Jayashrii is a 2020 Ace the UCAT student.
I started preparing for the UCAT roughly 2 months before my test.
I went on a Kaplan course and used their question bank to start off my preparation. After that I mainly used Medify and the official UCAT resources to prepare. I got the Ace the UCAT ebook a month before my test which I used alongside my preparation. It improved my technique in answering questions and helped me improve my score significantly within a short space of time.
If I were to take the UCAT again, I would definitely start preparing earlier.
I would start at least 5 months before my test date and slowly start to develop the skills needed for each section:
VR
Practise speed reading & read a variety of texts
DM
Try out riddles and puzzles (lots available online)
QR
Improve mental arithmetic and make sure you’re confident with common maths topics (eg. finding area, compound interest)
AR
Start looking at 11+ non verbal reasoning questions or look a set of AR questions a week
SJT
Read good medical practice, know your pillars of medical ethics, rules of confidentiality & professionalism
My 3 top tips for UCAT success
1. Familiarise yourself with certain genres of text for VR:
The more familiar you are with a genre of text or its content, the easier it will be to speed read and pick out information.
Although you can never be sure of what texts you will get in the test, there are certain genres that keep coming up (eg. history, politics), so by practising speed reading on those types of texts you can increase your familiarity (especially with the type of vocabulary used), which will improve your speed and score.
2. Review
After you finish a set of questions or more importantly a mock, note down why you got questions right and wrong. It will help you find your strengths and weaknesses and from there you can target your practice.
It also allows you to review your approaches to solving questions so you can find more efficient approaches if needed. I found the strategies in the Ace the UCAT ebook to be really (if not the most) efficient.
3. Go in to the test with an open mind
An open mind is really important for you to perform to the best of your ability.
While it can be helpful to learn from other test takers’ experiences, don’t go into the test with a preconceived opinion that a section is going to be harder or easier than you previously expected. This can change the way you prioritise the questions you answer and affect your performance.
If you practice regularly, follow the strategies in the Ace the UCAT ebook and just give the UCAT your best you will do fine. Good luck with your application!
Click here to view the Ace the UCAT Course e-book which Jayashrii used as part of her preparation. Some of the advice from our students may contradict the recommendations in our e-book. In these cases, we recommend that you prioritise following our guidance.