ebook img

BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered: A Guide to Medical School Entrance Exams PDF

331 Pages·2013·5.66 MB·English
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered: A Guide to Medical School Entrance Exams

BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered: A Guide to Medical School Entrance Exams T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody and H. W. Woodward © 2008 by T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody, H. W. Woodward. ISBN: 978-1-4051-6918-9 Dedication To our parents for life, love and learning Acknowledgements We would like to thank: Our teachers for inspiring us; Karen Sayal and our students for their valuable feedback; Russ Daff for his illustrations; Ian Stannard and Paul Maddren at Christs Hospital for support and encouragement; Mary Banks and her team at Wiley-Blackwell. BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered A guide to medical school entrance exams BY T. O. Osinowo R. A. Weerakkody H. W. Woodward A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition fi rst published 2008, © 2008 by T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody, H. W. Woodward BMJ Books is an imprint of BMJ Publishing Group Limited, used under licence by Blackwell Publishing which was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing programme has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientifi c, Technical and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered offi ce: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial offi ces: 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, USA For details of our global editorial offi ces, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www. wiley.com/wiley-blackwell The right of the author to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The contents of this work are intended to further general scientifi c research, understanding, and discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or promoting a specifi c method, diagnosis, or treatment by physicians for any particular patient. The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifi cally disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of fi tness for a particular purpose. In view of ongoing research, equipment modifi cations, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant fl ow of information relating to the use of medicines, equipment, and devices, the reader is urged to review and evaluate the information provided in the package insert or instructions for each medicine, equipment, or device for, among other things, any changes in the instructions or indication of usage and for added warnings and precautions. Readers should consult with a specialist where appropriate. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. No warranty may be created or extended by any promotional statements for this work. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any damages arising herefrom. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Osinowo, T. O. BMAT and UKCAT uncovered : a guide to medical school entrance exams / by T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody, H. W. Woodward p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 978-1-4051-6918-9 1. UK Clinical Aptitude Test—Study guides. 2. BioMedical Admissions Test—Study guides. I. Weerakkody, R. A. II. Woodward, H. W. (Harry W.) III. Title. [DNLM: 1. Schools, Medical—Great Britain—Examination Questions. 2. Education, Medical—Great Britain—Examination Questions. 3. School Admission Criteria—Great Britain— Examination Questions. W 18.2 O82b 2008] R838.5.O85 2008 610.71(cid:1)141—dc22 2008023444 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Set in Meridien 9.5/12 by Charon Tec Ltd., A Macmillan Company. Printed in Singapore by Markono 1 2008 Contents Foreword, vii Preface, ix Chapter 1 Quantitative Analysis for the BMAT and the UKCAT, 1 Chapter 2 Critical Analysis for the BMAT and the UKCAT, 59 Chapter 3 Scientifi c Knowledge and Application for the BMAT, 99 Chapter 4 The Writing Task for the BMAT, 147 Chapter 5 Abstract Reasoning for the UKCAT, 169 Chapter 6 Decision Analysis for the UKCAT, 183 Chapter 7 BMAT Practice Papers, 189 Chapter 8 UKCAT Practice Papers, 251 Chapter 9 Solutions, 313 Index, 325 v Foreword Selecting students for a medical school education is, perhaps understand- ably, very diffi cult. Medicine is a multi-faceted challenging activity requiring considerable intellectual and practical competencies as well as interpersonal skills. UK medical schools are conscious of the fact that to cope with the demands of their medical courses and subsequently become effective doc- tors, prospective students need to be of high intelligence and come equipped with nimble problem-solving minds. There has been a perception amongst those selecting prospective medical students that even the ability to get top grades in A level examinations is not a suffi cient discriminator with which to choose students of suffi cient intellectual ability to interview (when their interpersonal skills can be judged). Hence the development over the last 10 years of the BMAT and UKCAT exams by medical schools in the United Kingdom and others such as the GAMSAT in Australia. These exams are designed to test prospective medical students’ intellectual ability, quickness of thinking and reasoning ability in a manner that is rel- evant to their future work as doctors and their ability to cope with a lengthy and often demanding medical course. Proper preparation for these exams is essential, not because an unsuitable candidate can thus pass the test but to ensure that a student who is capable does not fall at this fi rst hurdle because he or she did not know what to expect. This book cannot replace all the hard work at school that is required to get good GCSE grades and A levels but should be invaluable in going the further mile that is required for medi- cal school entry. Who better to guide prospective students in this than the authors of this book, only recently faced with both the tests and the sub- sequent rigours (and joys) of the medical course in Cambridge? I can commend this book to all those who are facing medical school entrance exams and need the excellent guidance and thorough preparation which the three authors provide. This should enable a prospective student of suffi cient cognitive ability to pass this hurdle and thence pursue what many in it consider the most satisfying career possible, that is the combination of scientifi c knowledge with practical and interpersonal skills to solve the prob- lems of disease and illness. Dr Chris Allen MA MD FRCP Consultant Neurologist & previous Clinical Dean (1996–2003) University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine vii Preface When applying to medical school, we were startled to hear that we had to take a new test which was different to anything we had taken before. This test, a pilot version of the BMAT, was different because the questions tested how you actually thought and applied knowledge rather than the knowl- edge itself. It was quite unfamiliar, up until then we had been in the habit of having a syllabus and past questions for every exam we sat. Unfortunately, apart from a few sample questions on the offi cial website, there wasn’t much we could do to prepare for this new test. Needless to say, we were scared because we felt unprepared for a test in which we wanted to do our best. Since then, medical school entrance exams like the BMAT and UKCAT have been rolled out to cover most medical schools, some vet schools and some biomedical courses across the country. The same fear of the unknown which we felt so clearly is apparent in students today, because even now it is very diffi cult to prepare: after diligently scouring the internet students fi nds themselves at a loss as to what will come up and how to go about answering the questions. However, it is obvious that after initially familiaris- ing themselves with the format of the questions and developing a systematic approach they fi nd they feel more comfortable and do much better. It is therefore one of the aims of this book to unravel the basics of these exams, and to show you how it is possible to approach them effectively with only basic knowledge. The other more obvious objective is to prepare you for the exams, not by teaching tricks or gimmicks but by actually attempting to make you a better thinker. As a result although this book is written with the average applicant to the top medical schools in mind, it is suitable for any student of Thinking Skills. But this book cannot be relied on as the only thing you need to help you with these tests. It is meant to serve as a kick-start or springboard to set you on a journey of exercising your thinking faculties. This has several implications: 1 You should read the whole book cover-to-cover several times over, regardless of which exam you intend to sit. You are advised to do this because many of the more subtle points are easily missed on fi rst approach. 2 Because this book is about Thinking Skills, conventional rote-learning approaches will not work: to get the best, you have to think. It is created to be more of a workbook than a textbook, with questions and sugges- ix tions to pique your interest and stimulate thought. Many questions in the book remain unanswered: the reason for this is to stimulate discussion and debate, using the book with your friends and teachers. 3 This also means that you will need and should want to go beyond this book, searching for other resources, and expanding the quality of the prac- tice you acquire. So the earlier you read and digest this book, the better. You may fi nd visiting our website www.cambridgethinking.com helpful. What is the BMAT? The BMAT (Biomedical Admissions Test) is a 2-hour exam composed of three sections introduced by several medical schools, including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, University College London and the Royal Veteri- nary College, which tests: ● Section 1 (60 minutes): Problem solving and data handling, critical think- ing and comprehension. ● Section 2 (30 minutes): Scientifi c knowledge (the core syllabuses of GCSE science and maths) with a focus on its application, rather than factual recall. ● Section 3 (30 minutes): Written communication in response to a stimulus question. What is the UKCAT? The UKCAT (United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test) is a 2-hour exam intro- duced by the majority of the other medical schools in the United Kingdom. It is administered in test centres around the country and is computer based. The sections of the UKCAT are: ● Verbal Reasoning (22 minutes): Comprehension and inference. ● Quantitative Reasoning (22 minutes): Calculations and data handling. ● Abstract Reasoning (16 minutes): Spatial problem solving. ● Decision Analysis (30 minutes): Decoding and encoding messages. ● Non-Cognitive Analysis (30 minutes): Psychometric test in a question- naire style. These serve as a summary, and you are encouraged to look at the offi cial websites for both these tests for the latest up to date information. How to use the book The layout of the book has been chosen to allow ease of use. There are four main sections: 1 The core two chapters cover numeracy and verbal skills required by every candidate. Quantitative analysis for the BMAT and the UKCAT xi 2 The BMAT-specifi c chapters cover Sections 2 and 3 of the BMAT. 3 The UKCAT-specifi c chapters cover Abstract Reasoning and Decision Analysis for the UKCAT. 4 The Question Papers for the BMAT and UKCAT. Candidates who wish to prepare exclusively for either the BMAT alone or the UKCAT alone need only read the core two chapters plus the sections rel- evant to their exam, but we believe you will gain even more by reading the whole book irrespective of which exam you are sitting. Finally, although this book is primarily aimed at prospective medical and veterinary school applicants, the Thinking Skills required for the BMAT and UKCAT are increasingly becoming a requirement in many other tests (e.g. the LNAT for prospective lawyers, the TSA for prospective computer scien- tists and even tests by graduate recruiters for large corporate employers) as well as life in general. This book may therefore have a wider forum. Enjoy! T. O. Osinowo R. A. Weerakkody H.W. Woodward www.cambridgethinking.com CHAPTER 1 Quantitative analysis for the BMAT and the UKCAT Part A: First glance Problem solving is an essential and common skill. In everyday life, it is a process that makes us stop and think because it is a skill that usually involves deriving new knowledge or information from what we already know or have. In the context of the BMAT and UKCAT we are provided with novel problems and scenarios (usually involving quantitative data) where prior knowledge alone is insuffi cient. It is the analysis required to be able to derive a solution from the quantitative data that this chapter aims to cover. There are various steps involved in solving problems of this kind. Firstly you must pick out the relevant information from all the information you have been provided, then you must think and decide how to go about using this data to achieve the solution; fi nally you then go ahead and manipu- late the data, drawing on basic understanding and experience of how the world works, leading to your solution. → → Data Extract relevant data Determine optimum strategy for achieving → → solution Manipulate data appropriately (apply basic skills/functions) Solution. Different types of problems give emphasis to different parts of this proc- ess. Some problems will require you to decide on the most relevant data in a situation and not much else while others will test the whole range of sub-skills. Part of this process of problem solving is usually done automatically and is arguably best left that way. What you can do to improve speed and accuracy is consider the tools commonly used in solving problems; the kind of infor- mation you will be given and the basic skills and functions you have availa- ble in order to manipulate the available data. In this vein, this chapter looks at the various functions that underpin problem solving. These functions are the basic abilities everyone is presumed to have in order to be able to solve problems. Some are very basic indeed and are covered very early in formal education but it is exactly this fact – that they are basic – that seems to be the undoing of many candidates. Getting a fi rm grasp of these skills/processes BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered: A Guide to Medical School Entrance Exams T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody and H. W. Woodward © 2008 by T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody, H. W. Woodward. 1 ISBN: 978-1-4051-6918-9

See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.