Only 3 weeks to UCAT - what should I do?
4 years ago by Robert
to make you ready for any UCAT question thrown at you.
1. Practice UCAT ANZ exams and read their worked solutions. UCAT ANZ offers 3 full-length practice exams; these are a must-do before the exam! They’re a little bit easier than your average MedEntry exam, so they’re great for that last minute confidence boost. They also gives you worked solutions to every question, which lets you see how they come up with the answer - basically an insider’s perspective. This is useful for those tricky questions in DM or SJT, when sometimes two answers seem similar and you don’t know why B is right but C isn’t.
2. Practice exams and drills! How can you maximise your UCAT skill set in the weeks leading up to UCAT? With MedEntry practice exams and drills! Practice exams provide a full two hour simulation of the UCAT, while drills are conveniently timed at 15-20 minutes and give you a chance to hone in on your weak areas.
3. Keep a notepad. One thing I noticed on the day of the UCAT exam was that many students had piles and piles of UCAT questions. They were frantically flipping through, getting more and more stressed trying to see every question. Instead, I’d recommend a small notepad - jot down any tips or hard questions you encounter from now till the day of UCAT, and just have a quick flip through, before your exam.
4. Don’t burn out. This one’s really important. It’s natural, as the exam date looms closer to freak out and practice as much as possible. But in the same way you wouldn’t run a 7km marathon everyday just before City2Surf, you need to pace yourself now. The challenge is to peak on the day of the exam, not before! So if you last minute cram, it can make the actual UCAT seem dreary and boring. Instead, do a few drills and space out your exams, so on the day, you’re actually ready to perform at your peak.
5. Exam technique. Finalise how you are going to approach the exam. Make sure you are aware of your time management technique.
So, if you’re feeling anxious, one last word - the key to the UCAT is not doing as much practice as possible, it’s actually about exposing yourself to as many different question types as you can. Be confident that you can tackle any question the exam throws at you with the skills you already have, and think on your feet!
Here’s wishing you the very best of luck in your upcoming UCAT exam!