1. UK Clinical Aptitude Test www.ukcat.ac.uk
2017
UK Clinical Aptitude Test

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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
Please recommend that students always check websites for full criteria as some universities may only use the test for certain programmes or have different requirements for some applicants, e.g. overseas or graduate applicants. Aston is a new consortium member from 2017.

6. 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
These are strict deadlines and no exceptions are made.

7. 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
There is no difference in content between the UKCAT sat during the Summer or Autumn period. The increased price reflects demand on resources at particular times of the year. We recommend candidates sit the test during the Summer period and pay the lower test fee.

8. Bursaries
Bursaries that cover the full test fee are available to EU candidates from low-income households
You may be eligible if you receive: 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
Bursaries cover the full cost of the test. By ‘low income household’ we mean less than £35,000 if evidenced by a child tax credit award (though some other criteria are means tested on a lesser amount).

9. 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.
If they book the UKCATSEN their university choices will ask them to send evidence of their medical condition later in the admissions cycle. Their UKCAT result may be declared void if they do not present adequate supporting evidence. They can check with UKCAT whether their evidence would be acceptable.

10. 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

11. Test Format Standard UKCAT & Extended UKCATSEN
Subtest
Items
UKCAT
(includes 1 minute
per subtest
for instruction)
UKCATSEN
(includes 1 min 15 secs
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
Total time
120 minutes
150 minutes
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, or other learning disabilities but may apply to a range of other medical conditions. See the website for details.

12. 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

13. Verbal Reasoning

14. 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.

15. 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
After a pilot year in 2016 (which was un-scored) this section is now scored the same as the other cognitive subtests for 2017.

16. Decision Making

17. 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

18. 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.

19. Quantitative Reasoning

20. Quantitative Reasoning
Answer: B Rationale: Deposit for Type D motorboat on Sundays = × 95/100 = = £99.75.
Total cost of renting a Type D motorboat for 6 hours on a Sunday = Deposit + Cost per hour × number of hours = £ £100 × 6 = £ £600 = £

21. 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

22. Abstract Reasoning

23. Abstract Reasoning 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.
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.

24. 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)

25. Situational Judgement

26. 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.

27. Candidate Preparation Toolkit www. ukcat. ac
Candidate Preparation Toolkit
Ensure you prepare thoroughly for the UKCAT.
There are over 1000 FREE practice questions on our website.
Toolkit includes: Practice Tests – 3 fully timed versions; Question Bank for individual subtests; Question Tutorial which offers strategies on how to approach and answer questions within each subtest; UKCAT Official Guide containing over 100 practice items; UKCAT Practice App free for iPhone / Android; YouTube Channel with videos offering advice

28. 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 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 hours in preparation for the UKCAT
But please be aware that information may not be current, so ensure any materials you are using reflect the current test.
25-30 hours is the amount of preparation done by the highest scoring respondents in a recent UKCAT survey.

29. 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.
There is no negative marking for incorrect answers.  Performance on one item does not influence which other items are presented.

30. 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.
Each year a significant number of candidates are turned away because of incorrect ID so they need to check the requirements on the website to make sure they take the right documents. If they are turned away with incorrect ID they will need to pay for another test!

31. Marking 2017 Your UKCAT result will comprise of:
A score of between 1200 to 3600
A banding for Situational Judgement
Verbal Reasoning – 300 to 900
Decision Making – 300 to 900
Quantitative Reasoning – 300 to 900
Abstract Reasoning – 300 to 900
Situational Judgement – Band 1 to 4 (1 the highest)
Total mean average score in 2015 was 2531.
After a pilot year in 2016 (for which the Decision Making subtest was unscored) this section is now scored the same as the other cognitive subtests for 2017.
NB. Total mean average score not quoted for 2016 due to Decision Making pilot.

32. 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.

33. 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
It is worthwhile following one of our social media accounts. This year, throughout the test cycle, we’ll be publishing revision tips from past high scoring candidates, new example Q&As and most importantly reminders about upcoming deadlines. You’ll also be the first to hear when we publish interim and end of testing statistics.