Looking for ways to improve my UKCAT score! Help!

[InternalOptimist]

Cramming sounds best for medical student practice as well

[minnako]

With the UKCAT, it's about finding your own style and way to do things.

Personally for VR, I didn't read the passage first, but the questions, and then, once I knew what I was looking for, I skim-read to the relevant part which I read through a few times to get what it was trying to say. I found that saved me a lot of time snce some of the passages were like a page long and full of figures (WTF are numbers doing outside of the maths section, dude!).

I'd guess most people would benefit from a couple of weeks' preparation. You may need more or less depending on how much you're concentrating, and how much these kinds of tests are 'your thing'. But even if they're not and you take a while to figure them out, you can still get a good score with practise. So I'd recommend trying out some practise tests a couple of months in advance. If you do really well you know you don't need to do much for the time being, just warm up a few days before. And if you don't, well you have ages to work on it.

Before you use the courses, it makes sense to use every cheaper option available to you first. Get some of the UKCAT books (all but the pink one are apparently good) that coach you through it, do some practise and see how you do. I think most people could ill afford to spend that much money if you're already doing really well in practice tests. If you feel you still need help after practicing or the books just aren't helping you get it, they might be useful as a different teaching method.

I think that some of them may well be scams. Some might just be unnecessary for some students. I'm sure some students do benefit, too. I wouldn't advise them as a first point of call, though. They also can't do miracles for the students who haven't looked at the UKCAT until they come to the training day!

@ Skipissatan: I couldn't afford more than a couple of weeks' revision and got in the mid 600s, and the people I know who worked at it all summer got in the 700s, no courses necessary, so I guess more practice pays off on average. The most important thing is that you do as much practise as you can afford and need: nobody can fault you for only spending what time or money you can afford on it.

[pewsey]

Well, I teach pre-medical admission test classes. To become a teacher I was required to have top scores on all the exams I teach (and I have the slip of paper to prove it).

My UKCAT score was
Verbal Reasoning: 730
Quantitative Reasoning:780
Abstract Reasoning:900
Decision Analysis:880

In my experience, some people really benefit from a classroom setting, others can do it from a book. Just like medical school, some students prefer lectures, others the library. But don't ever let anyone tell you that these tests are 'unpreparable'!.

I really would love to see the scores that these 'tutors' and 'professionals' get in the UKCAT.

Probably no higher than the average candidate... Only difference being that they thought they'd make a few quid from playing on peoples ambitions.

When one of the 'tutors' slaps his scoresheet on the table, with scores over 750... Maybe I'll think differently. But until then, they won't be touching my £200+!

[House Jr.]

Well, I teach pre-medical admission test classes. To become a teacher I was required to have top scores on all the exams I teach (and I have the slip of paper to prove it).

My UKCAT score was
Verbal Reasoning: 730
Quantitative Reasoning:780
Abstract Reasoning:900
Decision Analysis:880

In my experience, some people really benefit from a classroom setting, others can do it from a book. Just like medical school, some students prefer lectures, others the library. But don't ever let anyone tell you that these tests are 'unpreparable'!.

900 in abstract? that really is quite an unbelievable score XD

[pewsey]

Well that was also back in the 2nd year of the test when they curved the scores too high on Abstract and then the section score got thrown out later - I'm certain I wasn't actually perfect, but I'm still pretty darned good on that section, with a combination of innate ability, practice, and cut throat time management.