What can you do now to enhance your UCAT performance? Tip 1: Read widely and critically

UCAT will take place in July 2019. However, there are a few things you can start doing now to enhance your UCAT skills. Our first tip is to read widely and critically.

UCAT questions draw from a range of sources, including magazines, newspapers, research papers and internet articles. You may be required to interpret a passage of text, table, graph or other diagram in UCAT.  Questions cover various topics including history, geography, politics, economics and science.

While UCAT does not require any prior knowledge, having a good understanding of current affairs and expanding your general knowledge will certainly help. You will not only develop your UCAT skills, it will also be useful for other subjects such as English.

Good resources to start with include:

• New Scientist
• The Economist
• National Geographic
• The Guardian
• The Financial Review

When you read, pay particular attention to:

• Words you do not understand. Remember that in UCAT, you will not have access to a dictionary. Some UCAT questions, especially those in the verbal reasoning construct, will require you to have a good vocabulary, so start expanding it now! If you come across a word you do not understand, write it down in a notebook, along with its definition. You can review this notebook periodically.
• Graphs, tables or other diagrams. In UCAT, you will be required to interpret various charts, particularly in the Quantitative Reasoning subtest. Get used to the format of various diagrams and how they communicate information. Consider what conclusions can and cannot be drawn.  
• Critically evaluating the information. In UCAT, you will often be required to evaluate the information conveyed in passages or diagrams. Consider what conclusions and inferences can be drawn, and whether there is sufficient evidence to support them.

For more practice, enrol in one of MedEntry’s UCAT preparation courses. Along with practice questions, you will be provided with strategy guides that cover important principles, including how to expand your vocabulary, interpret data, and think critically.

For further tips and updates, follow MedEntry on social media!