UKCAT for 2017 Entry to UK

Hello,

I am currently stressing out so much about the UKCAT. Initially I booked my UKCAT for August 24th, two weeks before this date as I had left it very late to book due to being stupid. However I then changed my test to September 2nd, then September 8th, and I have now once again put the test back to the 15th of September.

I know it is probably bad to keep pushing the date back but if I genuinely stick to this date, will my actions have caused much harm? I just really want a good score but it is hard to find a lot of time as I lead a very, very, very busy lifestyle (usually 8am to 9pm away from home and then something quick to eat and then an hour or two of UKCAT stuff).

I would also like to ask if anyone here who has a decent/good score on the UKCAT found that when practising, things seemed to be going awfully, and then on the day it was better? Or if I truly am just awful at this test and my practice performances at the moment will reflect on the day?

I have been through the entire UKCAT 1000 Questions (Olivier Picard) Book and have carried out one mock exam on the UKCAT website and I find that the UKCAT 1000 Questions book is very difficult, I have read that it is a great deal harder than the test on the day before, however. Can someone please confirm this for me?

I find that in some sections I struggle to get much more than 60% of the answers correct and I have no clue what kind of score this would give on the day. I am extremely shameful at Abstract Reasoning, and though I am very good at maths in examinations, I seem to be awful at Quantitive Reasoning also. If anyone could direct me to a resource with the BEST tips for the sections then this would be useful, and I think I would be better if I improved my mental maths.

Sorry for the long post but there are just so many questions regarding this. Also, if a lot of you think me moving my test is a bad thing, it is not too late for me to move it back to the 8th September.

Thanks,
BFCBP.

1000 question book is way too tough. I would recommend a couple weeks of medify. Start by doing them untimed, then timed practice, then with a week/4 days to go, do the mocks. Once you have got medify, and you still struggle a lot, then post what you find difficult there. I got mid 600's in medify mocks and 750 in the real thing, so real thing is defo easier than anything you will have done

Reply 3261

studentsixth

13

Original post by ASTK98

Cheers! What did you score in VR btw? Oh and any tips?

I got 610 which was such a shame as VR has always been my favourite. My usual scores in mocks were 770-800 but I was kinda expecting a drop as my anxiety levels were just too much! This emphasises how important it is to take a deep breath before you start the test!!

For QR my tip would be that if it takes longer than 40 seconds, just guess, flag and move on. I find that QR is more about getting through every question as more often than not, the easiest questions are at the end of the test! Sometimes I feel like they throw in incredibly hard questions just to deliberately consume time, so watch out for them!

For AR it is vital that you look for the obvious first before trying to dig deeper. The biggest mistake is to be counting the number of edges in each box when the actual pattern is just that there is a black circle in Set A and a white circle in Set B.

Reply 3262

studentsixth

13

Original post by BFCBP

Hello,

I am currently stressing out so much about the UKCAT. Initially I booked my UKCAT for August 24th, two weeks before this date as I had left it very late to book due to being stupid. However I then changed my test to September 2nd, then September 8th, and I have now once again put the test back to the 15th of September.

I know it is probably bad to keep pushing the date back but if I genuinely stick to this date, will my actions have caused much harm? I just really want a good score but it is hard to find a lot of time as I lead a very, very, very busy lifestyle (usually 8am to 9pm away from home and then something quick to eat and then an hour or two of UKCAT stuff).

I would also like to ask if anyone here who has a decent/good score on the UKCAT found that when practising, things seemed to be going awfully, and then on the day it was better? Or if I truly am just awful at this test and my practice performances at the moment will reflect on the day?

I have been through the entire UKCAT 1000 Questions (Olivier Picard) Book and have carried out one mock exam on the UKCAT website and I find that the UKCAT 1000 Questions book is very difficult, I have read that it is a great deal harder than the test on the day before, however. Can someone please confirm this for me?

I find that in some sections I struggle to get much more than 60% of the answers correct and I have no clue what kind of score this would give on the day. I am extremely shameful at Abstract Reasoning, and though I am very good at maths in examinations, I seem to be awful at Quantitive Reasoning also. If anyone could direct me to a resource with the BEST tips for the sections then this would be useful, and I think I would be better if I improved my mental maths.

Sorry for the long post but there are just so many questions regarding this. Also, if a lot of you think me moving my test is a bad thing, it is not too late for me to move it back to the 8th September.

Thanks,
BFCBP.

I wouldn't recommend pushing your date back any further. Keep it as it is, so you know exactly what deadline you're trying to target at (plus, worrying about the UKCAT will start to put you off your A2 which are also very important!).

The 1000Q book is indeed harder but with more practice you'll soon get the hang of it. Most people tend to do better on the actual day than in practice but there are also people who end up getting a mean section and consequently suffer from a lower than expected average. You just need to keep on practicing. Practice literally does make perfect with the UKCAT, especially with AR.

In regards to you being away for so long: Is there no way that you could take some UKCAT work with you (or a laptop) so you can have time to practice too? I'm just thinking that maybe part of the reason you are scoring 60% might be due to you being too tired when practicing at 9pm! It's much better to practice with a clear mind than to do it absolutely exhausted. When I did multiple mock exams in a day, my score tended to start high and then plummet as I got more tired throughout the day.

Reply 3263

AMG2013

8

Original post by studentsixth

I got 610 which was such a shame as VR has always been my favourite. My usual scores in mocks were 770-800 but I was kinda expecting a drop as my anxiety levels were just too much! This emphasises how important it is to take a deep breath before you start the test!!

For QR my tip would be that if it takes longer than 40 seconds, just guess, flag and move on. I find that QR is more about getting through every question as more often than not, the easiest questions are at the end of the test! Sometimes I feel like they throw in incredibly hard questions just to deliberately consume time, so watch out for them!

For AR it is vital that you look for the obvious first before trying to dig deeper. The biggest mistake is to be counting the number of edges in each box when the actual pattern is just that there is a black circle in Set A and a white circle in Set B.

I know a few people who think that the questions at the end of their QR section were easier, what's that about lol

Reply 3264

studentsixth

13

Original post by AMG2013

I know a few people who think that the questions at the end of their QR section were easier, what's that about lol

Again, I'm not sure! Maybe it's again deliberately done to annoy the crap out of us when we only have 3 seconds left to do a simple adding and subtraction question XD

Reply 3265

michaela__

6

Sorry if this has already been asked before, but how similar is SJT compared to the 1000q book? Thank you ☺️

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3266

manlike99

16

Original post by michaela__

Sorry if this has already been asked before, but how similar is SJT compared to the 1000q book? Thank you ☺️

Posted from TSR Mobile

that book is perfect for it

Reply 3267

Whoknowswhy

1

Original post by MCMXCVIII

Does anyone know the best book to buy for the UKCAT? I'm sitting mine on the 4 of October and already have medify.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Might be worth getting the ISC 1000Q book. Tough one in parts but if you can do it, everything will feel so much easier :smile:

VR, half of QR and SJT are pretty much in line with exam. second half of QR and AR harder than exam in parts

Reply 3268

Not_a_horse

13

Hi guys, averaged 693, Sj band 3 this is really worrying.

Reply 3269

NAP1029

Original post by Not_a_horse

Hi guys, averaged 693, Sj band 3 this is really worrying.

693 is a good score so don't worry about that, and a lot of unis don't even look at your sjt band anyway so don't worry about that either

Plus I got a band 3 but I'm not too worried about that for now

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3270

xJessScott

11

Original post by AMG2013

Do you feel like you're improving from the last time you sat it? If so, what have you done differently this time around?

im in the middle of finishing my first degree, medicine hopefully to be my second. personally i was not ready mind set wise to sit ukcat or possibility of medicine, i didnt fully understand each section and how to do them tbf.

QR: i did revision but did not see how you could answer any questions in the time given so i always guessed. so stupid aha

AR: this was my best section 3 years ago, i still did really bad, but im just more used to the patterns and what to look for, i always count first and that is usually the patteren some where, and just practice!

VR: im must better at looking for key words and skimming the text,

honestly i know lots of people say it but just need to do as many questions as humanly possible

Reply 3271

Gogregg

14

Original post by Not_a_horse

Hi guys, averaged 693, Sj band 3 this is really worrying.

Please elaborate on how you managed to come to the conclusion that your score is worrying? IT IS NOT, IT IS A GOOD SCORE, DID YOU NOT EVEN READ THE SHEET YOU WERE GIVEN? "Most people taking this test will score between 500 and 700". YOU HAVE A GOOD SCORE!

Reply 3272

Not_a_horse

13

Original post by Gogregg

Please elaborate on how you managed to come to the conclusion that your score is worrying? IT IS NOT, IT IS A GOOD SCORE, DID YOU NOT EVEN READ THE SHEET YOU WERE GIVEN? "Most people taking this test will score between 500 and 700". YOU HAVE A GOOD SCORE!

For previous years I think this might have been a good score but this year there are only 4 sections instead of 5 so the average is likely to increase I think, plus a lot of people on TSR are getting 720+ (I know TSR isn't that representative but still). As for SJ King's said it would be unlikely to be interviewed with band 3, which sucks because that would have been my first choice.

Reply 3273

Gogregg

14

Original post by Not_a_horse

For previous years I think this might have been a good score but this year there are only 4 sections instead of 5 so the average is likely to increase I think, plus a lot of people on TSR are getting 720+ (I know TSR isn't that representative but still). As for SJ King's said it would be unlikely to be interviewed with band 3, which sucks because that would have been my first choice.

1.

DA was usually a section that dragged peoples scores up.

2.

TSR is not representative at all.

3.

People are more likely to share their score if it is good (I'm guilty of this myself)

4.

People have been finding VR even more difficult that usual, so we may see a decrease in the average there.

5.

There is no point in speculating until we have the official statistics in early October

So you may not be interviewed at one medical school. It is not the end of the world. You can still apply if you want, on the off chance that you do get an interview. Just make sure to apply to places where you think you are more likely to get an interview to make up for the one risky option. Medical school is the aim, yes, it would be nice to get into our preference, but you need to be practical here.

Reply 3274

studentsixth

13

Original post by Not_a_horse

For previous years I think this might have been a good score but this year there are only 4 sections instead of 5 so the average is likely to increase I think, plus a lot of people on TSR are getting 720+ (I know TSR isn't that representative but still). As for SJ King's said it would be unlikely to be interviewed with band 3, which sucks because that would have been my first choice.

This has been discussed repeatedly. Anything from 600 upwards is not a 'worrying score', especially considering you got a score which is considered 'competitive' for 90% of the unis out there. SJT is not even considered that seriously apart from Edinburgh and a couple of other universities. It's always a shame when a university tells you they are unlikely to take you on something like SJT, but there are always other options. Have you considered taking the BMAT and applying to UCL or Imperial? Yes there is a chance that the average might go up but just a loss of one section this year isn't going to have a dramatic impact.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3275

Jitesh

14

For QR are calculations sometimes used in further parts of the question?
In the real exam do the calculators wipe their memory for each new question?

Reply 3276

Not_a_horse

13

Original post by Gogregg

1.

DA was usually a section that dragged peoples scores up.

2.

TSR is not representative at all.

3.

People are more likely to share their score if it is good (I'm guilty of this myself)

4.

People have been finding VR even more difficult that usual, so we may see a decrease in the average there.

5.

There is no point in speculating until we have the official statistics in early October

So you may not be interviewed at one medical school. It is not the end of the world. You can still apply if you want, on the off chance that you do get an interview. Just make sure to apply to places where you think you are more likely to get an interview to make up for the one risky option. Medical school is the aim, yes, it would be nice to get into our preference, but you need to be practical here.

Original post by studentsixth

This has been discussed repeatedly. Anything from 600 upwards is not a 'worrying score', especially considering you got a score which is considered 'competitive' for 90% of the unis out there. SJT is not even considered that seriously apart from Edinburgh and a couple of other universities. Yes there is a chance that the average might go up but just a loss of one section this year isn't going to have a dramatic impact is it?

Thanks for that guys, it's quite reassuring, BTW does imperial use UKCAT anymore I didn't see anything about it on their website, fingers crossed for the BMAT :crossedf:

Reply 3277

studentsixth

13

Original post by Jitesh

For QR are calculations sometimes used in further parts of the question?
In the real exam do the calculators wipe their memory for each new question?

I had one carry-over question (I had to calculate the mean in one question which involved adding up and I needed to use those totals again in the following question when it asked me how many more Xs than Ys were there)

The best thing to do is write down calculations as you go along, otherwise you'll lose time adding it all up again!

Reply 3278

username2238097

9

I did medify mock 1 and got a really bad score.
I got:
VR-550
AR-650
QR-600
SJT-Band 2
I've been preparing for almost 2 months now and my exam is in 3 days.
I honestly thought I would do a lot better.
I don't know what to do. I only have 3 days and my scores are so low.
How similar is medify mock 1 to the real exam? I'm really struggling with vr but I thought my AR would pull up my grade but I didn't do well in that either. I'm really stuck. Help?!