Welcome to the UCAT Crash Course! In this introductory session we’ll cover the basics and get everyone on the same page. We’ll talk about each section briefly, how it’s scored and how universities will use your score.

This will provide a solid base for the rest of the course.

Verbal Reasoning tends to be the most time-pressured section of the UCAT. We’ll cover some time-saving strategies and go through each of the question types you will face such as “True, False, Can’t Tell” & “statement” questions.

We will also run through lots of practice questions so you can get a good feel for the section.

We’ll stop for a short breather to gather our thoughts and maybe cup of tea!

Quantitative Reasoning is pretty maths-heavy, but doesn’t go beyond GCSE level. There are broadly four question types here; Algebra, Statistics, Numbers and Geometry. We’ll run through our secret tactics for each question type, as well as some not-so-secret tips such as the calculator shortcuts.

We’ll also do some practice questions as a group for this section.

After an intensive morning, it’s time for a spot of lunch to recharge our batteries. You’ll need it!

The shapes and patterns section! Abstract Reasoning can be a tough section. Some students love it, others hate it. Either way, you’ll finish this session with a clear understanding of how to approach the questions and find the right answer. You will be familiarised with each of the patterns you can be asked about; shapes, frames and Set A/B.

Beware, you’ll be quizzed at the end!

Since Abstract Reasoning is a bit of a brain fryer, we’ll take another short break here to get ready for the next two sessions.

Decision Making is the (not so) new kid on the block for the UCAT. You have just over a minute per question, so you need to make good use of your time here. We will go through each question type you’ll be presented with and strategies you can employ to answer them quickly and correctly.

Situational Judgement is all about doing the right thing as a doctor – not always the most straightforward thing surprisingly! This will be a highly interactive session where you will be getting lots of SJT practice and guidance.

We’ll cover common questions that students get wrong, and the ones that are all but certainly going to come up.

Here’s the time to ask any burning questions you have. You are, of course, encouraged to ask questions throughout the day, but we find some time at the end of the day is helpful to reflect and consolidate what you’ve learnt.

And that’s Day 1 complete! Now you can go to sleep dreaming of the wonders of Day 2.