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UKCAT Abstract reasoning so bad

Hey

I will be taking the UKCAT in the 27th of September. I started preparing a few days ago. QR is ok, VR is quite good. Only problem is that I really suck at AR. I couldn't solve any of the 20 examples in the 1000 UKCAT book. I really need some help there. Can you give some tips and share your experience?
Reply 1
ISC AR is ridiculously hard in comparison to Medify, which apparently is more difficult than the actual UKCAT.

Try some of the questions on Medify if possible.
Make sure you at least guess all the questions
i didn't get most of the patterns in the exam, and I still managed to get 640 (i was happy 'cause i got 720 in vr and qr)
keep doing more questions! and use the SCANS acrynm
Reply 3
Original post by atomicjellyfish
Make sure you at least guess all the questions
i didn't get most of the patterns in the exam, and I still managed to get 640 (i was happy 'cause i got 720 in vr and qr)
keep doing more questions! and use the SCANS acrynm


what is the SCANS acronym? I'm stressing so much about this too :frown:
Original post by kjm98
what is the SCANS acronym? I'm stressing so much about this too :frown:


Shape, colour, angle, number of sides, symmetry
Reply 5
Thanks for your help everyone! Test is on Tuesday and my mock exam results differ so much from each other. Once I got 730 overall the other time 580... What's wrong? Haha So, let's see how it goes on Tuesday then!

Best of luck to you guys!
Original post by phil730d
Thanks for your help everyone! Test is on Tuesday and my mock exam results differ so much from each other. Once I got 730 overall the other time 580... What's wrong? Haha So, let's see how it goes on Tuesday then!

Best of luck to you guys!


Hey man, how did you end up doing on it? i am getting similar stuff, actual ukcat practice tests i do not see the patterns but on medify i am getting like 800 and above on all sets
Original post by singham97
Hey man, how did you end up doing on it? i am getting similar stuff, actual ukcat practice tests i do not see the patterns but on medify i am getting like 800 and above on all sets


Hey Singham,

Here are some tips of my own. I actually scored 900 in Abstract Reasoning.

1. Patterns Will Repeat During Practice
“By the time you do the UKCAT you will have seen every possible pattern at least once”

When you do your first Abstract Reasoning test, it is very difficult to do well because you have no past experience. By the time of the test, you should have seen all the possible patterns once, if not several, times. This emphasises the importance of practice for Abstract Reasoning.

2. All Patterns Can Be Spotted Using SPONCS (Shape, Pattern, Orientation, Number, Colour, Size)

“It helped a lot using a table summarising all possible patterns, because it continually reminds you of what you need to be looking for”

We recommend using the pattern table every time you do an Abstract Reasoning passage. Throughout our years of UKCAT research, we have found all the common patterns and fit them into this table for you. Of course, you will get the odd pattern here or there which goes beyond the table, but it covers most of what you will face.

3. Beware of the Abstract Reasoning Timing Traps

“Abstract Reasoning was the most trickiest section in terms of timing. It is such a short section, so you need to adapt quickly, and Type 2 and 3 questions throw you off”

Firstly, Abstract Reasoning is the shortest UKCAT section, at 13 minutes long. It can come and go in a flash, and you need to adjust your timing to work quickly.

Secondly, confusingly you have to adjust the timing per pattern during the section (e.g. between Type 1 and 2 questions), so do not fall into the trap of spending too much time on non-Type 1 questions.

Thirdly, they will plant some extremely difficult sets to trap you. The better candidates will move on after 1 minute, rather than spend 3 minutes on a pattern. Consider it like this - if you spend 3 minutes on a single pattern, you have used nearly 25% of your time.




Hope that helps!
Kunal
UCL Year 4
www.medicmind.co.uk/resources
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 8
If it helps, I just didn't get it at all, ended up pretty much guessing my way through. Didn't get a great score in that particular section, but I made it up in the others I guess and got a couple of offers.
Original post by phil730d
Hey

I will be taking the UKCAT in the 27th of September. I started preparing a few days ago. QR is ok, VR is quite good. Only problem is that I really suck at AR. I couldn't solve any of the 20 examples in the 1000 UKCAT book. I really need some help there. Can you give some tips and share your experience?


Hi there!

Our best advice would be to do lots of practice and create mnemonics to help you remember what to look out for - how many sides each shape has, how many shapes in the pattern etc.

Our 100% free UKCAT Question Bank includes lots of Abstract Reasoning questions - plus detailed answer explanations, so this should help you in your preparation.

We've also published the following blogs:
- Abstract Reasoning Revision: Top Tips
- UKCAT Abstract Reasoning Tips: Top 3 Strategies

Hope this helps! :smile:
The Medic Portal
Original post by The Medic Portal
Hi there!

Our best advice would be to do lots of practice and create mnemonics to help you remember what to look out for - how many sides each shape has, how many shapes in the pattern etc.

Our 100% free UKCAT Question Bank includes lots of Abstract Reasoning questions - plus detailed answer explanations, so this should help you in your preparation.

We've also published the following blogs:
- Abstract Reasoning Revision: Top Tips
- UKCAT Abstract Reasoning Tips: Top 3 Strategies

Hope this helps! :smile:
The Medic Portal


Hi there MedPortal!
I Have been practicing for the UKCAT examination by making use of your free question bank!
As I have attempted some of the AR questions, I was wondering as to whether the questions are slightly more difficult than the actual examination itself?
For example, the other day I was unable to understand the pattern on a type 1 question and the explanation stated the need to create an average in order to discover the pattern - something I have not experienced before :frown:
Original post by IGCSETANK
Hi there MedPortal!
I Have been practicing for the UKCAT examination by making use of your free question bank!
As I have attempted some of the AR questions, I was wondering as to whether the questions are slightly more difficult than the actual examination itself?
For example, the other day I was unable to understand the pattern on a type 1 question and the explanation stated the need to create an average in order to discover the pattern - something I have not experienced before :frown:


Hi there!

Great to hear you've been using our question bank :smile:

We've tried to mirror the real exam as closely as possible but obviously questions will vary in difficulty - we'd recommend to keep practising to improve your scores!

You might also find it useful to read our blog on Abstract Reasoning Mnemonics, which should help you understand what to look for a bit more!

Hope this helps! :smile:
The Medic Portal

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