The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is an admissions test that universities of the UK and non-UK associate member universities use to select applicants for their medical and dental degree programs. One’s perception of a good UCAT score is very subjective. Everyone has different aims. However, to get an acceptable UCAT score that can get you into your desired universities, there are a lot of things you must focus on from the way before.
Practicing helps the most
The best way to get your way through an examination is to practice with dedication. Last-minute preparation for such a competitive examination helps very little. Solving sample papers, practicing questions on a daily basis, and being consistent is very important to get a good score on UCAT. Not being dedicated usually lands one nowhere.
They say that practice makes you perfect and even if it cannot, it at least makes you better. It is important to keep improving.
Finding areas you lack understanding in
Focusing especially on areas that you may find challenging during the examination is important. Once you have solved quite a few question papers, you will know exactly where you need more effort. Instead of practicing the same things that you already know you are good at, you must put more of your energy on areas where you lack understanding. If self-study gets tiring and seems to not help, you must get help from outside. This will help in a better performance overall.
Going through as many resources as possible
While preparing for competitive examinations as such, one must keep in mind that there is no fixed syllabus from any specific book that they ought to cover. It requires years of hard work and a lot of resources. You must make sure that you have gone through a lot of recommended books, handouts, worksheets, lectures, and other resources while preparing for the exam. You must also find as many practice papers as possible, and research to find out which resources help the most to make a comparison and choose the best for yourself.
Taking care of time management
Since UCAT gives you a limited amount of time to solve the paper, you must be confident in doing so. Therefore, managing your time beforehand is very important. For this, you must take mock tests using practice papers and time yourself. Practicing this to make yourself faster to be within the time limit will help you get through with the examination easily. Going through this practice consistently will not only help you manage your time better but also get you more practice as you solve questions. You have 225 questions to solve in a span of 120 minutes. This might be challenging if you haven’t practiced managing your time.
Learning keyboard shortcuts
Since UCAT is a computer-based examination, you must make sure that you are well-rehearsed with the keyboard shortcuts on a computer. This helps save time and thus gives you more time to focus on the questions. Students who have given this examination always suggest solving practice papers using a computer itself so that it is easier to do so on the day of the exam. Once you are physically used to doing it on a daily basis, the chances of finding it challenging on the main day are very less.
Knowing the test format very well
When it comes to giving any such competitive exam, you must make sure you are well-rehearsed with the test format. Looking at previous UCAT question papers and solving them will give you an insight on what the paper would look like and help you prepare yourselves accordingly. This also helps you save time and be more focused on the questions rather than the pattern.
Consulting candidates who have given the exam before
Even though it is not absolutely necessary to do, it is preferred that you find people who have given the exam before and consult them. They can give you suggestions from their first-hand experience which may help you better yourself a lot. If not, consulting an outside source specialized in helping students prepare for UCAT is the best option.
