What is UCAT?

The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is an admissions exam for medical and dental schools, used by universities in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The test assesses a range of skills and attributes deemed crucial for success in healthcare fields, including critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities. Additionally, the UCAT examines candidates' attitudes and professional behaviours to ensure that prospective students possess not only the academic skills but also the ethical and interpersonal qualities essential for success in healthcare professions.

How is the UCAT structured?

The UCAT is divided into five subtests:

• Verbal Reasoning: Assesses candidates’ ability to critically evaluate information presented in written form.

• Decision Making: Tests candidates’ ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information.

• Quantitative Reasoning: Measures candidates’ ability to critically evaluate information presented in numerical form.

• Abstract Reasoning: Assesses candidates’ spatial reasoning skills and their ability to infer relationships from information.

• Situational Judgement: Measures candidates’ capacity to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviours when dealing with real world scenarios.

How long is the UCAT exam?

The standard test is 2 hours. Once the test has started it cannot be paused but each subtest is preceded by a 1 minute instruction section.

Eligible candidates can apply for Access Arrangements to sit an extended version of the test if they have a documented medical condition or disability and receive accommodations for exams at school/college/university. These can include extra time, rest breaks, a separate testing room, and specialized equipment such as a reader or a scribe.

What does each subtest assess?

Verbal Reasoning: Verbal Reasoning (VR) is the first subtest (out of 5) in the UCAT exam. The VR subtest assesses your ability to critically read information to determine whether specific conclusions can be drawn. In VR, you are being assessed on your ability to reason through logic, decipher what is right vs wrong (without bias), make decisions, and do so quickly. 

In this subtest, you will be given 21 minutes to answer 44 questions. You will be presented with 11 passages with 4 questions per passage. This means you have less than 2 minutes per passage and under 30 seconds per question. Talk about time pressure! It's ok, don't panic, this is why we are here. In this chapter of the Medigrit course, you will be taught the strategies and time management skills needed to help you achieve in the 90+ percentile range. 

Decision Making: The Decision Making (DM) subtest is the second section of the UCAT exam. It assesses your ability to: apply logic and reasoning, evaluate arguments, understand probable correlations and causations and interpret and analyse statistics. There are approximately six question types in the DM subtest, these are: syllogisms, logical puzzles, recognising assumptions, interpreting information, Venn diagrams and probabilistic and statistical reasoning.

In the DM subtest, you will have 31 minutes to answer 29 questions. This allows just over one minute per question. Here at Medigrit, we will teach you the skills and techniques required to answer these questions efficiently and effectively.

Quantitative Reasoning: Quantitative Reasoning (QR), the third subtest of the UCAT exam, assesses your ability to critically evaluate information in numerical form. This subtest consists of 36 questions which need to be answered in 25 minutes; thus, allowing roughly 40 seconds per question.

The Medigrit course will provide you with the specific skills needed to effectively tackle QR questions. You'll begin by mastering each skill independently, through various tasks, to ensure that you're well-prepared for UCAT-style questions, which combine multiple skills and topics.

Abstract Reasoning: Abstract Reasoning (AR) assesses your spatial reasoning skills and your ability to differentiate between patterns and sequences. Questions in the AR subtest involve geometric and abstract shapes, with hidden rules and patterns amongst them. You will be required to identify these rules and patterns amongst distracting objects to answer the questions.

In this subtest you will encounter 50 questions which need to be completed in 12 minutes. This is approximately 14 seconds per question. Simple questions usually have one or two rules, while more complex ones can have up to five. It is important to remember that no matter how random the shapes may seem, there is always a pattern to be discerned. At Medigrit, we will cover the key rules that appear in this subtest and teach you how to master these problems.

Situational Judgement: Situational Judgement (SJT) is the final section of the UCAT exam. It measures your ability to understand real world problems and assesses whether you can identify critical factors and appropriate responses to situations. You have 26 minutes to answer 69 questions in the SJT subtest. The questions focus on hypothetical events in the fields of health, medicine and dentistry. Below is a list of areas which are commonly assessed in this subtest: 

• Ethical and moral dilemmas 

• Conflict resolution 

• Emotional intelligence 

• Professionalism 

• Honestly and integrity

• Empathy and support 

• Patient care  

• Management, team working and leadership skills 

• Communication skills