How To Optimise Your UCAT Performance
In the final weeks and days before UCAT, your focus should be on getting into top physical, emotional, psychological and mental condition for test day. UCAT is not just a test of your ability, it is also a test of your concentration, focus, stamina and stress management abilities.
This is not the time to cram! Instead, you should ensure you have everything you need for UCAT test day, revise your key strategies, and spend some time looking after yourself.
What should I do in the final weeks before UCAT?
In the final weeks before you UCAT, ensure that you:
- Have organised everything you need for UCAT test day
- Focus on the areas that you are weakest
- Create a ‘cheat sheet’ of UCAT strategies that work for you
- Eat well, get sufficient sleep and manage stress
MedEntry has developed the following checklist to ensure you are UCAT-ready.
What should I do the day before UCAT?
This is definitely not the time to cram! Remember, UCAT is a skill rather than a knowledge-based test. UCAT skills need to be developed over time, and cramming on the day before UCAT is likely to be harmful rather than helpful.
We suggest that you take the day off. Do something that you enjoy, and something that is going to take your mind off the test – exercise, have dinner with friends, watch a movie.
If you wish, you could review your UCAT ‘cheat sheet’, focussing on how well prepared you are and how ready you are for UCAT test day.
Organise everything you need for the test, including:
- Valid identification (usually a passport or drivers licence)
- Your Pearson VUE confirmation email
- A bottle of water
- A snack (such as a muesli bar or piece of fruit) if necessary
- Reading glasses
Know how you are going to get to the venue and plan your route to avoid last minute stress. Ensure you get a good night’s sleep to recharge your brain for UCAT test day.
What should I do on the day of UCAT?
Ensure you eat a healthy meal with protein and complex carbohydrates to keep you sustained. Some examples of nutritious meals are porridge with fruit, eggs on wholegrain toast or a wholegrain tuna sandwich. Avoid too much caffeine, as it will make you want to use the bathroom (and the timer will keep ticking if you have to go to the loo during UCAT!).
If you are feeling stressed, use techniques to manage your stress and boost confidence, such as meditation and positive self-talk. Psychological techniques to optimise performance and manage stress are discussed in detail in MedEntry UCAT Courses.
Leave home with a support person if possible (such as a parent, sibling or friend), aiming to arrive about 15-30 minutes before your scheduled start time.
Finally, show ‘em what you’re made of! If you have undergone MedEntry’s preparation program, you should feel confident that you are ready to ace UCAT. Good luck from all of the MedEntry team!