Why are aspiring medicine/dentistry students required to sit the ucat test?

I was wondering why the UCAT is so significant for universities in the first place, as it is not beneficial for modules learnt.

Reply 1

GANFYD

Original post by tasheenchoudhury

I was wondering why the UCAT is so significant for universities in the first place, as it is not beneficial for modules learnt.

It is an aptitude test and has been shown to correlate (albeit not strongly) with performance at med school and beyond. Around 28% of students get A/A* at GCSE, so academics alone are usually not discriminating enough for shortlisting

Reply 2

ErasistratusV

I do not believe for one second one's performance in the UCAT (which I was spectacularly trash at, likely the lowest scoring candidate of any cohort ever) correlates in any way with ones aptitude at medical school or beyond. I believe that the UCAT should be dropped and better interview and selection techniques used myself.

(edited 3 months ago)

Reply 3

GANFYD

Original post by ErasistratusV

OK, but the multiple studies they have done would disagree with you.
That does not mean those that do well at UCAT all make amazing Drs, not those that do less well make poorer Drs, just that, in a given population (med students), performance in UCAT (especially VR) correlates with performance at med school