UKCAT tomorrow

[joanne82]

Ive got my UKCAT tomorrow and im starting to get worried. I know i cant really revise for it but knowing this doesnt help! Ive done a few IQ tests online and i do OK- but i recently bought the UKCAT and BMAT book and ive done rubbish! I found the verbal section really stupid and it contradicts itself constantly and the decision analysis bit slightly different from UKCAT sight- the other section were fine.

Are the passages quite short in the actual test- i.e the same length as on UKCAT website and easy to understand? Do you get a separate calculator and white board this year?

Any advise would be appreciated - im old you see- been out of uni for a while so not done anything like this in ages!!

[Gizmo says -]

u wil be fine macca. u ave a brain, i can tell from your posts.

goo luk!

[tcdlewis]

Ok I felt exactly like you did before I took the UKCAT yesterday. Well done for buying the book cos I think it really helps. But I agree that there are errors in it. Reminds me of the first year of A2 revision books actually - v. frustrating!

You get a simple calculator and laminated sheet of paper and non-permanent pen (if you dont, ask for them cos they help!)

My experience of the UKCAT was that the verbal reasoning wasn't as bad as the book, but harder than the examples on the website. The quantitative part was like the web site examples BUT annoyingly some questions require a 'pop-up' that gets inthe way of the question. God knows why. So you have to keep scrolling in between sections. The abstract reasoning was harder than the web-site examples - probably in line with the difficulty in the book, though there were some that completely stumped me. The decision analysis was also like the book - quite vague and I found it the most difficult. The questionairre at the end is a load of nonsense as expected, and will have you choosing between killing patients or abiding by the law etc etc. Ridic.

[babycakes]

how come u r doing yo UKCAT early r u aslo applying for 2008 entry?

[tcdlewis]

Yeah I'm applying for graduate 08 entry. But I think anyone can take the UKCAT early to save a few quid if they want though I completely understand that most people would prefer to wait until after results day.

[georgiegirl]

Joanne

This might be too late to reach you before you do the UKCAT, but don't despair. I felt the same way about the book - the online examples were OK, on the UKCAT site, but I felt a real dunce when I had a go at the ones in the book. The book also definitely contains some mistakes and inconsistencies. If you look at the Verbal Reasoning Practice Subtest, I had problems with the answers given for Q1, Q5, Q7 and Q21. Also in the list of answers, two of them for this section are obviously wrong - the answer given for Q14 says 'A - False', impossible because the false answer is always B, and for Q27 says 'B - Can't Tell', whcn B means false and can't tell would be C, if this makes sense.

These kind of elementary mistakes in a book like this which is supposed to help us really annoy me. My confidence for doing UKCAT went down the tubes after I tried the practice tests in the book and I postponed my date from 21st June to 10th July. I'm not postponing again, so if I screw it up so be it.

Don't be disheartened by your experience with the book, and good luck.

George x

[latestarter]

do you get the section 5 results? Last year I had to wait until Sept to get all my results, but the site says you get them straight away this year...
section 5 is rated A-E isn't it?

ah just found the answer to my own question:
"Candidates sitting the UKCAT from June until 31st July 2007 will receive the results of the first four sub-tests on a printout at the test centre at the end of their examination. In order to allow initial analysis and reporting accuracy, these candidates will not receive the result of Non-cognitive sub-test 5 at this time. This will be emailed to candidates on 31st July. For candidates who take their test after 31st July, results for all five sub-tests will be available on the printout at the test centre at the end of their examination."

so it seems they are doing the same as last year, the early candidates will set the benchmark for the year's test... well that's what I take from the above anyway... hmm, too late to postpone again now

[Gizmo says -]

an 'airbrush mite ave been a better investment for that poor macca...

[joanne82]

Well, ive just returned from the test centre- still in shock!
I got 660, 720, 730, 800!!
Im so suprised, still thinking they must have it wrong. My advice is to ignore the VR section in the book and just google VR tests. My confidence fell too after using the book. I think you dont really need to do loads- you cant really revise just know the format of the test really well and go quickly.
I was so nervous before i started, the mouse got stuck on the VR section so i lost valuable time, the calculator was crap, and the sheet they gave me to write on was already full on one side- oh and the pen didnt work! So also be prepared for a shambolic test centre.

The personality test is just pointless really! You get about 175 questions some really odd. Dont get the results til Sept and i think they just write a few sentances about what it says about you.

[georgiegirl]

Wow, Joanne, well done, brilliant scores. I seem to do best on Decision Analysis too - will be interesting to see how I get on on 12th July...(I put 10th July, but I've just checked and I'm sitting it on 12th). You must be well pleased, lovely to have it out of the way too.

You said you are 'old', just curious to know how old? I am 36 with two small daughters, hoping to apply this autumn.

George x