How Can I Prepare For The UCAT Exam?

There’s no doubt about it – the UCAT is an important test, and marks the  first stepping stone into your career in medicine or dentistry

Even though the UCAT has been designed as an aptitude test rather than testing your academic knowledge, it’s important to give yourself enough time to prepare and familiarise yourself with the exam format.

Here are a few different ways you can prepare for the 2019 UCAT examination:

Familiarise yourself with the exam 

Unlike the HSC or other school-leaving exams you would have experienced in the past, the UCAT is only an onscreen test format.

We recommend doing some research on the format for each section, and using the Tour Tutorial on the Official UCAT website which will allow you to flag and review questions, and have some practice using the on-screen calculator before the final exam.

There are five subsets in the UCAT Exam, broken down into the following:

Verbal Reasoning: 21 minute test time, 44 questions (11 passages of text)

Decision Making: 31 minute test time, 29 questions (text, charts, diagrams)

Quantitative Reasoning: 24 minute test time, 36 questions (tables, charts, graphs)

Abstract Reasoning: 14 minute test time, 55 questions (sets of shapes)

Situational Judgement: 26 minute test time, 69 questions (based on 22 scenarios)

Follow exam conditions

Taking the practice test under exam conditions is the best way to get into the right state of mind before the UCAT. You will get a better understanding of how much time to spend on each question, won’t be surprised with the exam format, and understand exactly what is expected of you before sitting the final exam in July. Start by timing yourself for each section of the exam (starting first with your points of weakness) and

Practice tests

One of the best ways to prepare for the UCAT exam is to focus on the five different subsets, making sure to cover each one until you feel confident sitting the exam. They include:

Verbal Reasoning: Assess the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form

Decision Making: Assess the ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information

Quantitative Reasoning: Assess the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form

Abstract Reasoning: Assess the ability to identify patterns amongst abstract shapes

Situational Judgement: Understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour when dealing with them

Revise Mathematics

If you’re a student who is not currently doing a mathematics subject or hasn’t done one for quite some time at school, then we definitely recommend refreshing this as part of your UCAT Exam Preparation. This particularly is relevant to the Quantitative Reasoning subset of the UCAT which is heavily focused on mathematical problem solving.

Attend a Masterclass

Looking for a way to learn in-centre with inspirational 100th Percentile Mentors of the UCAT and former UMAT Exams?

Our brand new 2 Day Masterclass provides the most personalised and comprehensive UCAT Entry course in Australia. Your enrolment includes access to over 10,000+ practice questions and mock exams to help you prepare for the UCAT with confidence.

Why choose MedStart for your UCAT Preparation?

Excel in the UCAT with our brand new MedStart UCAT Masterclass Preparation Course which includes:

12 hours of personalised workshops, 5 comprehensive section guides, question type drills, general skills UCAT guides, 8 practice exams and weakness reviews, 18 mini mock exams, 10,000+ practice questions, cohort ranking, interview guides, and university admission guides.

2019 Masterclass dates and times:

June 22 – June 29: (10am – 5pm) Chatswood

July 11 – July 12: (10am – 5pm) Hurstville

July 15 – July 17: (10am – 5pm) Epping

Click here to find out more about Masterclass enrolments and to reserve your seat today