UCAT Strategies

The UCAT can be daunting, with only a short amount of time to answer each question, some of which are designed to mislead or trip you up. Understanding some UCAT strategies can help you maximise your chances of success and improve your score.

What are UCAT Strategies?

UCAT strategies are techniques designed to help you efficiently tackle different sections of the exam, manage your time effectively and avoid common traps. By mastering these strategies, you can boost your accuracy, speed and overall confidence.

What are some good UCAT strategies?

Understand timings

Each UCAT subtest has strict time limits, and mastering time management is crucial. Some questions are worth more marks than others, so learning when to move on can help you maximise your score. Practice answering questions quickly while maintaining accuracy.

	Questions	Timing	Scoring
Verbal Reasoning	44	22 mins	300-900
Decision Making	35	37 mins	300-900
Quantitative Reasoning	36	26 mins	300-900
Situational Judgement	69	26 mins	Bands 1-4

Practice speed reading

Speed reading is essential for sections like Verbal Reasoning, where you must quickly extract key information from passages. Focus on keywords, scan for relevant details, and avoid rereading unnecessarily.

Understand how the scoring works

The UCAT uses a unique scoring system, with each section contributing to your total score. Some sections allow partial marks for partially correct answers. Understanding how scores are calculated can help you prioritise your approach.

Answer every question

There is no negative marking in the UCAT, so leaving a question blank is never a good idea. Even if you’re unsure, select an answer and flag the question for review if time allows.

Allow yourself to guess questions

If you’re stuck on a tough question, don’t waste too much time. Make an educated guess and move on – you can always return to it later if time permits.

Use the number pad on the keyboard

In the Quantitative Reasoning section, using the number pad instead of the on-screen calculator can save valuable time. Make sure you practice using it efficiently before test day.

Utilise keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can help speed up navigation during the test. For example, using the keyboard to move between questions instead of the mouse can save time.

Utilise practice questions

The best way to prepare for the UCAT is by completing as many practice questions as possible. Using official UCAT questions ensures you’re familiar with the question style and difficulty.

UCAT Verbal Reasoning Strategies

You will need to interpret 11 unique 200-400 word long passages, each accompanied by 4 questions. This gives you a total off 44 questions to complete in 22 minutes, giving you about 30 seconds per question.

Question Types

1. True/False/Can’t Tell Questions

You’ll be presented with a statement and must determine if it’s true, false, or if the information can’t be inferred from the passage.

Strategy: Base your answer solely on the information provided in the passage. Avoid using prior knowledge or assumptions. If the passage doesn’t provide enough information to confirm or deny the statement, select “Can’t Tell.”

2. Statement-Based Questions

These questions ask you to deduce information from the passage, often requiring inference skills, requiring you to ‘read between the lines’.

Strategy: Understand the main idea of the passage and use logical reasoning to infer the correct answer. Be cautious of answer choices that introduce information not covered in the passage.

General Tips

• Skim the Passage First: Get an overview before diving into the details.
• Focus on Keywords: Identify key terms in the question and locate them in the passage.
• Avoid Assumptions: Base your answers strictly on the given information.
• Eliminate Wrong Answers: If you’re unsure, use the process of elimination.
• Practice Reading Under Time Pressure: Speed and accuracy are key in this section.

UCAT Quantitative Reasoning Strategies

The UCAT Quantitative Reasoning (QR) section evaluates your capability to apply numerical skills for problem-solving efficiently while under time pressure. To perform well in this section, consider these strategies:

Master Core Mathematical Principles:

Revisit essential topics such as percentages, unit conversions, rates, averages, ratios, and proportions. A strong understanding of these subjects is crucial for effectively addressing QR questions.

Improve Mental Calculation Skills:

Cultivate your ability to carry out calculations in your head. This technique conserves valuable time during the exam and lessens dependence on the on-screen calculator, which can be more time-consuming.

Sound Time Management Strategy:

With 36 questions to complete in 25 minutes, aim to allocate about 40 seconds per question. Practice managing your time during practice tests to ensure you can finish all questions within the allotted time.

Read Questions Thoroughly:

Be attentive to the specifics in each question, paying particular attention to units of measurement. Be cautious with unit conversions and make sure your final answer corresponds to the specified units.

UCAT Decision Making Strategies

In the decision-making section of the UCAT exam, you will need to use reasoning to reach a conclusion, assess arguments, or interpret statistical data. Below are some strategies tailored for this section of the UCAT:

Understand and Analyze the Question

• Carefully read the prompt: Ensure you fully grasp what the question is asking before you dive into the data. Sometimes the key lies in small details.
• Identify the data provided: Quickly pinpoint the critical pieces of information and understand how they relate.

Apply Logical Reasoning

• Break down complex information: Divide the problem into smaller parts so that you can analyze it more easily.
• Consider underlying assumptions: Sometimes questions hide assumptions that can either lead to the correct answer or help eliminate options.

Use Process of Elimination

• Discard obviously wrong choices: Narrowing down your options increases the chance of selecting the correct answer even if you’re uncertain.
• Double-check tricky answers: After eliminating the clear misfits, review the remaining options more thoroughly.

Practice, Practice, Practice

• Utilize practice questions and mock tests: Exposure to a variety of question types enhances your ability to quickly identify patterns and common pitfalls.
• Review your mistakes: Learning from errors will improve both your accuracy and speed.

UCAT Strategies Webinars

Join us for this FREE webinar to learn key strategies for various sections of the UCAT, as compiled by the top 1% scorers. The UCAT is a very strategy-based exam, and can be prepared for with the right techniques. It’s essential that you learn the strategies needed for each section to succeed, and that’s what we’re here to teach you!

Each year, countless students sit the UCAT without being prepared, or go into it having only done practice questions. If you wouldn’t sit A-level exams only having done practice questions (and not having learned the content and strategies) then you also shouldn’t be doing this for the UCAT! We’ve helped 1000s of students over the years to attain top scores, including scores in the top 1-3%. This year, we’d love to help you on your UCAT journey.