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Ukcat 2019 entry discussion

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Original post by Samanthaplague
Is this in the year of sitting or the first ever UKCAT test? So would this year's scores be relative to the first cohort which sit the test in 2018?


The first ever UKCAT test undertaken
Original post by AzureCeleste
The first ever UKCAT test undertaken

Oh okay. Thanks for that, I didn't know that was how they marked it... I need to up my game in DM then
Original post by hopefulmedic234
Heyy...

I did the UKCAT in 2016 (for 2017 entry) and in 2017 (for 2018 entry), and went on a Kaplan course in 2016. I have copies of 2 books that they gave us on my laptop, one called the 'Mastery book' which is basically a book full of questions, and another called the 'Strategy Book' which basically gives you tips on how to approach the different sections. I'm looking to convert them into a pdf format and then sell them to anyone who was interested, but I wanted to see if anyone was actually interested in buying it before I spent time into converting it into pdf format, as one book is nearly 200 pages long and the other is over 300 pages.

Using these resources, I got a UKCAT average of 820 (2017 entry) and 732.5 (2018 entry). And I'd be looking to charge £50 for both books (which I think is fair considering the Kaplan course costs over £300)

Let me know if your interested, by responding to the thread or sending me a PM, just so I can get an idea of whether it will be worth me spending my time doing this.


1. Is this legal?
2. How come you didn't get in 2017 entry? Did interviews not go well?
Original post by YaMojeeb
Good question. How is everyone preparing for the UKCAT exam, any tips?


I'd give Medify or Docme a go. Medify has more questions, but Docme is easier to use and cheaper. Think they have 4000 questions to medify's 8000, but never managed to do over 4000 questions anyway. But I think docme are still updating their new website.

Also make sure to buy a book, just helps having something in front of you.
Original post by YaMojeeb
Good question. How is everyone preparing for the UKCAT exam, any tips?


Get a book. Then get an online question bank. Some really good ones are Docme and Medify. They have really good questions, and the simulate the exam really well. Some good free resources on Docme and other sites like Medic Mind.

Lots of tips online that are free. Tutors are generally a waste since most resources get you all the information anyway and the question banks help a lot in practice.
selling my UKCAT practice book - good condition and really cheap - just covering the trip to the post office really!
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173345404347
Original post by JakeSmith244
I'd give Medify or Docme a go. Medify has more questions, but Docme is easier to use and cheaper. Think they have 4000 questions to medify's 8000, but never managed to do over 4000 questions anyway. But I think docme are still updating their new website.

Also make sure to buy a book, just helps having something in front of you.


Thanks! How long did you prepare for the UKCAT?
Original post by YaMojeeb
Thanks! How long did you prepare for the UKCAT?


I spent 4-6 weeks, and i know most places recommend 6 weeks. It can take a while to get used to the logic of some things and how to use the strategies that they teach. But overall it should be enough.

Just bear in mind how some sites charge you and pricing. Try and get a deal, or apply for their bursaries if you need them. Don't think modify do discounts, but docme usually do big ones in june.
How many hours in a day did you spend revising/practising in the 4-6 weeks?
I am!
Original post by YaMojeeb
How many hours in a day did you spend revising/practising in the 4-6 weeks?


Few hours a day, building up to like half a day during the last 2 weeks.
Anyone have any advice on how to prepare for abstract reasoning? I do not understand the patterns in type 1 questions from Set A/B, nor type 2,3,4.. I find it hard to understand how you can quickly identify the pattern and answer each question in such a short amount of time.

And with VR as well, I try to skim read the text and pick out relevant sentences to answer the questions about the passage but I still fail to answer them correctly.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by dip0
Anyone have any advice on how to prepare for abstract reasoning? I do not understand the patterns in type 1 questions from Set A/B, nor type 2,3,4.. I find it hard to understand how you can quickly identify the pattern and answer each question in such a short amount of time.

And with VR as well, I try to skim read the text and pick out relevant sentences to answer the questions about the passage but I still fail to answer them correctly.



Practise more AR questions and your mind will start to pick up patterns more quickly. That’s what I’ve noticed thank God!

For VR, this section seems the most challenging so far.. when have you booked for your UKCAT exam?
Original post by dip0
Anyone have any advice on how to prepare for abstract reasoning? I do not understand the patterns in type 1 questions from Set A/B, nor type 2,3,4.. I find it hard to understand how you can quickly identify the pattern and answer each question in such a short amount of time.

And with VR as well, I try to skim read the text and pick out relevant sentences to answer the questions about the passage but I still fail to answer them correctly.


Hiya! For AR this is what I do... before doing the questions, on a whiteboard, it is helpful to write down 'SCONSAS' or any other acronym that helps you identify the different types of patterns out there. It stands for: Size, Color, Orientation, Number, Shape, Angle, Symmetry. Then, if you're stuck, you can quickly look down at your white board. In addition, doing more and more AR questions will automatically allow your mind to spot patterns as dip0 had mentioned. Also, look at the simplest box in Set A and in Set B and compare them as that usually will make it easier to see the pattern than one that is stuffed with shapes.

In terms of VR, what has really helped me is continuous practice and to take it steady. You do not need to go at dynamite speed. It is better to do 33/44 questions really well (which supposedly is around 750) and get 100% than to do rush to do 44 and only get about 20 right. Also, do not use your own knowledge at all. Read the texts as if it is the first time you've ever come across such information and try to act interested. Lastly, do not read the whole text or even skim it before you read the first question. Always read the questions first unless you're a super speedy reader and have stellar memory. Make sure that you skim the ENTIRE passage for the key words instead of just the first one you see and always read the first and last sentence which usually tell you a summary. Oh and another thing (sorry!), if you can, always skip really long passages that seem very complicated. Better to hit all those shorter passages first unless its an easy to understand long passage.

Hope this helps!!
(edited 5 years ago)
Hey all!

I am a graduate medical student at King's.

I see that the Abstract Reasoning section has been causing some headache in the UKCAT forums. I know it can be tricky to pick up but its definitely possible with enough practice and exposure to questions!

I just made a video where I solve AR questions on camera and talk through my thought process and strategy for the questions. I think it could be very helpful!

Feel free to check it out and also if you have any questions regarding anything medical school related don't be shy to leave me a comment or DM! I would love to help :smile:

-KharmaMedic (youtube)
I've done 2 mocks and my scores are as follows: 1st one I got 595 average and then the one I did today I got 545 average (I ran out of time in the VR and only did half of them and I couldn't finish the DM or QR either...). I've done a lot of questions but I am REALLY struggling with timing. My test is in 1 month and 10 days, and I don't know whether or not I can improve on my timing. I'm now really panicking about this test because I thought my first mock was fairly decent and I did so badly on the second one... how can I improve my timing????? Please help...
Original post by Samanthaplague
I've done 2 mocks and my scores are as follows: 1st one I got 595 average and then the one I did today I got 545 average (I ran out of time in the VR and only did half of them and I couldn't finish the DM or QR either...). I've done a lot of questions but I am REALLY struggling with timing. My test is in 1 month and 10 days, and I don't know whether or not I can improve on my timing. I'm now really panicking about this test because I thought my first mock was fairly decent and I did so badly on the second one... how can I improve my timing????? Please help...


Hey Samantha you can definitely improve your timing you have lots of time! Don't stress yourself :smile:

Start off slow. Every practice section you do keep it present in your mind that you want to be a bit faster per question. Maybe practice individual sections at a time to not get overwhelmed with the whole test at once.

This is something you can certainly improve!
Also you can try doing questions without a time limit so you can build a more efficient strategy to go quicker in the future. Don't overwhelmed yourself early on by doing full mocks!

Hope that helps :smile:

-KharmaMedic (YouTube)
Original post by KharmaMedic
Hey Samantha you can definitely improve your timing you have lots of time! Don't stress yourself :smile:

Start off slow. Every practice section you do keep it present in your mind that you want to be a bit faster per question. Maybe practice individual sections at a time to not get overwhelmed with the whole test at once.

This is something you can certainly improve!
Also you can try doing questions without a time limit so you can build a more efficient strategy to go quicker in the future. Don't overwhelmed yourself early on by doing full mocks!

Hope that helps :smile:

-KharmaMedic (YouTube)

Thank you for the advice
I have the technique for the VR and get pretty much all of them right- it’s the timing that’s the issue so maybe it’ll do the timed questions on medify
AR- I haven’t really developed a strategy for this and acronyms aren’t really working for me. I either spot the relationship instantly or I can’t spot it at all. Maybe I’ll work on the acronym a bit more before doing any timed questions because it seems like an efficient method
QR- once again it’s no strategy but I am struggling with the graph questions. Also im the kind of person who doesn’t want to move onto the next question without answering the question first so maybe I just need to move out of the mind set because I am good at maths and I am getting like 600s right now in this section. I will probably do more timed questions for these ones.
DM- I am really struggling with these because I get so many wrong. It’s not that the questions are hard it’s just that I can’t seem to do them within the time frame because I’m more focussed on the timing and the ones that I get right are the ones that take the shortest time. I’ll have to do a lot of questions without the time frame so that I can work out a strategy for each type of question before doing the timed practice
SJT- this is my strongest section and I’m consistently getting band 2. I also finish it really quickly and have half the time left so maybe if I spend more time thinking I can probably do better and also need to read the GMC guidelines

1.

Offering a UKCAT course for £50 in central london this week only!




2.

1.
I scored 822.5, Band 1, have taught UKCAT/BMAT for 4 years and have worked for the big companies. All details are available on my twitter account, @grimworldview .

Original post by Samanthaplague
Thank you for the advice
I have the technique for the VR and get pretty much all of them right- it’s the timing that’s the issue so maybe it’ll do the timed questions on medify
AR- I haven’t really developed a strategy for this and acronyms aren’t really working for me. I either spot the relationship instantly or I can’t spot it at all. Maybe I’ll work on the acronym a bit more before doing any timed questions because it seems like an efficient method
QR- once again it’s no strategy but I am struggling with the graph questions. Also im the kind of person who doesn’t want to move onto the next question without answering the question first so maybe I just need to move out of the mind set because I am good at maths and I am getting like 600s right now in this section. I will probably do more timed questions for these ones.
DM- I am really struggling with these because I get so many wrong. It’s not that the questions are hard it’s just that I can’t seem to do them within the time frame because I’m more focussed on the timing and the ones that I get right are the ones that take the shortest time. I’ll have to do a lot of questions without the time frame so that I can work out a strategy for each type of question before doing the timed practice
SJT- this is my strongest section and I’m consistently getting band 2. I also finish it really quickly and have half the time left so maybe if I spend more time thinking I can probably do better and also need to read the GMC guidelines


AR- you can afford to spend time on these q's to spot the pattern. If you do see nothing then just guess the same letter conistently(you're bound to get 1 right)
QR- flag the graph questions and skip them. If you are worried you will run out of time then click a random answer and move on
DM- See if you can try and pick out the relevant information and check what the question is asking for so you don't waste time

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