UKCAT is making me think there is no point in applying...

[cmp21]

I'm honestly not trying to dramatic, but I'm a reasonably strong candidate from a good academic background and I think they are taking the PISS with the UKCAT questions.

The ones in the book/medimix etc, are fine, even too easy sometimes but then you get to the official practice website and it's a whole 10 levels higher.
I mean does anyone else think it's unreasonable that for AR reasoning, for example, one of the answer keys is 'figures have 9 sides but count number of sides on a black figure as double'

whilst on any other prep stuff it is no where near as complicated. Ok, it's the kind of stuff which I'm sure you could figure out but then they whack on an impossible time limit (the quantitative reasoning is another example of stuff that is just too complicated and too much info for the time given)

I wanted to be a doctor for various reasons and I just can't understand how a test like this is going to disqualify me from ever being one- because, it will, no doubt about that.

Sorry for the rant, just wanted to see if there is anyone else out there completely disillusioned...

[AimsRJ]

so you havent actually sat the test yet?
read the 1000s of threads about the UKCAT. everyone finds it hard thats the point. If a selection of people could get high marks then the whole point of the test- to differentiate very able people would be negated.
Sit it and I think you may be surprised- if you have the acadmic ability which you do, you'll very probably fit into the 500-700 score which most medical student candidates do.

[Muffin2]

you know there are med schools that don't want it, you could apply to them but competition will be higher than normal.

[Emperor]

dont worry guys, the real test is no way as hard as the practice tests. the one i took was way easier
1. for verbal reasoning, the passages were like 5 lines long, only one or two of it was 8-9lines long.
2 the quantitative reasoning was also very easy.....just questions on area, ratios, and graphs
3 abstract was my favourite b/cos i practices 24/7 for it.....I got 760 here
4 decision analysis was about the same as the one on the site.........got 700

690/650/760/700

sooooooooo....dont panic, just stay cool and do your best, I'm sure you'll be just fine

[Davsky]

haha. Sack UKCAT.

[zidza]

yeah tbh no one likes ukcat i mean i ahted it when i first did it, but if you come out witha plus 650 average you will think it is good.

[cmp21]

Ok have definitely calmed down a bit, an afternoon of bathing the little old ladies on the dementia ward kind of made me realise there are worse things than UKCAT haha!

Emperor, that's good news to hear- of course, I know the UKCAT will be hard (in relation to time esp), but it just seems that there is hard and there is the website stuff which is insane. Well done on your results as well. As to the abstract, were the links between examples in Set A/B as hard as the example I gave above or were they slightly easier?

[tallulah]

Hi cmp21

I took the ukcat this week and I agree with Emperor, it's loads easier than the practise questions on the website. Much less info to read for the quantitative reasoning questions (on the practise I only managed to complete about half the questions, but almost did the whole section when I sat the test). I think the AR section was easier than the practise exam, altho it was still my worst section - I forgot to check the time so left 9 questions unanswered too. Do lots of practise questions to get your brain in gear! It'll be fine.

[Baki]

Originally Posted by cmp21

I'm honestly not trying to dramatic, but I'm a reasonably strong candidate from a good academic background and I think they are taking the PISS with the UKCAT questions.

The ones in the book/medimix etc, are fine, even too easy sometimes but then you get to the official practice website and it's a whole 10 levels higher.
I mean does anyone else think it's unreasonable that for AR reasoning, for example, one of the answer keys is 'figures have 9 sides but count number of sides on a black figure as double'

whilst on any other prep stuff it is no where near as complicated. Ok, it's the kind of stuff which I'm sure you could figure out but then they whack on an impossible time limit (the quantitative reasoning is another example of stuff that is just too complicated and too much info for the time given)

I wanted to be a doctor for various reasons and I just can't understand how a test like this is going to disqualify me from ever being one- because, it will, no doubt about that.

Sorry for the rant, just wanted to see if there is anyone else out there completely disillusioned...

Trust me, you never know what you'll get in the test untill you actually do it. I was sure QR would be my achilles heels, but I ended up getting 770.