courses and on our UKCAT Ninja website. SSSPN is not just for the pattern bank, it's also an excellent tool for tackling AR questions too. I.e. for every AR question you face, you use the same algorithm of looking for patterns relating to shape, size, shade, position and number. Having a consistent and thorough method like this makes your test-taking much more efficient and makes you much more confident!

Hope that makes some sense and is as helpful for you! Let us know if you would like anymore tips and tricks :-)

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med
Original post by 6med
Hey there :-) Here a copy of a message a posted on another thread a while back about AR. The stuff about SSSPN is pretty similar to scans but you may not have come across the concept of a pattern bank:

So in a nutshell we recommend making a 'pattern bank' i.e. making a record of all the AR patterns you come across. At the end of the day, there is only a finite number of patterns that they can do with six boxes of 2D black and white shapes so the same things are bound to recur. The pattern bank may be a written descriptive list or a word document with images of the patterns, whatever works best for you.

We also suggest categorising patterns using our mnemonic 'SSSPN' which stands for 'shape, size, shade, position, number.' This technique is often something that students love when we expound it further on our UKCAT crash courses and on our UKCAT Ninja website. SSSPN is not just for the pattern bank, it's also an excellent tool for tackling AR questions too. I.e. for every AR question you face, you use the same algorithm of looking for patterns relating to shape, size, shade, position and number. Having a consistent and thorough method like this makes your test-taking much more efficient and makes you much more confident!

Hope that makes some sense and is as helpful for you! Let us know if you would like anymore tips and tricks :-)

Alex, 4th year UCL medic
6med


Thanks a big bunch !! :smile:
Original post by NatsP29
Omg feeling panicky and screwed right now!! Really struggling with AR!! Any tips other than SCANS that could help me?? Any exercises that could help me build up to the AR section?


Hi there!

Don't worry, you have plenty of time to practice! You might find it useful to look at our Abstract Reasoning Top Tips blog for our advice and top 5 tips on tackling this section.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your preparation :smile:
The Medic Portal
Original post by xJessScott
if its a clock its often the numbers times together make prime number that sort of thing


I think you have just developed a new mathematical theory with this statement.:biggrin:
Original post by NatsP29
Cheers for the tips!! I have the Kaplan course too so might try medify as well. Thank you soo much :3


Hi! Another good free resource is www.passUKCAT.com which has loads of free abstract reasoning questions. Also good for decision making which are a bit harder to find...:colondollar:
Original post by NatsP29
Omg feeling panicky and screwed right now!! Really struggling with AR!! Any tips other than SCANS that could help me?? Any exercises that could help me build up to the AR section?


Sometimes there are so many mnenomics that it's hard to remember the mnemonics and their meaning. It's probably best if you just practise a lot and try to forge your own method, one which comes naturally to you, rather than try to learn something that is alien to your way of thinking.
Hey guys,

I did the UKCat and I'm now in year 1, studying dentistry. Any questions or queries, feel free to message me :smile:
Original post by studentboss1
Hey guys,

I did the UKCat and I'm now in year 1, studying dentistry. Any questions or queries, feel free to message me :smile:


hi, where you studying? and what did you get in the ukcat? where else did you apply and where did you get interviews etc?
Hi everyone!

I'm doing the UKCAT again this year, as last year I scored an average of 677 and this wasn't high enough for any of the grad entry courses.

I wanted to talk about the decision making section. In particular, the questions when you drag and drop 'yes/no' for 5 different statements. Medify give you a point for each one you get correct, while Kaplan say you only get one point overall if you get 5/5 correct. Does anyone know what happens on test day? I trust medify more than kaplan, whose materials I'm finding to be quite sloppy, but I don't want to get a shock on exam day if medify have been over-estimating my performance!
Original post by Mincepiemmmm
Hi everyone!

I'm doing the UKCAT again this year, as last year I scored an average of 677 and this wasn't high enough for any of the grad entry courses.

I wanted to talk about the decision making section. In particular, the questions when you drag and drop 'yes/no' for 5 different statements. Medify give you a point for each one you get correct, while Kaplan say you only get one point overall if you get 5/5 correct. Does anyone know what happens on test day? I trust medify more than kaplan, whose materials I'm finding to be quite sloppy, but I don't want to get a shock on exam day if medify have been over-estimating my performance!


this has been troubling me too. on UKCAT website in their bank of questions when put impartially correct but not sure if you then get points or not

edit: ive inboxed them on facebook to see if they reply with anything, i didnt realise kaplan did it differently to medify so definitely need this clarifying
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by xJessScott
this has been troubling me too. on UKCAT website in their bank of questions when put impartially correct but not sure if you then get points or not

edit: ive inboxed them on facebook to see if they reply with anything, i didnt realise kaplan did it differently to medify so definitely need this clarifying


Hi in the 1250 UKCAT book it has the marking system: questions are 20 with those having 5 parts each Q = 4.8 marks per correct answer
Original post by Dr squared
Hi in the 1250 UKCAT book it has the marking system: questions are 20 with those having 5 parts each Q = 4.8 marks per correct answer


ah ok thanks :smile:
Original post by xJessScott
this has been troubling me too. on UKCAT website in their bank of questions when put impartially correct but not sure if you then get points or not

edit: ive inboxed them on facebook to see if they reply with anything, i didnt realise kaplan did it differently to medify so definitely need this clarifying


Thanks for that. Update us when you hear back :smile:

Original post by Dr squared
Hi in the 1250 UKCAT book it has the marking system: questions are 20 with those having 5 parts each Q = 4.8 marks per correct answer


Oh that's interesting. It makes me feel a little more confused though because that's a third opinion from a prep source, and its' different again.

The 1250 questions explanation seems most intuitive to me though. It means that getting 5/5 is worth slightly more than getting 1/1 on the other kinds of questions, and getting 4/5 is worth very slightly less.

I suppose really we just have to try our best and not get too bogged down in these things.... but that's easier said than done.
So whats everyones overall strategem


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Original post by Rasillon
So whats everyones overall strategem


Posted from TSR Mobile

I do a LOT of questions everyday and try to get a natural feeling for their style etc.

Powering through the questions for most of them... Never read the entire text for VR, just skim through to save time - still get roughly 670 when translated into actual score..
My two best sections are Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning (800-ish in each). I'm quite rubbish at Abstract Reasoning though, as I pull of around 650...
Original post by Mac117
I do a LOT of questions everyday and try to get a natural feeling for their style etc.

Powering through the questions for most of them... Never read the entire text for VR, just skim through to save time - still get roughly 670 when translated into actual score..
My two best sections are Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning (800-ish in each). I'm quite rubbish at Abstract Reasoning though, as I pull of around 650...


Do you have any advice for Quant?!

The last mock I did on medify scored me as:
VR - 770
DM - 770
QR - 530
AR - 750

I seem to be doing much better at AR this cycle compared to last year. I think just doing as many questions will lead to a gradual improvement over time. For verbal, I don't read the passage at all, I just skim for key words and try to ignore what it is even about. The hardest questions are the 'which one is not true' / 'choose a conclusion', so I tend to flag those for the end.

I'm concerned that the THREE times I've done the UKCAT I've scored highest in quant and lowest in verbal, and yet this time my practice tests seem to be showing the opposite. How representative do you guys think the mock exams available are of the real thing? Last year I got 710 in the real thing for quant, and only 610 for verbal.
Did it last year, used medify and the 1000questions book and would highly recommend medify

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