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General test strategies
Strategies for approaching questions from each UKCAT subtest
Worked through example questions with answer rationales
General tips and advice

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Good multiple-choice questions include answer options that are wrong but almost right. Work hard to find them and eliminate them. Questions like these are not tricks. Accept that one (and only one) of the answers to each question is correct . All the questions have been thoroughly checked.
Many candidates do not complete all sections in the test. Use the Practice Tests to ensure you know how to pace yourself . Try to answer all the questions but don't worry if you don't get to the end of each section.

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There is a point for each right answer, but no points are deducted for wrong answers – we do not use negative marking . Try not to leave blanks. If you really can't work out the answer, it is better to eliminate the answers that you know to be wrong and then make your best guess from those that are left.
If you are struggling with a question we would advise you to make your best guess and move on. You can flag it for review if you want to come back to it later.
Finally, stay calm in the test. Prepare, pace yourself and move on if you're struggling. It is inevitable you will find some questions and sections easier than others.

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Verbal reasoning - assesses ability to critically evaluate information that is presented in a written form.
Quantitative reasoning - assesses ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form.
Abstract reasoning - assesses the use of convergent and divergent thinking to infer relationships from information.
Decision analysis - assesses the ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information.
Situational judgement - measures capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.

Section
Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning
Decision Analysis
Situational Judgement
Total time
55
28
44
36
68
Items UKCAT Standard Test
(includes 1 minute per subtest for instruction)
22 minutes
UKCAT Extended Test
(includes 2 minutes per subtest for instruction)
28 minutes
25 minutes 31.5 minutes
14 minutes
32 minutes
27 minutes
120 minutes
17.5 minutes
39 minutes
34 minutes
150 minutes

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The test assesses your ability to read and think carefully about information presented in passages and to determine whether specific conclusions can be drawn from information presented. You are not expected to use prior knowledge to answer the questions.
21 minutes to answer 44 items , associated with 11 passages.
Some items assess critical reasoning skills, requiring candidates to make inferences and draw conclusions from information.
For other items you decide whether the statement provided follows logically from the information in the passage.

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You are unlikely to be familiar with the content of the text shown to you. Do not draw on existing knowledge as this will not be relevant.
Think about how you will plan your time in this section.
You need to allocate time to read each passage thoroughly. In 2014 approximately 20% of candidates failed to answer every question.
This section requires real concentration – it is at the beginning of the test and you should be ready for this.
Focus from the start.

Some rural areas such as Cumbria's Eden Valley provide a model of volunteerism, and how a community's aspirations can be identified, expressed and achieved. People know their neighbours and almost treat them like part of an extended family, unlike townsfolk who often wouldn't even recognise – let alone speak to – the person living next door.
Recently, about 150 unpaid volunteers from community groups explained their proposed changes directly to civil servants from government departments, who were holding what they described as a
Big Society meeting to help to break down the barriers in the way of progress. So far, plans for the area have been developed to speed up the installation of rural broadband, to install a hydro-electric generator on the Eden River, to develop community-based public transport provision in the valley and, increasingly, to let the community decide for itself how council budgets should be spent. The Big Society programme aims to change how civil servants operate. Instead of just providing advice to ministers, Whitehall officials now also have to help communities of all kinds cut through bureaucratic rules to empower community groups.
Early successes already include raising £300,000 for the purchase and refurbishment of the Butchers Arms in Corby Ravensworth which is now run by local people; and an early start to work on Lyvennet community's local affordable housing scheme, where the foundation stone has just been laid.
Source: adapted from http://www.communities.gov.uk
The Big Society programme aims to give volunteers the chance to:
 A: just receive detailed factual information about proposals and costs.
 B: get directly involved in taking decisions and running projects.
 C: state any objections they have to proposals affecting their area.
 D: suggest alternative policy ideas to their local council.

Option B is the correct answer
The first two sentences of the passage show that this is more than people giving opinions but involves actually getting their ideas put into effect.
The Big Society programme aims to give volunteers the chance to:
 A: just receive detailed factual information about proposals and costs.
 B: get directly involved in taking decisions and running projects.
 C: state any objections they have to proposals affecting their area.
 D: suggest alternative policy ideas to their local council.

Exchange Rates
A basket of chosen groceries may cost £50 in the UK, but to pay for those same groceries in a supermarket in the USA you would need to have exchanged your pounds for US dollars.
People exchange some of their own currency for that of another country in order to buy goods from that country or to save their money in that country - for example, Australia. People choose to save their money in other countries to get a better return than they would in the UK. Such savings would involve lending to a bank by the UK individual and borrowing by the bank.
However, the prices at which currencies are bought and sold fluctuate more than the groceries. A way to avoid all the uncertainty of buying or selling goods from or to other countries in different currencies is for countries all to use the same currency, as in the eurozone. Hence the euro was introduced in 1999 and, by 2013, was used by 17 countries which previously had 17 different currencies all with their own exchange rates.
If someone in France buys goods from a firm in Spain or goes on holiday to Italy, there are no currency issues because they are all using the euro. By contrast, if exchange rates fluctuate, my UK pounds may buy fewer euros (pound devalues), so a holiday in Portugal becomes more expensive or, if my pounds buy more euros (pound revalues), much cheaper. Problems arise for the eurozone (as for an individual country) if demand and supply for the euro fail to balance – excess demand causes exchange rate rises, excess supply means the exchange rate falls.
If the interest rate on a savings account in Australia gives a rate of return three times higher than the best rate in the UK, a saver would always get at least twice as good a return after tax and currency fluctuations have been taken into account.
 A: True
 B: False
 C: Can’t tell

Option C is the correct answer
We have no idea whether interest rates in the UK or
Australia will remain unchanged or how the exchange rates between the UK £ and Australian
$ have fluctuated or will fluctuate, nor does the passage tell us anything about the tax rates in the two countries so we cannot tell whether the statement is true or false.
If the interest rate on a savings account in Australia gives a rate of return three times higher than the best rate in the UK, a saver would always get at least twice as good a return after tax and currency fluctuations have been taken into account.
 A: True
 B: False
 C: Can’t tell

 The test assesses your ability to use numerical skills to
 solve problems.
24 minutes to answer 36 items associated with tables,
 charts, and/or graphs.
It assumes familiarity with numbers to the standard of a good pass at GCSE but focuses on problem solving.
 A basic calculator is available for use in this section.

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Timing is very important in this section – pace yourself during the test.
Check how you are doing halfway through and adjust your speed accordingly. In 2014 approximately 25% of candidates failed to answer every question.
Read the questions carefully – individual words and units may be crucial in answering the question correctly.
In the first place try to understand the scenario presented – this will help you focus quickly on the questions.
Use the laminated booklet and pen provided to assist with your calculations.
As part of your preparation, review where there might be gaps in your maths. You may need to work out percentages, averages, ratios and fractions – remind yourself how to do some of these calculations if they are causing you problems.
If you are finding a question difficult, eliminate the more obvious incorrect answers.
Practice your mental arithmetic to speed up your answering.

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A simple on-screen calculator is available for use in this subtest. It is not a scientific calculator.
To access it you click on the icon in the top left hand side of your screen.
The calculator has been included within the timed practice tests.
We strongly advise you to use the calculator when taking the practice tests in order to familiarise yourself with the functionality.
In the live test the calculator closes when you click away or move to another question. You can recall it by clicking on the icon. Your current calculations should be retained. To clear the calculator click the ON/C button.
You can use the mouse or the number pad on your keyboard to operate the calculator.
Make sure the ‘Num Lock’ is on for the number pad to work.
Please note that due to limitations with the web browser format the practice test calculator does not retain calculations when you click away or move to another question.

Buying Leaflets
The table gives information about the cost of buying one leaflet from a printing company.
VAT is charged at 20% of the total order
10-49
60p
Number Ordered
50-199
40p
200-599
30p
600+
20p Single sided black/white
Double sided black/white
Single sided colour
Double sided colour
1-9
70p
£1.30
£1.60
£2.90
£1.00
£1.10
£2.00
70p
80p
£1.40
55p
60p
£1.00
40p
50p
90p
Karin buys 150 single sided black and white and one and a half times as many single sided colour leaflets. The total cost, including VAT is:
 A: £222
 B: £234
 C: £288
 D: £330
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E
: £342

Option B is the correct answer
Calculation required:
(150 x £0.40 + 225 x £0.60) x
1.20
Karin buys 150 single sided black and white and one and a half times as many single sided colour leaflets. The total cost, including VAT is:
 A: £222
 B: £234
 C: £288
 D: £330
 E : £342

The chart below shows the results of a trial assessing the accuracy of two methods
(referred to as ‘A’ and ‘B’) of diagnosing a medical condition.
Does the patient have the condition?
Yes
No
Method A = 9%
Method B = 4%
Method A = 86%
Method B = 72%
Method A = 91%
Method B = 96%
Method A = 14%
Method B = 28%
Negative Positive
Result of diagnosis
27 people were wrongly identified as 'negative' by
Method A when in fact they did have the condition. How many people took part in the trial of Method A in total?
 A: 9
 B: 300
 C: 600
 D: 675
 E: 750

Option B is the correct answer
Skill set: table reading, multiplication/division, percentages.
Calculation:
If 9% = 27, then 1% = 3
(27/9 = 3)
3 x 100 = 300
27 people were wrongly identified as 'negative' by
Method A when in fact they did have the condition. How many people took part in the trial of
Method A in total?
 A: 9
 B: 300
 C: 600
 D: 675
 E: 750

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The test assesses your ability to identify patterns amongst abstract shapes where irrelevant and distracting material may lead to incorrect conclusions.
The test therefore measures your ability to change track, critically evaluate and generate hypotheses and requires you to query judgements as you go along.
There are 4 different item types in this test and you may see one or two of them.
13 minutes to answer 55 items associated with sets of shapes.

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Timing is again important in this section. In 2014 approximately 17% of candidates failed to answer every question.
Remember to leave time to review the shapes at the beginning of each set of questions. Once you have identified what links each set you are half way there.
Consider issues around size and shape of objects; number of objects; sides of objects; shading and colour; symmetry, number of angles, position and direction... this sounds complicated but as you look at these shapes you will start to grasp what you need to focus on.
What links shapes in set A and those in set B will often be linked in some way – remembering this may help you ignore distracting information.

 A: Set A
 B: Set B
 C: Neither

Set A: All of the shapes in Set A have figures with curved edges. As the colour and number of figures in each shape varies, this is not part of the solution and so should be ignored.
Set B: All of the shapes in Set B have straight edges. As with Set A, the number of figures and their colour varies, and so should be ignored.
Option A is the correct answer (the shape has curved edges)
 A: Set A
 B: Set B
 C: Neither

 A: Set A
 B: Set B
 C: Neither

Set A: Each shape in Set A has two similar figures in diagonally opposite corners, though the figures may be different sizes, colours or in different orientations. As this is the only common feature of all the shapes in Set A, all other features should be ignored.
Set B: Each shape in Set B has two similar figures that are either horizontally or vertically opposite each other. As with
Set A, these figures do not have to be identical but they do have to be the same shape.
Option B is the correct answer (two similar figures are vertically opposite each other)
 A: Set A
 B: Set B
 C: Neither

 The test assesses the ability to make decisions in situations of uncertainty, where information may be incomplete, complex and ambiguous.
 Using a deciphering scenario, the test requires a move from logical reasoning to decisions requiring increasing degrees of judgement.
 The associated confidence rating measures your
 awareness of your own decision making.
31 minutes to answer 28 items associated with one scenario, each with a related confidence rating.

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You need to concentrate fully during this section.
Keep in mind the timings in this subtest; in 2014 approximately 14% of candidates failed to answer every question.
Use your laminated booklet during this section – especially as the codes get more complex later in the section.
It may help you to translate the code literally and then decide which answer gives the best fit. This should at least help you narrow down your options even if you are still unsure.
Remember to answer each question in full when it is presented or you will not be able to proceed.

Ancient Tomb Codes
An ancient tomb contains strange hieroglyphics which a team is working to decipher. You can join the team once you have demonstrated that you understand the codes. The codes that the team have managed to decode so far are presented in the table below. You can demonstrate your understanding by examining particular codes or sentences and then choosing one from five possible interpretations.
Sometimes the information you have will be incomplete or unusual but there is always some sense to the message. You will therefore need to make your best judgement based on the codes rather than what you might expect or what you think is reasonable.
There is always a “best” answer, which makes the most sense based on all the information presented but bear in mind that this test is about making judgements rather than simply applying rules and logic.

Following each Decision Analysis item you will be asked to rate how confident you are that the answer you gave was right on a 5-point scale (low confidence to high confidence). A response of 1 would mean that you are not very confident that you answered the corresponding item correctly and a response of 5 would indicate that you are very confident that you answered the corresponding item correctly.
Use your best and honest judgement to indicate your confidence level. The confidence rating is about how your self-reported confidence correlates to the Decision Analysis response. Reporting high confidence on all items does not necessarily translate to good self-monitoring ability.

What is the best interpretation of the following coded message:
11, 12, 7
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A: Today it is bright and sunny.
 B: The light from the sun is brighter than usual.
 C: Today the sun came up.
 D:
Today the sun’s rays have a strange hue.
 E: The sun is floating in the sky.
How confident are you that the answer you gave was right?

Option A is the correct answer
A) Today it is bright and sunny
(best fit)
B) The light from the sun is brighter than usual (introduces “brighter than usual”)
C) Today the sun came up (“light” does not lead to “coming up”)
D) Today the sun’s rays have a strange hue (introduces “strange hue”)
E) The sun is floating in the sky (no use of “today”; introduces concept of “floating”)
What is the best interpretation of the following coded message:
11, 12, 7
 A: Today it is bright and sunny.
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B: The light from the sun is brighter than usual.
 C: Today the sun came up.
 D : Today the sun’s rays have a strange hue.
 E: The sun is floating in the sky.
How confident are you that the answer you gave was right?

Which of the following would be the most useful and the second most useful additions to the codes in order to convey the following message accurately?
My bag is full of heavy and unusual toys
(You may select up to 2 responses)
 A: My
 B: Full
 C: Heavy
 D: Unusual
 E: Toys
How confident are you that the answer you gave was right?

Options D and E are the correct answers
A) My (can be achieved with
“personal” = 1)
B) Full (can be achieved with
“opposite” of “empty” = C106)
C) Heavy (can be achieved with
“opposite” of “light” = C12)
D) Unusual (best fit)
E) Toys (best fit)
Which of the following would be the most useful and the second most useful additions to the codes in order to convey the following message accurately?
My bag is full of heavy and unusual toys
(You may select up to 2 responses)
 A: My
 B: Full
 C: Heavy
 D: Unusual
 E: Toys
How confident are you that the answer you gave was right?

 The test measures your capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.
 It assesses the key traits of integrity, perspective taking and
 team involvement.
SJTs are used widely in medical selection, including selection of Foundation Doctors, GPs and other medical specialties.
 26 minutes to answer 68 items associated with 19 scenarios (consisting of between 2 and 5 response options).

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This is the last subtest but you still need to able to concentrate fully during this section.
Read each scenario and response thoroughly before answering.
Remember, there are two sets of questions in this subtest; read the instructions carefully to make sure you understand what you have to do.
Within a scenario, each rating can be used more than once or not at all.
For example, all response options can be given the same rating of very appropriate .
Responses should relate to what an individual should do , rather than what they may be likely to do.

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Response options should be treated independently . You should make a judgement as to the appropriateness or importance of a response option independent from the other options presented within the scenario.
Response options provided are not intended to represent all possible options. The response you think would be the most appropriate/most important may not be present.
Some options may be appropriate/important in the short term (i.e. immediately addressing a wrong doing) and some are appropriate/important in the long term
(discussing the implications of the wrong doing after the event). Consider response options irrelevant of the timeframe. A response option may still be an appropriate thing to do even if it is not something that can be done immediately.

A dentist is undertaking a routine check up on a 10 year old boy.
During the check up the boy starts crying violently and screams that he wants to go home.
How appropriate are each of the following responses by the dentist in this situation?
Ask the boy's mother to try and calm him down before proceeding with the check up
 A: A very appropriate thing to do
 B: Appropriate, but not ideal
 C: Inappropriate, but not awful
 D: A very inappropriate thing to do

Option B (appropriate, but not ideal) is the correct answer
The parent(s) should almost certainly be involved with trying to calm the boy. Whether the check-up proceeds thereafter depends heavily on the outcome. Often appointments where children become particularly upset or inconsolable need to be rescheduled.
Ask the boy's mother to try and calm him down before proceeding with the check up
 A: A very appropriate thing to do
 B: Appropriate, but not ideal
 C: Inappropriate, but not awful
 D: A very inappropriate thing to do

A busy clinician witnesses a receptionist in a patient waiting area trying to deal with an angry patient.
The patient is shouting at the receptionist because he has been waiting for over an hour. The receptionist looks shocked by the patient's behaviour and asks him to sit down. The patient slams his hand on the reception desk and continues shouting.
How important is it for the clinician to take the following factors into account when deciding how to respond to the situation?
The impact of the patient's behaviour on others in the waiting area
 A: Very important
 B: Important
 C: Of minor importance
 D: Not important at all

Option A (very important) is the correct answer
An angry patient may cause other patients to feel uncomfortable and threatened and as such, it is very important to consider this factor
The impact of the patient's behaviour on others in the waiting area
 A: Very important
 B: Important
 C: Of minor importance
 D: Not important at all

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We know that candidates who take our test early do better!
If you book early and you will have your choice of test slots. If you feel unwell or unprepared you can reschedule. This might not be easy in the final weeks of testing .
If you are not well, reschedule your test to a later date – even if you lose your test fee. In presenting yourself for testing, you are declaring yourself fit. We will not consider health issues as extenuating circumstances .

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Make sure you are given a laminated booklet and pen before the test starts. Check your pen is working before you start to avoid the need to seek assistance during testing.
There will be other people taking tests in the same room as you and there may be some limited disturbance as other test takers arrive and leave the room. The test centre will endeavour for such disturbance to be kept to a minimum. Ask for earplugs and/or headphones if you think you may find this disturbing .

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Freely available from the UKCAT website
Includes 3 fully timed Practice Tests and additional questions from each subtest
UKCAT Official Guide containing over 100 practice items
Free UKCAT Practice App for iPhone / Android
Our official UKCAT YouTube Channel has a number of videos to support your preparation.
There are many companies offering UKCAT preparation material; be careful as they may not necessarily be of a high standard and may not be up to date enough to mirror the actual test.

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Familiarise yourself with the requirements and question styles in each subtest. It is important to understand the time limitations in each section and to develop strategies to approach each subtest with this in mind .
Make full use of the free preparation material on the website, including the fully timed practice tests.
Go to www.thestudentroom.co.uk
where there is advice available from current/past candidates. This includes links to free practice resources which can be found on the internet.
Spend around 21-30 hours in preparation for the
UKCAT. This is the amount of preparation done by the highest scoring respondents to our recent survey.

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Your main source of information should be the UKCAT website www.ukcat.ac.uk
www.thestudentroom.co.uk
has lots of information dedicated to entry into medicine or dentistry.
See also:
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General Medical Council gmc-uk.org
British Medical Association bma.org.uk
 NHS Medical Careers medicalcareers.nhs.uk
 Get into Medicine getintomedicine.co.uk