UCAT questions

Hello, I am in Year 12 and I'm thinking of doing Medicine in later years. I know some stuffs about the UCAT and everything. But here are the questions I am asking ig:
What should I do to prepare for it? + Is it too early to start preparing for it now?
When do I take the test and do you have a second chance ?

Out of topic question: What is a Foundation degree?

Thanks in Advance

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

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The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

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Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
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Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread
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A100 Medicine for International Students 2024 Entry
Medicine Interview Discussion 2024 Entry
2024 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2024 Entry

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Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2025 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
GAMSAT 2025 / 2026 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2025 Entry Discussions Megathread

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Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree

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Reply 2

poornima_saiju

Original post by koolkhad

Hello, I am in Year 12 and I'm thinking of doing Medicine in later years. I know some stuffs about the UCAT and everything. But here are the questions I am asking ig:
What should I do to prepare for it? + Is it too early to start preparing for it now?
When do I take the test and do you have a second chance ?
Out of topic question: What is a Foundation degree?
Thanks in Advance

hey, Idk tons about it, but I am pretty sure u can do the exam only once a year. about the rest, even I am not sure and I am also in yr 12 and thinking about UCAT as I wanna do mediine.......

Reply 3

medic0975

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by koolkhad

Hello, I am in Year 12 and I'm thinking of doing Medicine in later years. I know some stuffs about the UCAT and everything. But here are the questions I am asking ig:
What should I do to prepare for it? + Is it too early to start preparing for it now?
When do I take the test and do you have a second chance ?
Out of topic question: What is a Foundation degree?
Thanks in Advance

Don't start preparing for it now, prepare about 2 months (maximum) in advance to your test date. Otherwise you will start burning out. You can take the test in the summer of year 12, there's some choice between taking it July-September (or it was, I believe it hasn't changed?) 2025 dates haven't been released yet but I'm guessing it'll be the same - https://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/ucat-test-dates/. You can only take the test once in a single cycle so if you were to get a score you weren't happy with, you'd need to take a gap year and resit the UCAT for 2025/26 cycle.
Foundation degrees are medicine degrees but with an additional year at the start (year 0) so it becomes BM6, 6 year course, rather than the standard 5 year course. Usually, you'd need contextual factors such as attending a state funded school, first in the family to go to university, living in a certain area code etc etc.

Reply 4

study23!

Original post by koolkhad

Hello, I am in Year 12 and I'm thinking of doing Medicine in later years. I know some stuffs about the UCAT and everything. But here are the questions I am asking ig:
What should I do to prepare for it? + Is it too early to start preparing for it now?
When do I take the test and do you have a second chance ?
Out of topic question: What is a Foundation degree?
Thanks in Advance

Hi, don’t prepare now. You will get burntout

I just did my UCAT and honestly got so worried when I saw people had been preparing since year 12 and I was starting in July for my September exam, but honestly it’s not about how much time it’s how efficiently you practice. I’d say I did moderate revision (some people do like 6 hours a day, I did maybe hour or two a day for a month and then a mock a day (which is two hours) and reviews it for a bit.). With this I got a score in the top 2%, so it goes to show you don’t need to start now.

I used medify which I say was very useful - found the DM to be very accurate, VR helped get used to longer passages, QR on medify much harder than the real thing but useful prep cause forces you to learn to be speedy on easy questions and so if a tricky one comes up you’re covered, AR was harder as well but not to the extent of the QR. I’ve heard others use Medentry which is supposed to be great as well. They’re both paid subscriptions which is why I’d say don’t start now if you were to use them cause £30 a month for about a year is pricey for one exam.

However if you do want to start familiarising yourself with the exam that’s probably a good idea and something I should have done to save me some stress haha. I’d recommend signing up to PassMedicine - they have lots of mini mocks for the different subsets and it is timed, but it is also free!! I’d say overall the website probably has easier questions but hey work yourself up!

Take the test in a Pearson vue centre (where you take your driving theory so by then you or your friends have likely been to one). Can’t resist in the same year. So let’s say I had a score I wasn’t happy with this year, I’d have to say take it again the same year as you and apply for Uni same year as you. Whatever score you get in that year is your score for applying, so let’s say I tried again next year and got a worse score - that would be my score, it’s not a situation where the best score overrides.

A foundation year (from what I know of so don’t quote this) is like an extra year at the start of your med course where they kind of brush up your a level knowledge so you’re prepared for year 1 of med school - this is normally for those who won’t meet the standard entry requirements, so if you applied with like 3A*s you wouldn’t be considered since you’re qualified for standard medicine. I’m not sure if your grades for foundation course mean you have to be contextual or not, you’d have to look into it. But basically an extra year to catch up a bit with lower requirements