oh dear me....

[craigos25]

I have my UKCAT this Friday and i am DREADING it. I am a graduate so i am 'expected' to get a high score....i think the chances of this are minimal. I am struggling with the QR section....i find it soooo difficult to work out the answers in the short time given. I personally think that only a genius could do it!

A few questions....

Is the calculator an on screen calculator?

Do i get pen and paper?

Any words of re-assurance / advice?

The whole UKCAT is really making me change my mind about applying! Its awful!!

Arghhhhhhhhh

[Nerrep]

Don't panic!

I'm in the same situation as you, and did UKCAT this morning. I found the demo questions on the website in the QR section impossibly difficult: the ones in the actual test were much simpler. (I wish someone had told me this last night: I was properly bricking it...)

As a graduate, you're additionally much more prepared for the VR section (having presumably read much more complex academic literature than what is used in the actual test) IMO. Don't worry if you're getting low scores in the example tests for this section in any books you might have bought: they appear to be written by idiots. The one on the UKCAT website is much better.

You get given a laminated sheet of paper, a marker pen and a basic office calculator to use.

Just relax: 17 year olds can do it

[giella]

You probably won't have time but there are a few tips for the UKCAT. In QR it's sometimes easy to eliminate answers and either make an educated guess from the two or three remaining [ie. stabbing at the answers in the vain hope of getting them right] or working your way backwards from them.
You have to answer everything. You're not going to lose marks for guessing.
In VR don't try to read the long paragraphs all the way through. Try to skim read to find the answers.
In AR don't spend too long on any question. You get less than 20 seconds per question so if you can't work it out in under 30 seconds just guess and move on to the next question. Some of the may become more obvious after you've answered the next question. Others you can only guess.
DA is the best section as you can relax into it. It's a bit like QR in that you'll be able to eliminate certain answers just by scanning them quickly. It's a good section to pick up points, so just try to enjoy this section if you can.
The last part doesn't reflect badly on you even if you feel like you're contradicting yourself. Just try to be honest.

[SupraSpinatous]

just relax. If you are all worked up and tense then you wont think clearly.
As the guy said above this test isnt diffcilut - its no harder than any test you have done in the past. It is designed to intimidate you, to rush you into making rash decisons and subsequent wrong answers. It is trying to catch you out!
You know you can do it - we all should be abe to do it. So go in there, be confident and be ready.
You should work through as efficiently as you can and then in the final min guess the rest. You wont lose anything and WILL gain!
You get a basic calc and i got a sheet of paper and a pencil.
Believe in yourself!

[craigos25]

Thank you for the replies. I am going to try my best and just see what happens! Will post my scores once i have done it!

[Gizmo says -]

Originally Posted by craiggy

Will post my scores once i have done it!

ahhh, macca. and we will be sure to score your posts from now on and all.

(i'd give the last one 9 outta 10, macca)

[Sticks]

The calculator's not on screen?! Whoop! Clicking around on those things eats the precious seconds.

For those who've done the practice Qs on the website.. which is more like the real test, the short timed version or the long timed version? Mine is on the 9th at 5pm. Gargh.

[Nerrep]

Originally Posted by Sticks

The calculator's not on screen?! Whoop! Clicking around on those things eats the precious seconds.

It was onscreen in the first year of testing, but feedback showed that people found it difficult to use, so they started giving out proper calculators instead.

For those who've done the practice Qs on the website.. which is more like the real test, the short timed version or the long timed version? Mine is on the 9th at 5pm. Gargh.

I didn't try the short timed one, but the long timed one is spot on aside from the QR section which is stupidly difficult.

[Sticks]

Thanks! Time to burn some major CPU....

[?dentist?]

Btw, dont be hard on yourself whatever you get just because you are a graduate. I am a graduate and I do not believe that graduates should get better scores than school leavers, why should they? The only thing they might be better at is time management in that you leave enough time to guess all the questions you didnt get to!

School leavers are likely to be quicker at the VR in my opinion. They have just recently competed v similar tests at school in english, e.g. close reading. The info isnt complex so being a grad and having read more complex stuff doesnt automatically mean you will be better at answering questions on simple material. In fact I probably read more into the questions than a school leaver who would most likely take the questions at face value and for what they are. As for QR, dont get me started. As graduates most of us havent done basic maths in ages. I can do it but my mental arithmetic is awful! I know for sure it was a heck of a lot better when I did my higher maths and had a non-calculator paper. I know you get a calculator but the time you get means that if you can do things accurately in your head its much quicker than the crap calculators they give you. In my exp grads are rubbish at mental arithmatic and basic maths! As for AR, in my opinion you have either got it or you havent. You can learn the patterns and rules but this is not much use to be honest, there simply isnt enough time to answer the questions in a systematic way, you just have to see it, I didnt! DA is an interesting one and again I think grads are more likely to be caught out in that they will over analyse the codes.

This is just my opinion but I really don't think there is any reason for graduates to score more highly, I think it could be the other way around if either way at all. The admissions tutor I spoke to (at a uni open day recently) actually thought grads were more likely to perform worse as they spent much longer on each question than school leavers. Anyway, dont let this put you off tho! He basically thought the UKCAT was crap anyway and a waste of our money but everyone is being forced to do it. He said that although they have it as a requirement they dont really use it!

All I'm saying is dont be hard on yourself because you are a grad, I believe school leavers are in a much better position. Whatever you get I'm sure will be just fine! Sorry for the rant!