Breaking Down the UCAT: Section-Wise Strategy for International Students

Niranjana
May 14
3 min read

The University Clinical Aptitude Test is a standardised test for those wishing to study medicine or dentistry in the UK. It assesses a range of mental abilities important for medical schools. It looks at aptitude rather than academic knowledge, which is why it is important to understand each section of the examination carefully before attempting it. Let us break down different sections of the UCAT.

Verbal reasoning

This section has 44 questions, and 22 minutes to solve them. The scoring will be between 300-900. Students can be given true/false questions, or incomplete statements, based on passages. Reading the passage can take up a lot of time, therefore this section requires a lot of time management.

Tips:

Read the questions and try to identify the keywords, then find them among the passage.
Practice elimination tactics to remove those options that are definitely wrong. This saves time for you to ponder over other questions.
Skim read the passage- try to figure out what the passage is talking about, then solve the questions.
Practice tests which are timed. This will help you in multiple ways, both answering the questions and using time effectively.

Decision making

This section consists of 35 questions to be solved in 37 minutes, with the score range between 300 and 900. This means that students will have a minute to solve each question. However, it contains logical reasoning, evaluating arguments and interpreting data, which could take up time. There are two types of questions- multiple choice and yes/no statements.

Tips:

Recognise and differentiate between strong and weak arguments to choose between them.
Practice venn diagrams and charts, in order to be able to interpret data from them.
Read the questions carefully, in order to not miss keywords such as ‘not’, ‘or’.

Quantitative reasoning

There are 36 questions to be solved in 25 minutes, with scores being between 300 and 900. Students again will gaev to manage time properly here, as it includes rapid calculations and interpreting data. There can be tables,graphs and shapes. The UCAT also provides an inbuilt calculator, which can be used.

Tips:

Know the basic mathematical tools and concepts, such as speed, conversion, averages etc.
Practice to improve your mental calculation skills, to save time on easier questions.
Practice using the number pad for the calculator instead of using your mouse.
Don't stress over difficult questions, move on to others instead of being stuck in one.

Situational judgement

There are 69 questions, to be solved within 26 minutes. The scoring is different in this section, having a band from 1-4, one being the highest. It looks at your ability to understand and assess real-life situations. You need to rate the appropriateness of each action given after a scenario, or how important they are in the context of the scenario.

Tips:

Familiarise yourself with UK healthcare values, and how you would react in a given scenario.
You need to think ethically, as a responsible healthcare professional.
There might be some options which can be eliminated right away, so go ahead and do so.

Conclusion

Writing the UCAT is a big deal, because it does not assess your academic intelligence as it does your practical and ethical one. Staying consistent, practising hard and smart and being careful can bring you great results and ultimately a good medical school.

We know and understand that the application process can be overwhelming, so we are here for you. The study abroad experts at Hello Study Global are there for you every step of the way. From preparing for entrance exams to college applications, we will guide you to success.

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