UKCAT help/advice

[shepherdessbush]

DD is intending to apply for dentistry and needs to sit this in 2021. I have a few questions as I feel the school aren't going to be helpful and this is obviously new to me.

1. Can the exam be sat anytime between July-October? We usually go back home in the school holidays so I would need to rethink that if she needs to be here in the summer months.

1. Are the online courses worth taking? I was looking at one that cost £170, is this worth it or are they just repeating info that you find in the book?

Any advice or resources recommendations greatly appreciated.

Hi. UCAT usually sat between July and Oct but you can choose the date. Mine never did any courses and managed ok. Medify is the one they mostly use. You get a subscription for a few weeks so they can practice. There is also a book of questions and how to answer them - forgot the name but something like 1500 UCAT questions 😊. Practice is the key. Most do a few weeks to a month after end of year 12.

Thanks for that @mumsneedwine, so it sounds as if the courses aren't really necessary?

Mine never did one. Nor did any of her friends. They might be useful but they are certainly not necessary 😊 @shepherdessbush

Do the try out questions, if they struggle with them then the course might be a good idea. Make sure plenty of time for practice is allowed for so don't leave the practice till the last minute.

DD has done her UCAT this year. She had a Medify subscription which she had for a couple of months so that she could start doing a bit of practice a couple of months before - she would do a couple of hours once a week just to build a base.

During the last 4 weeks she also had a Medentry subscription which was around £45. It was during these 4 weeks that DD really studied hard.

The combination of these subscriptions gave her lots of questions to try, mini mocks and also full mocks.

She also used the free official UCAT mocks.

She had the book too, but liked to use the computer.

She didn't do any of the courses where you get actual instruction - just loads and loads of practice! This all served her well and she's really happy with her score.