UKCAT
2017
UK Clinical
Aptitude Test
www.ukcat.ac.uk
In this session...



What is the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)
and who uses it?
The UKCAT process
 Key Dates, Registration and Booking
 Costs and Bursaries
 What’s in the test
 Preparation and Candidate Toolkit
 Taking the Test, Marking and Results
More information
What is the UKCAT?





An admissions test used in the selection process by a
consortium of UK university medical and dental schools
Introduced in 2006 by a consortium of universities to help
assess other ‘skills and attitudes’ needed by future doctors and
dentists for successful clinical practice
There is no curriculum content; the test examines innate skills
It helps universities to make more informed choices from
amongst the many highly-qualified applicants who apply for
their medical and dental degree programmes
It is used in collaboration with other admissions processes such
as the UCAS application, academic qualifications, references
and interviews
What is the UKCAT?




You sit the test in the same year that you apply through UCAS
You can only sit the test once each year
2 hour, multiple-choice, computer based test which you sit at a
local Pearson VUE test centre
It assesses a range of mental abilities across 5 separately timed
subtests:
 Verbal Reasoning
 Decision Making
 Quantitative Reasoning
 Abstract Reasoning
 Situational Judgement
UK UKCAT Universities













University of Aberdeen
Aston University
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
Cardiff University
University of Dundee
University of East Anglia
University of Edinburgh
University of Exeter
University of Glasgow
Hull York Medical School
Keele University
King's College London













University of Leicester
University of Liverpool
University of Manchester
University of Newcastle
University of Nottingham
Plymouth University
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen's University Belfast
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of St Andrews
St George's, University of London
University of Warwick
Key Dates 2017








2 May - Registration opens
3 July - Testing begins
19 September (5pm) - Registration deadline
19 September - Bursary application deadline
2 October (midday) - Booking/rescheduling deadline
3 October - Last testing date
15 October - UCAS application deadline
Early November - Results delivered to Universities
Registration, Booking & Costs



Register and create an online account so you can
book your test.
Book early to ensure places are available at a
local centre.
Costs:
 Tests taken in the EU July-August: £65
 Tests taken in the EU September-October: £85
 Tests taken outside the EU: £115
Bursaries




Bursaries that cover the full test fee are available to EU
candidates from low-income households
You may be eligible if you receive: 16-19 Bursary; Free
School Meals; Discretionary Learner Support; Educational
Maintenance Allowance; Full Maintenance Grant or Special
Support Grant; Income Support; Job Seeker's Allowance;
Employment & Support Allowance; Universal Credit
You may also be eligible if your parent/guardian receives:
Child Tax Credit; Income Support; Job Seeker's Allowance;
Employment & Support Allowance; Universal Credit
Check the website for more details about the criteria, how to
apply and what evidence is required
Candidates with Disabilities

The UKCATSEN is an extended version of the test
(2 hours 30 mins) which can be booked if you are
entitled to additional time for public examinations
based upon a medical diagnosis or report from a
specialist teacher.

Likely to relate to dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia,
dysorthographia, attention deficit disorder or
working memory deficit but may apply to a range of
other medical conditions. See the website for
details.
What is in the Test?





Verbal reasoning - assesses ability to critically evaluate
information that is presented in a written form
Decision making - assesses ability to apply logic to reach a
decision or conclusion, evaluate arguments and analyse
statistical information.
Quantitative reasoning - assesses ability to critically evaluate
information presented in a numerical form
Abstract reasoning - assesses the use of convergent and
divergent thinking to infer relationships from information
Situational judgement - measures capacity to understand real
world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate
behaviour in dealing with them
Test Format
Standard UKCAT & Extended UKCATSEN
Subtest
Items
UKCAT
(includes 1 minute
per subtest
for instruction)
UKCATSEN
(includes 1 min 15 secs
per subtest
for instruction)
Verbal Reasoning
44
22 minutes
27 minutes 30 secs
Decision Making
29
32 minutes
40 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
36
25 minutes
31 minutes 15 secs
Abstract Reasoning
55
14 minutes
17 minutes 30 secs
Situational Judgement
68
27 minutes
33 minutes 45 secs
120 minutes
150 minutes
Total time
Verbal Reasoning




The test assesses your ability to read and think carefully
about information presented in passages and to determine
whether specific conclusions can be drawn from information
presented. You are not expected to use prior knowledge to
answer the questions
21 minutes to answer 44 items, associated with 11 passages
Some items assess critical reasoning skills, requiring
candidates to make inferences and draw conclusions from
information
For other items you decide whether the statement provided
follows logically from the information in the passage
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning
Answer: C
Rationale: This is supported by the information
presented in the whole passage. Since rodents
are a food source for foxes, it is common
sense that when there are more rodents, there
will be more foxes as their reproduction is
dependent on food availability.
Decision Making
 This
subtest assesses the ability to apply logic to
reach a decision or conclusion, evaluate arguments
and analyse statistical information
 31 minutes to answer 29 items, associated with
diagrams, text, charts or graphs
 All questions are standalone and do not share data
 After a pilot year in 2016 (which was unscored) this
section is now scored the same as the other cognitive
subtests for 2017
Decision Making
Decision Making
Answer:
A) No - there could be some red but not must be
B) Yes -There are some white flowers
C) No - there are yellow begonias
D) Yes - There are no red begonias
E) No - there could be black dahlias, for example
Quantitative Reasoning




The test assesses your ability to use numerical skills to solve
problems.
24 minutes to answer 36 items associated with tables, charts,
and/or graphs.
It assumes familiarity with numbers to the standard of a good
pass at GCSE but focuses on problem solving.
A basic calculator is available for use in this section.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Answer: B Rationale: Deposit for Type D
motorboat on Sundays = 95 + 5 × 95/100 = 95
+ 4.75 = £99.75.
Total cost of renting a Type D motorboat for 6
hours on a Sunday = Deposit + Cost per hour
× number of hours = £99.75 + £100 × 6 =
£99.75 + £600 = £699.75.
Abstract Reasoning




The test assesses your ability to identify patterns amongst
abstract shapes where irrelevant and distracting material may
lead to incorrect conclusions
The test therefore measures your ability to change track,
critically evaluate and generate hypotheses and requires you
to query judgements as you go along
There are 4 different item types in this test
13 minutes to answer 55 items associated with sets of
shapes
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning
Set A Rule: Regardless of the nature of the shapes themselves there must
be an equal number of black and shaded shapes but the combined total is
always at least one more than the total number of white shapes
Set B Rule: Regardless of the nature of the shapes themselves there must
be an equal number of black and white shapes but the combined total is
always at least one fewer than the total number of shaded shapes.
Answer: A – Set A
Rationale: 3 black and 3 white but
only 3 shaded so cannot satisfy
rules for set B. 3 shaded and 3
black (= 6 shapes) which is more
than the total number of white
shapes so must be A.
Situational Judgement




The test measures your capacity to understand real world
situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate
behaviour in dealing with them
It assesses the key traits of integrity, perspective taking and
team involvement
SJTs are used widely in medical selection, including selection
of Foundation Doctors, GPs and other medical specialties
26 minutes to answer 68 items associated with 21 scenarios
(consisting of between 2 and 6 response items)
Situational Judgement
Situational Judgement
Answer: B - Appropriate, but not ideal
Rationale: The General Medical Council requires students
to work “…within the limits of their competence, training
and status as medical students.” A medical student is not
qualified to discuss the possible outcomes of the patient’s
blood test nor what the future may hold for the patient.
However, it is correct for a student to explain his role to
the patient, so that the patient understands the student’s
position. In this situation, where a patient is concerned or
worried about their health, the medical student should
acknowledge the patient’s concerns and advise the patient
to address their concerns with a more appropriate
member of staff.
Candidate Preparation Toolkit
www.ukcat.ac.uk/preparation/candidate-toolkit/


Ensure you prepare thoroughly for the UKCAT.
There are over 1000 FREE practice questions on our website.
Preparation for the UKCAT






Familiarise yourself with the requirements and question styles in
each subtest
It’s vital to understand the time limitations in each section and to
develop strategies to approach each subtest with this in mind
Use the FREE preparation material on the website, including the
fully timed practice tests
There are many companies offering UKCAT preparation material;
be careful as they may not necessarily be of a high standard and
may not be up to date enough to mirror the actual test.
Go to www.thestudentroom.co.uk where there is advice available
from current/past candidates. This includes links to free practice
resources which can be found on the internet
Spend around 25-30 hours in preparation for the UKCAT
Hints and Tips
If you have not studied maths beyond GCSE level (or
recently), revisit and practice these skills as this will impact
on the Quantitative Reasoning section in particular.
 Try to answer all the questions. Practise the test timings
and remember that no points are deducted for wrong
answers so if you’re stuck use your best guess.
 If you are not well, reschedule your test to a later date –
even if you lose your test fee. In presenting yourself for
testing, you are declaring yourself fit. UKCAT do not
consider health issues as extenuating circumstances.

Taking the Test





Arrive at the Test Centre at least 15 minutes before you
are due to start. If you are late you may not be allowed to
test and will have to pay again.
Very important! Make sure you take the right ID or you will
not be allowed to sit the test.
Make sure they give you a booklet and pen.
Other people will be testing in the same room as you so
you can ask for ear plugs or headphones to limit
disturbance – this is not like a school exam!
If you experience any issues during your test you must
notify the invigilator immediately.
Marking 2017

Your UKCAT result will comprise of:
 A score of between 1200 to 3600
 A banding for Situational Judgement


Verbal Reasoning
Decision Making
Quantitative Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning
Situational Judgement

Total mean average score in 2015 was 2531.



–
–
–
–
–
300 to 900
300 to 900
300 to 900
300 to 900
Band 1 to 4 (1 the highest)
Results

Results are available on the day of your test

Before you submit your UCAS application check how
universities use the test or you might be wasting an application

We liaise with UCAS to confirm your university choices.

UKCAT passes your results to your university choices directly
in early November and they will use it alongside a number of
factors which could include academic performance, UCAS
personal statement, references etc.
More information

Follow UKCAT on Twitter or Facebook to see
reminders of deadlines, example questions, revision
tips, and get average scores as soon as they are
released.
@UKCATest
/UKClinicalAptitudeTest