The UCAT exam (used to be UKCAT), is the official UK Clinical aptitude test.
All applicants to medical and dental school's are mandated to take the test before submitting their UCAS form.
It is a computer-based assessment that consists of five sections:
On this test, you are given a short text to read followed by a statement.
There are two types of questions on this test: The first type is based on the information provided in the text from which you must decide if the statement is true, false, or you cannot say.
The second question type is based on reading a list of options and then determining the correct answer from that list. You are only allowed to use the information in the text and not your outside knowledge.
The test contains 11 texts, with four questions on each of them.
On this test, you are given numerical data in a table, chart, or graph, and you are asked questions on the information provided. Solving the questions usually involves some form of basic calculation.
The same set of information may be used for more than one question.
On this test, you are asked to identify the correct shape in order to complete the question. There are four types of questions you may experience.
This is a fast-paced test with less than 20 seconds to answer each question. It is a nonverbal test as it does not use words or numbers, and it is often considered to be like an IQ test.
On this test, your ability to implement logic in order to assess arguments, evaluate statistical data, and make a decision will be assessed.
This section replaced Decision Analysis in 2016.
On this test, you are asked to identify the correct responses to a series of scenarios relating to the life of a medical or dentistry student.
There are two types of scenario responses asked: the appropriateness of a behaviour and the importance of a set of options.
You are given 19 scenarios; each one contains between two and five questions.
This test was designed to assess your critical reasoning, verbal and numerical skills. Each section of the UCAT is scored from 300 to 900 with the average score being around 660 per section. Therefore, a score of 700 or higher is considered competitive.
*This score will be valid for the correlating application year and the test cannot be taken more than once during the same season (year).
The scores on the UCAT (formerly known as the UKCAT) verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, and abstract reasoning subtests are based on the number of questions answered correctly, and points are not deducted for incorrect responses.
Since the number of questions on each section varies, the raw scores need to be converted to scaled scores. The scaled scores for these sections have a common range of 300-900.
To determine the total scaled UCAT score, simply add up the individual scores of each section. Scaled scores range between 1200-3600.
For example, if you score a 710 on verbal reasoning, a 650 on decision making, an 830 on quantitative reasoning, and a 750 on abstract reasoning, your total scaled UCAT score will be 2940.
The UCAT is used by a variety of universities to assess applicants for entry into their medical or dental programmes.
Universities Requiring UCAT | |
---|---|
University of Aberdeen | University of Leicester |
University of Birmingham | University of Liverpool |
University of Bristol | University of Manchester |
Cardiff University | University of Newcastle |
University of Dundee | University of Nottingham |
Durham University | Plymouth University |
University of East Anglia | Queen Mary, University of London |
University of Edinburgh | Queen’s University Belfast |
University of Exeter | University of Sheffield |
University of Glasgow | University of Southampton |
Hull York Medical School | University of St. Andrews |
Keele University | St. George’s University of London |
King's College London | University of Warwick |
Below you will find several examples of questions you are likely to encounter while taking the UCAT for 2021.
This free UCAT-style practice was designed to give you a glimpse into what to expect come test day. Improve your chances of passing the UCAT with flying colours by using our complete UCAT-style PrepPack™.
Which shape will make the last equation true?
Here are two sets of shapes labelled 'Set A' and 'Set B'. All the shapes in Set A are similar in some way, as are all the shapes in Set B.
Decide whether this shape belongs to Set A, Set B, or neither.
Here are another two sets of shapes:
The following test shape belongs to:
The spring-migration route of a flock of storks returning from Africa to Europe covers a distance of 12,600km.
Given an average velocity of 300km per day, how many weeks does the above-mentioned migration take?
Our comprehensive UCAT resources for 2021 are designed to expose you to the variety of practice questions found on each section found on the actual test.
Our in-depth UCAT-style practice materials include everything you need to ace the test: From study guides to hundreds of practice questions on all subjects (quantitative, verbal, and abstract reasoning as well as those for decision making and situational judgement.)
Improve your chances of getting into the programme, and start a medical or dental career by using our exclusive UCAT-style PrepPacks™.
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Hi, I'm Arbel, JobTestPrep's expert for the UCAT test. If you have any questions after reading it, feel free to contact me at ask_arbel@jobtestprep.com