UKCAT drop ANOTHER section!

[Tess_Tickles]

For god sake! Just got an e-mail from the UKCAT folk saying they're not going to look at the Abstract Reasoning section of the UKCAT.

It's getting a bit ridiculous now, £60 for 3 sections?? Come off it. May as well not even have a UKCAT Test in the first place, that's what I say, och!

Verbal Reasoning is next...

[InFairVerena]

You say another section, but they weren't ever going to use the final (non-scored) section where they?
I'm sure the website always said that that was just a trial?

[smack]

I think that the test is stupid and a waste of money. It seems as though ppl r receiving this email at different times. Why is that?

[InFairVerena]

Maybe it's just sending them out in registration number order? Or by the test centre?

[Dr Noodle]

Woo! Got that email too. I did terrible in that section but quite well in the others, my lowest being 670, yay

[Dr C]

But then what happens to the interview invitations, offers and rejections that have already been given out based on the UKCAT? Are they all going to be rendered null and void and the selection process re-started??? The key question is, when were the universities told?

[chrisjimmartin]

Bravo whoever made that decision!!

That section was ridiculous. They give you about 10 seconds to decide which group a meaningless squiggle belongs to and somehow it determines whether you'll make a good doctor.

I get the other sections because they, at least, test your ability to reason. Section 3 is purely about who's good at jigsaw puzzles and the like. Perhaps some people DO have the ability to see things others can't but that does not mean they will work hard at applying it to their studies.

Good riddance I say

[camel*music]

Chrisjimmartin, abstract reasoning may not link directly to medicine, yet neither does working out the area of an abnormally shaped tiled kitchen in half a second. Perhaps deducing that a triangle, square, and asterisk and that particular order translates to "me dislike you, me go home" will help you enormously whilst performing open heart surgery. I personally had a very high ukcat score due to getting full marks on that part of the exam, and now it is being discounted it pretty much jeapoardises my chances of getting an offer. It seems unfair that this decision is advantageous to some people who did poorly in this section, but for those that excelled results in a hugely reduced average score.

I think if they are questionning the accuracy of this, then it begs the question of how accurate the rest of the exam is. This is becoming a farce, and I will be writing to pearson VUE demanding a refund. To pay £60 and have subsequent emails notifying us that sections are now worthless is ridiculous.

Dr C, good point. If anyone was at the interview for HYMS at Hull university on the 13th, they will remember the admissions dean asking our opinions on the UKCAT; it seemed she was already skeptical about the quality of the test.

If the Universities have any sense they will discount the UKCAT from their admissions procedure this year. I spoke to one student at HYMS who said she guessed over half of the quantitative reasoning section and still came out with 660. A case in point.

[okora]

camel*music...well said...i couldnt agree with you more!

[Singh.Simran]

Ah yes, there's a good point. If anyone mailing pearson gets anything useful (a refund, or even an apology....store credit towards your driving theory test?) dont hesitate to tell the rest of us so we can get in on the action!