{"id":5579,"date":"2017-07-07T08:35:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-07T08:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5579"},"modified":"2021-08-18T12:51:21","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T12:51:21","slug":"tackling-ukcat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/admissions\/tackling-ukcat\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling the UKCAT"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)<\/a> is a two-hour computer-based test. It is part of the selection process for Medicine and Dentistry at certain UK universities.<\/span>\u00a0It is made up of five subtests which are designed to assess a range of mental abilities identified as important for new doctors and dentists. Each subtest contains a number of items in a multiple-choice format.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can find out if you need to take the UKCAT here<\/a>. You can register for the UKCAT here<\/a>.\u00a0If you are entitled to additional time due to a medical condition or disability, you will sit the UKCATSEN<\/a>\u00a0instead of the standard UKCAT.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the UKCAT?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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The UKCAT consists of five subtests:<\/span><\/p>\n

Verbal Reasoning<\/b><\/h3>\n

Here, your ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form is assessed. You are presented with 11 passages of text (which you will need to read carefully), each associated with 4 items (questions). You have 21 minutes to answer the items in this subtest. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some items comprise a stem, which might be an incomplete statement or a question, with 4 response options. You are required to pick the best or most suitable response. <\/span><\/p>\n

Other items require you to read the passage and then decide whether the statement provided follows logically. You can answer that the statement is true (on the basis of the information in the passage, the statement is true) or false (on the basis of the information in the passage, the statement is false), or say that you can\u2019t tell (you can\u2019t tell from the information in the passage whether the statement is true or false). <\/span><\/p>\n

Tip: You are unlikely to be familiar with the content of the text shown to you. Do not draw on existing knowledge as this will not be relevant.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Frederick H.<\/span><\/i>, a MyTutor tutor who is studying Graduate Entry Medicine at Oxford University, says: \u201cThe speed at which you have to scan the passages for key information is so fast that it is useful to practise exam-style questions and then examine how you came to correct and incorrect conclusions – you are likely to find that you\u2019re making the same errors of reasoning repeatedly, and that you can correct them!\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Decision Making<\/b><\/h3>\n

Here, your ability to use complex information to come to a logical conclusion is assessed. You are presented with 29 items (questions) that may refer to text, charts, tables, graphs or diagrams. All questions are standalone and do not share data. Some questions have 4 answer options but only 1 correct answer; others require you to respond to 5 statements by placing a \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019 answer next to each statement. You have 31 minutes to answer the items in this subtest. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tip: Timing is important in this subtest. If you are struggling with a question, make your best guess and move on. Flag questions you are unsure about so you can come back to them at the end. No points are deducted for wrong answers, so try not to leave blanks!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Tip: Brush up on your probability and Venn diagrams.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Quantitative Reasoning<\/b><\/h3>\n

Here, your ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form is assessed. You are required to solve problems by extracting relevant information from tables and other numerical presentations. You are presented with 36 items (questions) associated with tables, charts, and\/or graphs. For each item, there are 5 answer options to choose from. You need to choose the best option. You have 24 minutes to answer the items in this subtest. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tip:<\/span><\/i> If you have not studied Maths beyond GCSE level, or recently, take the time to revisit and practise your maths skills. You may need to work out percentages, averages, ratios and fractions. Practice your mental arithmetic to speed up your answering.If you think you would benefit from some help brushing up on your maths, don’t hesitate to contact a MyTutor tutor.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Abstract Reasoning<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here, your use of convergent and divergent thinking to infer relationships from information is assessed. You are presented with 55 items (questions) associated with sets of shapes. You will see 4 different item types in this subtest:<\/span><\/p>\n