UCAT Preparation During Coronavirus - Tip 2: Create a Routine and UCAT Study Plan
5 years ago by Robert
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a dramatic change in the way we work and learn. This change has occurred suddenly, over a period of days and weeks. You may now be learning online, from home, in an environment away from your friends and social supports. We recognise that this is a difficult situation, which may be causing you stress. We are here to help!
This blog series covers how to effectively prepare for UCAT during coronavirus and social isolation. The principles outlined in these blogs are also useful for your school and university study.
Our last blog covered tip 1: Optimise Your Study Environment. In this blog, we will cover tip 2:
Create a Routine and UCAT study plan
Routines are important!
Routines are essential to productivity. Without a routine, you could easily find yourself whiling away valuable hours watching Netflix or browsing social media.
While you were at school, you probably had a regular routine: you woke up at a particular time each day, got ready, travelled to school, had a structured day of learning, came home and set aside some study and leisure time. Now you no longer have that routine. It might feel great to have the freedom to do what you want when you want, but a routine is important if you are going to use your time productively.
So imagine that you are still going to school, and try to stick to a regular routine:
- Go to bed and wake up at a consistent time each day
- Start your study at the same time you would normally begin school
- Structure your day so you cover the required subjects and content
- Have regular meal and break times, just like you do at school
- Try to get outside for some fresh air and exercise at least once per day
- Set aside some time to prepare for UCAT, at least twice per week
It can be difficult to study for prolonged periods, so try to vary your study and break it up into manageable parts. One way to do this is by using the Pomodoro method:
- Write down the tasks you need to accomplish that day
- Estimate how long each will take, and split them up into 25 minute intervals
- Designate a 5 minute break in between them
- Set a timer for 25 minutes, and get started on your task
- Then repeat!
Plan your UCAT preparation
The highest performing UCAT students created and followed a study plan. The plan can be as detailed or simple as you wish. The aim is to ensure that you are regularly engaging in UCAT preparation, and that you are being effective in your UCAT study sessions.
MedEntry makes planning your UCAT preparation easy with our interactive study planner.
Here are some tips for planning your UCAT preparation:
- Set aside about 10% of your study time for UCAT Preparation, and include at least two UCAT study sessions per week
- Focus on completing full-length UCAT exams under timed conditions – this is the most efficient way to prepare. Space out your UCAT exams so you complete them at regular intervals
- Identify your weaknesses and work on them, by engaging with UCAT guides and drills. MedEntry makes this easy with our Personalised Adaptive Learning: the online platform learns about you, and provides direction on where to focus your future UCAT efforts
So get started now! If you don’t already have a regular routine, write one out and post it in your study area. Spend at least 15 minutes creating a UCAT study plan, which will ensure you are on track to achieve your best possible UCAT score.
In our next blog, we will cover tip 3, which is to engage in remote learning.
