How to Master the UKCAT: Over 750 Practice Questions for the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test

401 Pages·2010·7.04 MB·English

by  Mike Bryon

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UKCAT is the abbreviated title for the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test
published by Pearson. This publication does not contain any real UKCAT questions
or test material. It has been devised first and foremost as a source of help in
preparing for the challenge of the UKCAT. The questions and advice have been
written to help real candidates pass the real test.
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Whilst the authors have made every effort to ensure that the content of this book is accurate, please note that
occasional errors can occur in books of this kind. If you suspect that an error has been made in any of the tests
included in this book, please inform the publishers at the address printed below so that it can be corrected at
the next reprint.
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of
going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however
caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of
the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or any of the authors.
First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2009 by Kogan Page Limited as How to Pass the UKCAT
Reprinted 2009 (twice)
Second edition published as How to Master the UKCAT, 2010
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic repro-
duction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside
these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:
120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241 4737/23 Ansari Road
London N1 9JN Philadelphia PA 19147 Daryaganj
United Kingdom USA New Delhi 110002
www.koganpage.com India
© Mike Bryon and Jim Clayden, 2009
© Mike Bryon, Chris Tyreman and Jim Clayden, 2010
The rights of Mike Bryon, Chris Tyreman and Jim Clayden to be identified as the authors of this work has been
asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN 978 0 7494 5690 0
E-ISBN 978 0 7494 5921 5
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bryon, Mike.
How to master the UKCAT : over 750 practice questions for the United Kingdom clinical aptitude test / Mike
Bryon, Jim Clayden, Chris John Tyreman. -- 2nd ed.
p. ; cm.
Rev. ed. of: How to pass the UKCAT / Mike Bryon and Jim Clayden. 2009.
ISBN 978-0-7494-5690-0
1. UK Clinical Aptitude Test--Study guides. I. Clayden, Jim. II. Tyreman, C. J. III. Bryon, Mike. How to pass the
UKCAT. IV. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Medicine--Great Britain--Examination Questions. 2. College Admission Test--Great Britain--
Examination Questions. W 18.2 B916h 2010]
R838.5.B79 2010
610.76--dc22
2009046645
Typeset by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby
Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd
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Contents
1 Use this book to maximize your UKCAT score 1
The computer-administered test 2
You need a good UKCAT score 2
You may also need a well-balanced score 2
Practice makes a big difference in UKCAT scores 3
Key stages in preparing 4
Things to remember on the day of the test 7
If English is not your first language 7
If you are planning to sit the UKCAT many years after studying 8
If you suffer a disability 9
2 Verbal reasoning 11
Warm up questions 12
Eight mini-tests 27
UKCAT-style timed tests 44
3 Decision analysis 65
Twenty questions on synonyms, antonyms, expanded or contracted 65
terms and terms that are similar
Thirty-three warm up questions 70
UKCAT-style decision analysis timed tests 81
4 Quantitative reasoning 107
Objectives 107
The test 107
Mini-tests 146
UKCAT-style timed tests 168
vi Contents
5 Abstract reasoning 187
Warm up questions 189
Master class questions 224
Mini-tests 240
6 Non-cognitive analysis 265
7 Answers and explanations 303
Chapter 2 303
Chapter 3 326
Chapter 4 349
Chapter 5 370
Chapter 6 381
1
1
Use this book to
maximize your UKCAT
score
If you have been searching for a way to improve your UKCAT score then you have found
it. This book provides practice to maximize your chances of getting into medical school
with over 800 questions and signposts to thousands more. Use it to get down to some
serious score-improving practice. It includes warm up material to assist the candidate
who prefers a new challenge to be broken down into its constituent parts, difficult
material to help ensure that the practice remains a challenge throughout your programme
of revision, and timed, realistic mini-tests to ensure you get right the all-important start in
a computer-adaptive test like the UKCAT.
Our aim is simply to provide everything you need to ace the test. We will not spend time
discussing why you want to be a doctor or how you might best prepare for medical
school. Instead we will focus purely on giving you the practice you need to meet the chal-
lenge of the five sub-tests that make up the UKCAT.
You should have carefully studied the very important information provided at www.
ukcat.ac.uk. You should be completely familiar with the details regarding the stated
purpose of the test, what it attempts to predict and its key features. You should follow the
online application process to the letter and regularly check your inbox for e-mails from
UKCAT. You should have already downloaded the practice questions and tests. You will
realize that the UKCAT is made up of sub-tests of verbal reasoning, decision making,
quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and non-cognitive analysis. Note that some of
the questions in each sub-test may be non-scoring, as they are being trialled for inclusion
as scoring items in future tests. You are not given any indication as to which are scoring,
so treat every question with the same determination. You should also realize that, like all
selection tests, the UKCAT is under almost constant development and so some things
2 How to master the UKCAT
may change. You will find a great deal of interesting (soft) information about the UKCAT
on forums, for example www.thestudentroom.co.uk. However, take some of the views
expressed on these sites with a largish pinch of salt.
The computer-administered test
Be sure to take the time to become entirely familiar with the way in which the UKCAT
is administered onscreen. Pay attention to, for example, how to use the onscreen
calculator in the qualitative sub-test. Be aware that diagrams on the computer screen
can be misleading, especially in the case of geometric shapes, tables and graphs, as the
screen can distort the image or the scale or both! The test author is aware of this and
will have provided sufficient information to arrive at the answer. Take note of what is
said and avoid drawing unnecessary assumptions about the appearance of a diagram,
table or graph on the screen. For example, if a shape is described as a cube but on the
screen the sides do not all seem quite equal, ignore it and treat the shape as a cube.
Equally, if a table or graph says that quantity x is the largest but on the screen it looks
as if quantity y is the same or in fact bigger, then take no notice and treat quantity x as
the largest.
You need a good UKCAT score
Competition for places at medical, dental and veterinary school and especially at the
more prestigious schools is fierce. The score range for the UKCAT is 300–900, with
500–700 being the normal range and 600 being the average mark in each section (note
that the non-cognitive paper is scored differently from the other four sub-tests). To ensure
that your score supports your application you will generally need an above-average score
in each sub-test. However, the averages are based on a very broad range. Some people
will get into the school of their choice with lower scores than others. There will not be a
minimum score that you have to achieve. The UKCAT is only one of the many assess-
ments used to decide if an applicant is to be offered a place, but it is in your interests to try
to maximize each element of your application.
You may also need a well-balanced score
Doing really well in, for example, the quantitative part of the UKCAT will compensate
for a weaker performance in the verbal parts of the test, but this compensation needs to be
within certain limits. Most schools will prefer candidates who do well across all five sub-
tests. The need for a balanced score makes it really important that candidates identify and
work to address areas of personal weakness. If you have always found maths difficult but
until now have succeeded in spite of it, it is time to correct this. You will feel more
confident and will recognize what is behind a question and the significance of the subtle
differences in the suggested answers.
Use this book to maximize your UKCAT score 3
Most UKCAT candidates will have strengths and weaknesses, but, if you believe that
you have an imbalance that may be seen as too great, make sure you start work early to
address it. Everyone can become proficient in the aptitudes examined; it is simply a
matter of giving yourself enough time to practise. It takes some candidates longer to
reach the required standard in any area of personal challenge, but given hard work and
determination everyone can realize it. It can be boring, painful even, but if you have
decided to follow a career that requires you to realize a good balanced pass in the
UKCAT then you have little alternative but to get down to some serious hard work.
Once again, if you are not prepared to put in the hard work to maximize your scores on
these tests, then it is likely that medical, dentistry or veterinary school and a related
career are not for you.
Practice makes a big difference in UKCAT scores
It is important that you realize that most people who score well in the UKCAT will have
worked hard preparing for the test. There is no secret. Studies show that those who put in
the most hours do best, whether in sport, music or academic achievement. Above all else,
this requires time and especially commitment. Without the latter it is unlikely that you
will do very well.
In addition to plain hard slog, there are also some strategies to adopt so that you are not
only working harder, but working smarter too.
Adopt a ‘no going back’ philosophy
Treat every question as a passport to fulfilling your dreams. Adopt the mindset that each
question counts, so be sure of every answer before moving on to the next. When prac-
tising, resist the temptation of going back and reviewing your answers. In the real test you
will not have time to do this, so do not hit the submit button for each answer without a
final, brief review.
Manage your time expertly
You need to work quickly through every sub-test. Sometimes you may find it difficult to
attempt all the questions in the given time. You should practise answering the questions
in this book in an average of 30 seconds per question, so that in the real test you will be
able to concentrate on the questions and take your time management for granted. Resist
wasting too much time on difficult questions.
Guess intelligently
If you do not know the answer you have little alternative but to guess. Straight guessing
offers a 20 per cent chance of getting the right answer, but remember to look at the
suggested answers to see if you can rule any out as definitely wrong. If you can, then you