1.Looking at other Personal Statements
I even bought a book for it! In the end, it just makes you feel so stressed because you will be wondering if your experiences can match up with what other applicants have! Sure, read some personal statements to get some idea of the structure and what you should include, after that, don't mull over it and stress yourself up! Your personal statement has to show you and your passion, channel all your energy into doing that and you'll be fine!
2.Looking at the stats of others(How much work/volunteering experience they had, how many A*s they got at GCSEs, what extra curricular activities they did, etc;)
Doing this just made me so so stressed and i kept comparing myself to them! Especially on TSR where i compared what i have done to people who had applied in past years and have been successful! Even those who had been unsuccessful had a whole list of work experiences!!!Do not waste your time doing this, and just focus on what you can do , because ultimately, your application would be compared against those applying with you and never forget that people on TSR are usually over-achievers(not all though><) Just do your best for your own application!
3.Cramming my summer with work experience
I must say that I was really fortunate to have gotten so many work experiences but in the end, I could not even fit some of them into my personal statement and I could have used some of that time preparing for my UKCAT or doing up my Personal statement. However, in a way, although i find it useless, I do not regret having had all of them because from there I have really come to understand that medicine is something that I really am interested in and am serious about!
4.The need to call every university and ask what they look for in an application
It's all stated in the admissions policy of each university and on their websites!! Calling up the different universities would just be a waste if time unless you have a question that can't be answered by the websites
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Sunday, 17 March 2013
What is enough?
I think this is a question many to-be applicants would have with regards to their application and my answer to that ,really, would be : enough to fill your personal statement up.
This does not mean that you LIST what you did. NO.
The key to a good personal statement , in my opinion, is to SHOW not TELL .
For example , you were part of a team.
Telling would be something like this:
In my high school, I was a member of my school's basketball team. From my experience with working with my team, I have gained communication skills which , I feel, is one of the most important aspects of a good leader.
Showing , on the other hand, would be like this :
I enjoyed being an active member of my high school's basketball team . By often playing the role of a mediator between members with different personalities I have come to appreciate the differences between members of a team and learn to create a sense of unity between members.
By showing , you are telling a story of an aspect of your experience and hence giving insight into your personality and thoughts.
So, back to the main question, what is enough?
As long as you have experiences where you are able to show that you have qualities that a doctor would need , you would be alright , the most important thing is bringing it across effectively to the admissions tutor.
Here are some ideas for qualities that you may have picked up though extracurricular activities that you may want to include in your personal statement :
Teamwork
Leadership
Empathy
Ability to cope with stress
Perseverance
Wide range of interests
Good time management
Good organisation
Responsible
The list is endless , really, you just really have to reflect on everything you've done since high school and then try to think back on activities you did that brought out the best in you.
For work experience, aspects that you could have learnt that you may want to bring across in your PS could possibly be:
Teamwork in a multidisciplinary team
Role of a doctor
Difficulties involved in the career
Aspects of the career that appeals to you
Ethics
Everything really depends a lot on what you see while you are at your work experience. For example, if you worked as a receptionist for a GP, then you may often have encountered anxious patients , you can then perhaps talk about how you've seen the doctor(s) have the ability to calm them down and provide them with reassurance .
In conclusion, you do not need to go on a month worth of work experience , neither do you need to achieve gold DofE, all you just need is a good brain and good reflection of what you have done and learnt. You do not need to safe a person's life or anything dramatic, just show that you are able to learn from what you've been shown/observed and that it enough. Do not feel intimidated by the long list of things that others may have done (especially those on TSR!) have faith in yourself , your passion will definitely be conveyed to the admissions tutor!
This does not mean that you LIST what you did. NO.
The key to a good personal statement , in my opinion, is to SHOW not TELL .
For example , you were part of a team.
Telling would be something like this:
In my high school, I was a member of my school's basketball team. From my experience with working with my team, I have gained communication skills which , I feel, is one of the most important aspects of a good leader.
Showing , on the other hand, would be like this :
I enjoyed being an active member of my high school's basketball team . By often playing the role of a mediator between members with different personalities I have come to appreciate the differences between members of a team and learn to create a sense of unity between members.
By showing , you are telling a story of an aspect of your experience and hence giving insight into your personality and thoughts.
So, back to the main question, what is enough?
As long as you have experiences where you are able to show that you have qualities that a doctor would need , you would be alright , the most important thing is bringing it across effectively to the admissions tutor.
Here are some ideas for qualities that you may have picked up though extracurricular activities that you may want to include in your personal statement :
Teamwork
Leadership
Empathy
Ability to cope with stress
Perseverance
Wide range of interests
Good time management
Good organisation
Responsible
The list is endless , really, you just really have to reflect on everything you've done since high school and then try to think back on activities you did that brought out the best in you.
For work experience, aspects that you could have learnt that you may want to bring across in your PS could possibly be:
Teamwork in a multidisciplinary team
Role of a doctor
Difficulties involved in the career
Aspects of the career that appeals to you
Ethics
Everything really depends a lot on what you see while you are at your work experience. For example, if you worked as a receptionist for a GP, then you may often have encountered anxious patients , you can then perhaps talk about how you've seen the doctor(s) have the ability to calm them down and provide them with reassurance .
In conclusion, you do not need to go on a month worth of work experience , neither do you need to achieve gold DofE, all you just need is a good brain and good reflection of what you have done and learnt. You do not need to safe a person's life or anything dramatic, just show that you are able to learn from what you've been shown/observed and that it enough. Do not feel intimidated by the long list of things that others may have done (especially those on TSR!) have faith in yourself , your passion will definitely be conveyed to the admissions tutor!
Thursday, 14 March 2013
What subjects should I take at A Levels?
For medicine , usually Chemistry or Biology would be compulsory so I would really suggest that you take both of them to A2 just to be safe and so that your options to almost all medical schools are open!
Personally, I think Math is a really good subject which you can easily score an A in so I would highly recommend taking it ! However , please do note that most universities may consider further maths and maths as one subject !
As for the fourth subject which you may or may not carry on to your A2 year I strongly suggest that you take a subject that you are truly interested in. Some people say that by taking a Humanities subject(like art, geography or history ) it shows that you are an 'all-rounder' . Well, to some extent it is true but personally I think that as long as you are able to justify why you study each subject and how it may contribute/prepare you to be a better medical student/doctor ,it is alright.
Personally , I chose to do physics. To be honest , I only chose it because I felt that it was the easiest to score in. But I felt that it was really tedious because I just had no passion for it so I eventually decided to drop it even though I definitely had the capacity to take it on to A2. So my advice would definitely be to pick a fourth subject you will really enjoy!!
Personally, I think Math is a really good subject which you can easily score an A in so I would highly recommend taking it ! However , please do note that most universities may consider further maths and maths as one subject !
As for the fourth subject which you may or may not carry on to your A2 year I strongly suggest that you take a subject that you are truly interested in. Some people say that by taking a Humanities subject(like art, geography or history ) it shows that you are an 'all-rounder' . Well, to some extent it is true but personally I think that as long as you are able to justify why you study each subject and how it may contribute/prepare you to be a better medical student/doctor ,it is alright.
Personally , I chose to do physics. To be honest , I only chose it because I felt that it was the easiest to score in. But I felt that it was really tedious because I just had no passion for it so I eventually decided to drop it even though I definitely had the capacity to take it on to A2. So my advice would definitely be to pick a fourth subject you will really enjoy!!
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Interview questions and how to tackle them! #1
Why medicine?
Probably the most obvious question they can ask but also the most difficult!
There are different approaches to this:
1.'timeline' method
As the name suggests, you talk about how your interest grew and reflect on your growth and what makes you sure medicine is something you will be able to stick to!
2. Listing method
This would probably be the way most people would choose to answer this question! You should state at least 2 reasons as to why medicine is your career choice and then reflect on why these are the reasons.
For example:
Point:I want to do medicine because I enjoy working in a team.
Reason:From my experiences in working with others through my participation in my school's activities, I have come to realise that I thrive in an environment where others can support me and where I can provide others with motivation. For example, as part of my school's basketball team, I have come to experience working with different people and understand the different dynamics of different teams. I feel that Medicine is a career where I would get to interact with other professionals of the multi disciplinary team and I think that such an environment will help em achieve my potential
What makes a good answer, in my opinion, would be a good reflection and insight into YOUR personality, after all,that's why you've been called for an interview- so that the school can learn more about YOU!
Why XXX Medical school?
Here are things that you can consider talking about for each medical school:
Course structure: Clinically led teaching? PBL? Lecture based? Integrated? Early clinical experience/exposure? Special aspects of the course that is unique to the medical school?
City: Location?Accessibility?Transport links? Activities available?
University: Facilities?Reputation?(Student satisfaction,Ranking)Strength or research?
I would suggest reading up on what news had been published in newspapers from the University recently! Just google : XXX medical school research news and then read news from about 3 months ago!
That is all for now! I shall post more soon!
Probably the most obvious question they can ask but also the most difficult!
There are different approaches to this:
1.'timeline' method
As the name suggests, you talk about how your interest grew and reflect on your growth and what makes you sure medicine is something you will be able to stick to!
2. Listing method
This would probably be the way most people would choose to answer this question! You should state at least 2 reasons as to why medicine is your career choice and then reflect on why these are the reasons.
For example:
Point:I want to do medicine because I enjoy working in a team.
Reason:From my experiences in working with others through my participation in my school's activities, I have come to realise that I thrive in an environment where others can support me and where I can provide others with motivation. For example, as part of my school's basketball team, I have come to experience working with different people and understand the different dynamics of different teams. I feel that Medicine is a career where I would get to interact with other professionals of the multi disciplinary team and I think that such an environment will help em achieve my potential
What makes a good answer, in my opinion, would be a good reflection and insight into YOUR personality, after all,that's why you've been called for an interview- so that the school can learn more about YOU!
Why XXX Medical school?
Here are things that you can consider talking about for each medical school:
Course structure: Clinically led teaching? PBL? Lecture based? Integrated? Early clinical experience/exposure? Special aspects of the course that is unique to the medical school?
City: Location?Accessibility?Transport links? Activities available?
University: Facilities?Reputation?(Student satisfaction,Ranking)Strength or research?
I would suggest reading up on what news had been published in newspapers from the University recently! Just google : XXX medical school research news and then read news from about 3 months ago!
That is all for now! I shall post more soon!
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Work Experience #2
This post will be a bit on my work experience
During my work experience the most common feeling i had was an awkwardness of not fitting into the surroundings. It was alright when i was with others but on those placements where it was just me, it felt very awkward especially since patients and other people working there would just stare at you!
Here are some advice that i have for those who may be faced with this situation:
1.SMILE
2.Don't hesitate to offer any help, even if it just to pull out a seat or to even hold a door open
3.Do not be afraid to ask your doctor/Whoever is in charge of you questions, if you don't ask and end up making a mistake, you'll seem even more of a fool!
4.Dress appropriately. While i am not implying you wear a suit. it would be advisable to dress in work wear
5.Make full use of your time and LOOK. Even if you have been standing for 4 hours straight, try to make full use of your time and see what's going on around you, how are the patients looking, how is the doctor interacting with his colleagues, what would you do if you were in the patients'/doctor's/nurses' position? What can you learn?
And as I said before,keep a work experience diary to ensure you remember what you have seen!
During my work experience the most common feeling i had was an awkwardness of not fitting into the surroundings. It was alright when i was with others but on those placements where it was just me, it felt very awkward especially since patients and other people working there would just stare at you!
Here are some advice that i have for those who may be faced with this situation:
1.SMILE
2.Don't hesitate to offer any help, even if it just to pull out a seat or to even hold a door open
3.Do not be afraid to ask your doctor/Whoever is in charge of you questions, if you don't ask and end up making a mistake, you'll seem even more of a fool!
4.Dress appropriately. While i am not implying you wear a suit. it would be advisable to dress in work wear
5.Make full use of your time and LOOK. Even if you have been standing for 4 hours straight, try to make full use of your time and see what's going on around you, how are the patients looking, how is the doctor interacting with his colleagues, what would you do if you were in the patients'/doctor's/nurses' position? What can you learn?
And as I said before,keep a work experience diary to ensure you remember what you have seen!
Interviews
Interviews, the most important part of your application, it will either make or break you!
There are mainly 2 types:
1.MMI
The Multiple Mini Interview. Some say that it is like speed dating and for me it was all good fun!
I think that the key to doing well for this interview would be:
1.Move on. You will have a lot of time to mull over your performance AFTER your interview, but while you are still doing the interview, just forget about how you did in the previous station, it is for the better
2.Follow instructions. Since there will be a lot of movement, it is very easy for you to feel really lost so it is important that you read whatever instructions you are given and follow them, it won't help if you lose your cool!
3.Don't hesitate. Because you will be under timed conditions, you will have to complete the task/answer the questions the best you can within the given time frame so use the time wisely!
I posted some resources I found/used on TSR (here is the link: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1845730&page=84&p=40978175&highlight=#post40978175)
Also, it might be helpful for you to have some practice using some of the sample questions.
Additionally, here is some advice I gave to someone based on my own personal experience in preparing for such an interview on the different aspects of it:
Roleplay:
there's a variety:
-breaking bad news to people(refer to SPIKES framework- http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.o...t/5/4/302.full, use it as a general kind of method, not just for breaking news on cancer)
-Listening to a troubled person/comforting someone(use these empathetic statements as examples: I can see how upsetting this is for you,I can tell you weren't expecting to hear this,I know this is not good news for you,I'm sorry to have to tell you this,I can understand how you felt this way,I guess anyone might have the same reaction,You are perfectly correct to think that way
-Calming an angered person down(NEVER EVER SAY 'everything will be alright'/'stop crying'/'don't worry' use the same statements as above, always put yourself in their shoes, and keep your eyes on that person
-Handling a person who has a visual/hearing/verbal impairment.(you should/would be given something to help in your communication so use it to your advantage!)
For answering questions and explaining your thoughts, it'll probably be personality questions so you might want to have mock interviews to practise that
Practical tasks, here are a few possible ones:
-Helping a person complete a puzzle/activity(that person may have a physical disadvantage or smth)-for these types of stations, don't just focus on completing the section, if there are people involved, think of the people first. Like, make sure the person is comfortable and involved in the activity, think like a teacher who is taking care of kids in this case, if you get what i mean.
-communicating
you may have to communicate an idea to someone , for example, you look at a drawing and you have to try to get a person who is looking away from you to replicate it
-working with someone
this may be hard, you may have to try to encourage someone to do something /work as a team , or you may even have to act as a mediator
you may also want to do some lateral thinking exercises, just google them and do them, they help open your mind!(:
http://www.medical-interviews.co.uk/Multi-Mini-Interviews-MMI-St-Georges.aspx ---> here are some more examples
2.Panel/discussion
This would usually consist of varying people(eg; admissions tutors/doctors/health care professionals/medical students)
This would be the more 'traditional' interview method, there are many tips and resources you can find for such interviews out there.
Here are some that i used :
http://www.medical-interviews.co.uk/interview-questions-medical-school-interviews.aspx
http://www.getintomedicine.co.uk/interview.php
http://www.apply2medicine.co.uk/medical-school-application-support/free-resources-1/free-medical-interview-questions.html
http://www.slideserve.com/pollyjose/medical-school-interview-powerpoint
Youtube-Kevin Ahern's guide to acing your medical school interview(AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!)
I think the best way to do well in a panel interview would be to keep calm!The interviewers will definietely understand that you are feeling nervous and they will definitely do their best to calm you down so you have to respond to that too and try to be at ease as the interview goes on!
If you are ever met with a difficult question, a good way of 'buying' time would be to say: "Well, that is an interesting question, could I have some time to think about that?" But don't use that too many times because your interviewers will not be impressed if you seem like you can't think on your feet,
If you are asked an impossibly hard question, try not to let panic be your first response. Always try to keep yourself calm and trat the interview as a learning process and just admit it if you are not sure and then ask for the right question.
Always prepare for questions on your personal statement!
How to handle ethical questions:
1. If the situation is quite long, consider repeating the key points of the given situation to make sure you got everything and also to buy yourself some time
2.Do not start off by giving your view, save that for the last!
3.Consider all aspects of the situation(Who is involved? What are the possible outcomes? etc;)
Always aim to give a balanced view.It may be useful for you to read up on certain medical ethics.(http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance.asp would be a useful read)
This website also covers many ethical issues and i personally found it very useful when preparing for my interview:http://medicalschoolinterviewstheknowledge.wordpress.com/
Here are some books which i found particularly useful:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-School-Interviews-Practical-Questions/dp/1905812043/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362258297&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeed-Your-Medical-School-Interview/dp/0749461381/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362258297&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-School-Interviews-Need-Knowledge/dp/0957290403/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362258297&sr=8-3
Once again, I have NOT been paid by any company/person to write any of these things, what i wrote was based on my own experience and what i personally found really useful
Feel free to contact me @ lovebullets1995@gmail.com if you have any questions
There are mainly 2 types:
1.MMI
The Multiple Mini Interview. Some say that it is like speed dating and for me it was all good fun!
I think that the key to doing well for this interview would be:
1.Move on. You will have a lot of time to mull over your performance AFTER your interview, but while you are still doing the interview, just forget about how you did in the previous station, it is for the better
2.Follow instructions. Since there will be a lot of movement, it is very easy for you to feel really lost so it is important that you read whatever instructions you are given and follow them, it won't help if you lose your cool!
3.Don't hesitate. Because you will be under timed conditions, you will have to complete the task/answer the questions the best you can within the given time frame so use the time wisely!
I posted some resources I found/used on TSR (here is the link: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1845730&page=84&p=40978175&highlight=#post40978175)
Also, it might be helpful for you to have some practice using some of the sample questions.
Additionally, here is some advice I gave to someone based on my own personal experience in preparing for such an interview on the different aspects of it:
Roleplay:
there's a variety:
-breaking bad news to people(refer to SPIKES framework- http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.o...t/5/4/302.full, use it as a general kind of method, not just for breaking news on cancer)
-Listening to a troubled person/comforting someone(use these empathetic statements as examples: I can see how upsetting this is for you,I can tell you weren't expecting to hear this,I know this is not good news for you,I'm sorry to have to tell you this,I can understand how you felt this way,I guess anyone might have the same reaction,You are perfectly correct to think that way
-Calming an angered person down(NEVER EVER SAY 'everything will be alright'/'stop crying'/'don't worry' use the same statements as above, always put yourself in their shoes, and keep your eyes on that person
-Handling a person who has a visual/hearing/verbal impairment.(you should/would be given something to help in your communication so use it to your advantage!)
For answering questions and explaining your thoughts, it'll probably be personality questions so you might want to have mock interviews to practise that
Practical tasks, here are a few possible ones:
-Helping a person complete a puzzle/activity(that person may have a physical disadvantage or smth)-for these types of stations, don't just focus on completing the section, if there are people involved, think of the people first. Like, make sure the person is comfortable and involved in the activity, think like a teacher who is taking care of kids in this case, if you get what i mean.
-communicating
you may have to communicate an idea to someone , for example, you look at a drawing and you have to try to get a person who is looking away from you to replicate it
-working with someone
this may be hard, you may have to try to encourage someone to do something /work as a team , or you may even have to act as a mediator
you may also want to do some lateral thinking exercises, just google them and do them, they help open your mind!(:
http://www.medical-interviews.co.uk/Multi-Mini-Interviews-MMI-St-Georges.aspx ---> here are some more examples
2.Panel/discussion
This would usually consist of varying people(eg; admissions tutors/doctors/health care professionals/medical students)
This would be the more 'traditional' interview method, there are many tips and resources you can find for such interviews out there.
Here are some that i used :
http://www.medical-interviews.co.uk/interview-questions-medical-school-interviews.aspx
http://www.getintomedicine.co.uk/interview.php
http://www.apply2medicine.co.uk/medical-school-application-support/free-resources-1/free-medical-interview-questions.html
http://www.slideserve.com/pollyjose/medical-school-interview-powerpoint
Youtube-Kevin Ahern's guide to acing your medical school interview(AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!)
I think the best way to do well in a panel interview would be to keep calm!The interviewers will definietely understand that you are feeling nervous and they will definitely do their best to calm you down so you have to respond to that too and try to be at ease as the interview goes on!
If you are ever met with a difficult question, a good way of 'buying' time would be to say: "Well, that is an interesting question, could I have some time to think about that?" But don't use that too many times because your interviewers will not be impressed if you seem like you can't think on your feet,
If you are asked an impossibly hard question, try not to let panic be your first response. Always try to keep yourself calm and trat the interview as a learning process and just admit it if you are not sure and then ask for the right question.
Always prepare for questions on your personal statement!
How to handle ethical questions:
1. If the situation is quite long, consider repeating the key points of the given situation to make sure you got everything and also to buy yourself some time
2.Do not start off by giving your view, save that for the last!
3.Consider all aspects of the situation(Who is involved? What are the possible outcomes? etc;)
Always aim to give a balanced view.It may be useful for you to read up on certain medical ethics.(http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance.asp would be a useful read)
This website also covers many ethical issues and i personally found it very useful when preparing for my interview:http://medicalschoolinterviewstheknowledge.wordpress.com/
Here are some books which i found particularly useful:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-School-Interviews-Practical-Questions/dp/1905812043/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362258297&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succeed-Your-Medical-School-Interview/dp/0749461381/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362258297&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-School-Interviews-Need-Knowledge/dp/0957290403/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362258297&sr=8-3
Once again, I have NOT been paid by any company/person to write any of these things, what i wrote was based on my own experience and what i personally found really useful
Feel free to contact me @ lovebullets1995@gmail.com if you have any questions
Friday, 1 March 2013
Work experience
This is a HUGE part in your preparation to applying to medical school!(for your interview and Personal Statement!)
Start early and start arranging for work experience really really early(preferably right after you read this post!)
Here are some places where you can look for work experience/voluntary work:
GP
Hospitals-nurses, physiotherapist,radiologist,specialist, junior doctor,consultant
Hospices
Care homes
Charity shops(eg: Oxfam)
Youth-related programmes(eg, tutoring children form less fortunate backgrounds )
Here are some useful websites:
Start early and start arranging for work experience really really early(preferably right after you read this post!)
Here are some places where you can look for work experience/voluntary work:
GP
Hospitals-nurses, physiotherapist,radiologist,specialist, junior doctor,consultant
Hospices
Care homes
Charity shops(eg: Oxfam)
Youth-related programmes(eg, tutoring children form less fortunate backgrounds )
Here are some useful websites:
vinspired.com
Personally, i decided to invest in a company called Gapmedics and i have to say i was really happy with what i got. Gapmedics really gave me the experience that i needed and i really enjoyed myself for the 2 weeks I was in Chiangmai!
Some tips before you go on a trip with them:
1.Make sure you are clear in what you say you expect for the placements(do you want to see surgeries? Pathology labs? A&E?)
2. Have fun, but not TOO much! remember, ultimately , you are there to gain work experience after all!)
3.Try to keep a work experience diary, you'll be doing many things and seeing many interesting things so try to note them all down so you can remember them really clearly when it comes to writing your personal statement or even your interview!
Feel free to email me @ lovebullets1995@gmail.com if you want more information about my experience and also the diary i kept on my experience with gapmedics if you need help in deciding if you should go for it or not!
UKCAT
Alright, so now i shall talk about the UKCAT, the UK Clinical Aptitude Test.
It consists of 5 Sections:
1. Verbal Reasoning
2. Quantitative Reasoning
3.Abstract Reasoning
4.Decision Analysis
5.Situational Judgement Test
I shall approach each section and explain each of them and give some of my own tips:
1.Verbal Reasoning
You are given about 30s for each question.
You are given 3 options: True , False and Can't Tell.
You have to choose an option from the 3 after reading a statement about the passage given. You are given about 5-6 passages. This was the most difficult section to me because it requires very effective reading and also good decision making. SO my tips for this section would probably be to NOT READ the entire passage and use the key words from the questions and then find those same words in the passage and then read the sentence before and after the sentence in which the words are found it. IF you are not sure of your answer, always FLAG the question and move on, come back to it afterwords.
2.Quantitative reasoning
It is impossible to do 40 math questions in the given time. The trick of this is to pick out the easiest questions and do them!
Practise and learn how to choose what is a difficult question to not do and which are easier .
3.Abstract Reasoning
There is nothing much you can do for this except practise. It is about pattern recognition. You are given to sets of patterns and you are given a box in which there is a pattern and you are to make a decision as to whether it belongs to set A ,B or neither. This one's all about practice!
4.Decision Analysis
For this, you will be given codes and their translations in English.
There are three types of questions:
Code to English
English to Code
Choose a word that you think needs to be coded
The best way to do this section is really to write everything out, do not do them mentally.
5.Situational Judgement Test
You will be given scenarios and you would be given a range of responses to choose from. The best way to this is probably just to be honest, you will probably have a hard time trying to decide which is the most politically right answer!!
So here are some general tips for the UKCAT:
1.Practice practice PRACTICE!!!!!!
2.Start early in your preparation and do it in moderation
3. Do not be overconfident for it
4. If you can afford it/ are in the UK, attend the KAPLAN course for the UKCAT, it really was effective!(for me at least:/)
5. Start off with books and then use online resources about a month before your test
Here are some resources for the UKCAT that i used and found useful:
books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/into-Medical-School-comprehensive-explanations/dp/1905812094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-1 (600 UKCAT book aka The Bible)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/UKCAT-For-Dummies-Chris-Chopdar/dp/1119965845/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Score-Higher-UKCAT-questions-Medicine/dp/0199698287/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Master-UKCAT-Practice-Questions/dp/0749463376/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-5
online resources:
http://www.medify.co.uk/ukcat (AWESOME AWESOME RESOURCE)
http://www.emedica.co.uk/ukcat.html
It consists of 5 Sections:
1. Verbal Reasoning
2. Quantitative Reasoning
3.Abstract Reasoning
4.Decision Analysis
5.Situational Judgement Test
I shall approach each section and explain each of them and give some of my own tips:
1.Verbal Reasoning
You are given about 30s for each question.
You are given 3 options: True , False and Can't Tell.
You have to choose an option from the 3 after reading a statement about the passage given. You are given about 5-6 passages. This was the most difficult section to me because it requires very effective reading and also good decision making. SO my tips for this section would probably be to NOT READ the entire passage and use the key words from the questions and then find those same words in the passage and then read the sentence before and after the sentence in which the words are found it. IF you are not sure of your answer, always FLAG the question and move on, come back to it afterwords.
2.Quantitative reasoning
It is impossible to do 40 math questions in the given time. The trick of this is to pick out the easiest questions and do them!
Practise and learn how to choose what is a difficult question to not do and which are easier .
3.Abstract Reasoning
There is nothing much you can do for this except practise. It is about pattern recognition. You are given to sets of patterns and you are given a box in which there is a pattern and you are to make a decision as to whether it belongs to set A ,B or neither. This one's all about practice!
4.Decision Analysis
For this, you will be given codes and their translations in English.
There are three types of questions:
Code to English
English to Code
Choose a word that you think needs to be coded
The best way to do this section is really to write everything out, do not do them mentally.
5.Situational Judgement Test
You will be given scenarios and you would be given a range of responses to choose from. The best way to this is probably just to be honest, you will probably have a hard time trying to decide which is the most politically right answer!!
So here are some general tips for the UKCAT:
1.Practice practice PRACTICE!!!!!!
2.Start early in your preparation and do it in moderation
3. Do not be overconfident for it
4. If you can afford it/ are in the UK, attend the KAPLAN course for the UKCAT, it really was effective!(for me at least:/)
5. Start off with books and then use online resources about a month before your test
Here are some resources for the UKCAT that i used and found useful:
books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/into-Medical-School-comprehensive-explanations/dp/1905812094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-1 (600 UKCAT book aka The Bible)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/UKCAT-For-Dummies-Chris-Chopdar/dp/1119965845/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Score-Higher-UKCAT-questions-Medicine/dp/0199698287/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Master-UKCAT-Practice-Questions/dp/0749463376/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1362144496&sr=8-5
online resources:
http://www.medify.co.uk/ukcat (AWESOME AWESOME RESOURCE)
http://www.emedica.co.uk/ukcat.html
http://www.getintomedicine.co.uk/ukcat-tutorials.php(
free website that has UKCAT practice, I suggest that you use this first
because it is not an onscreen test)
http://www.kaptest.co.uk/ukcat/practice-questions(
you can download their free practice questions I highly suggest that if you can
afford the time and money to attend this course as it is highly beneficial to
your confidence as well as your level of prepared-ness, book early!)
http://www.psychometric-success.com/downloads/download-practice-tests.htm
(this is not directly related to the UKCAT but it is very good for just casual
practice-its free !)
For more online
tests(that may or may not be directly to the ukcat test but will be highly
beneficial, please refer to the following website:
I have not been paid to advertise for any companies! All this is just based on my experiences!!
Email me @ lovebullets1995@gmail.com if you have any questions!!(:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)