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The UCAT test (not to be confused with the BMAT) is a mandatory entrance exam for prospective dentistry or medical students. Primarily used in the UK and formerly known as the UKCAT, it has now been instituted for medical schools in Australia and New Zealand as well, making it quite widespread. The University Clinical Aptitude Test uses multiple-choice questions and different types of questions to test your problem solving and your capacity to understand real-world situations. It is comprised of 5 subtests: Abstract Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Situational Judgement.
Our UCAT collection will help you focus on the areas you need to improve so you can reliably improve your UCAT score!
We also have a complete collection of UCAT Blogs that cover a wide range of topics, from which medical schools to apply to with an average UCAT score to Abstract Reasoning tips!
How should you prepare for the UCAT? What can you do to ensure you ace it on test day? Here at theMSAG, we have been preparing future medics for their UCAT for several years - here is what we have learnt!
On average, we recommend students begin preparing 2-3 months in advance of their UCAT test date and at least six weeks before they plan on sitting the test. The exact amount of time you need to prepare for the UCAT and how you prepare depends on a variety of factors including,
Verbal Reasoning Question Bank Decision Making Question Bank Quantitative Reasoning Question Bank Abstract Reasoning Question Bank Situational Judgement Question Bank And section mock exams on our question bank |
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Practice Test A (UCAT) Practice Test A (UCATSEN) Practice Test B (UCAT) Practice Test B (UCATSEN) Practice Test C (UCAT) Practice Test C (UCATSEN) Practice Test D (UCAT) Practice Test D (UCATSEN) |
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Our UCAT practice test has several questions for each section: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Situational Judgement, adding up to 45 questions in total. The test will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The aim here is to get a baseline of your current understanding and ability. In addition, the test will give you an approximate UCAT score in each section. You can identify your strengths and weaknesses and get an overall feel for what to expect from the test.
If you are sitting the UCAT Anz, let us know to ensure your account provides you with the correct formula for the SJT score.
How did you do? If you are disappointed in your score, do not panic! This is an initial practise test and designed to help you. By starting with this, you can target your weaker areas to boost that score, ready for an outstanding UCAS application. To analyse your results, you want to look at several things.
The answers to those questions will help you prepare your UCAT revision. While it may be tempting to use our UCAT Question Bank to practice the sections, you enjoy the most (because who doesn’t like to see an excellent high score!), this will not help you get into medical school. Instead, bite the bullet and write up a UCAT preparation plan focusing on your weaker areas by section (VR, AR, etc.) and question type. It’s no use doing endless logic puzzles for Decision Making if really what is bringing your DM score down is the conclusion drawing questions.
It’s essential to be as realistic as possible with this - break things down into short 30-minute sections to help motivate you. Factors to consider will include,
We recommend concentrating on one or two particular areas until they are improved before moving on. This will ensure that the techniques and strategies you need to nail UCAT 2021 are embedded, and you do not confuse yourself or become unproductive by flitting between different sections or question types.
We know that analysing your results and writing a revision timetable can be difficult. If you need support with this, do not hesitate to get in touch.
We may be biased, but our UCAT Course Workshop is the best place to start when it comes to boosting your UCAT score! We, therefore, recommend coming early on in your preparation. Here’s why:
As mentioned, the UCAT is a skill-based, not knowledge-based test. Practice is therefore essential. Here are some tips on how to practice for your self-studying time:
Not everyone needs UCAT tutoring, but it is helpful for a good half of all applicants and makes a big difference in their preparation. We always recommend that you start with self-studying to see what score you can get on your own. The tutoring will then be more efficient.
Once you have done a few weeks of self-studying on the question bank, applying the strategies learned at our small group UCAT course, it is then a good time for us to review how you perform. You may have identified areas you want help with by looking at your dashboard on our UCAT platform, or you can email us at hello@themsag.com. One of our advisers will be happy to look at your practice results to give you some advice on how to focus your preparation.
Our students see a dramatic improvement in just a few sessions. An outside opinion from a tutor can also help you see hard-to-self-identify issues on how you approach questions. We give you honest and reliable feedback alongside experts from the highest-scoring UCAT tutors. The accountability and follow-up go a long way to help your motivation and success in the exam.
Many students begin their preparation with the official free UCAT questions available, but our advice is to keep this for the final four weeks of preparation. There is only a short number of questions that are official UCAT, and we believe it is best to tackle them as a way to test yourself once you have already done a fair amount of preparation.
Our question bank has been designed to match the exam-style very closely, but an official question is a real past question, and that is the ideal material to test yourself closer to the exam date. So with a month left, it is a good idea to get through all the official questions available.
When it comes to accuracy and what to expect in the UCAT test, the official UCAT mocks will be the most reliable. There are four mocks available, and we recommend completing them towards the end of your preparation. However, it is crucial that you complete all four mocks before your UCAT exam and in as close to exam conditions as possible.
You could use the mocks in a few different ways: