Week before the UCAT

While being academically prepared is extremely important for UCAT, it is also useful to know what to expect when at your school, among those who are sitting UCAT in the week leading up to the test.

1. The Downplayer – This is a student who will consistently talk about how they have not done any practice for the UCAT, keep reinforcing that they’re going to fail and claim to have never done a single drill on MedEntry. While they may not directly demoralise you, their negative comments and thoughts about the UCAT can be particularly distracting, especially since you want to be in a focussed and positive mindset for the exam.

2. The Self-Claimed Overperformer – Occasionally, you may come across someone who believes that they are going to absolutely ace the UCAT. They may boast about the number of UCAT practice exams they’ve completed, or how they have gotten 99% every time they practised the UCAT. Once again, this can also be demoralising and can significantly affect your confidence, especially if you still have nerves lingering around in your system.

3. The Lazy Lad – There will always be a couple of students who are sitting the test simply because they have been told to do the test. While their interest in UCAT may not be as strong as yours, often they can provide good conversation and can help calm your nerves and possibly even take your mind off the UCAT just for a while.

4. The Guardian Gangs – Some students will prefer to discuss the UCAT only with their family and will consciously make an attempt to talk about it with anyone else. Often this can be an effective strategy for you to employ yourself, since supportive comments and the presence of your loved ones can really help lift your mood about the exam. It can also put you in the right frame of mind, particularly for SJT.

5. The Last-Minute Revisers – You may find some students frantically reading through pages and pages of notes. They do not wish to conduct any sort of conversation, as they are too busy trying to memorise the different patterns for VR in preparation for the exam. It is important that you do not let these students intimidate you, nor should they influence your mindset for the UCAT. Be confident with the practice and preparation you’ve done and don’t let the people around you impact your confidence. Note: cramming like this is also generally not a good strategy for UCAT.

Most importantly, do not be intimidated by the exam supervisor. Whether it be before, during or after the exam, if you need some sort of assistance, do not hesitate to the ask them.

Being mentally prepared for the UCAT is just as important as the practice you’ve done before the exam day. Do organise yourself the night before to avoid mishaps on the day.

And even if something does go wrong, don’t panic – it’s never the end of the world.