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The UCAT test is two hours long. There are five subtests, and each subtest takes up a different amount of time. For every section, you get one minute to read instructions before starting to answer the questions.
Our first tip is to make sure you go into the UCAT test knowing exactly how much time you have to complete each section. By knowing this, you can work out how long to spend on each question – and if you realise that a question is taking too long, you’ll know when to guess, flag and move on.
Practice is key to boosting your UCAT score and increasing your chances of getting into Medical School.
| UCAT Section | Time for section | Number of questions |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 21 minutes (+ 1 minute of reading) | 44 questions |
| Decision Making | 31 minutes (+1 minute of reading) | 29 questions |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 25 minutes (+1 minute of reading) | 36 questions |
| Abstract Reasoning | 12 minutes (+1 minute of reading) | 50 questions |
| Situational Judgement | 26 minutes (+1 minute of reading) | 69 questions |
In the UCAT Verbal Reasoning subtest, the average timing is around 28 seconds per question. You need to practise speed reading, so you can take in key information from a passage of text as quickly as possible. If you need to re-read, you will lose valuable time!
Another good tip is that for true/false/can’t tell questions in Verbal Reasoning, you should read the question first – then scan the passage for keywords, rather than reading the whole passage first. Make a mental note of key information, e.g. if there is a date mentioned in the passage, there might be a question about it!
See more: Verbal Reasoning tips
Questions in the Decision Making section can really vary, so it’s hard to give each DM question a fixed time allowance. If the timing was divided equally per question, you would get around 64 seconds to answer each one.
One key UCAT timing tip for this section is to use your whiteboard and pen, because doing things mentally might slow you down.
The Venn diagram and logical puzzles may take longer to work out, but you can compensate for this by being quick with the on-screen calculator for the probability questions and syllogisms. Identify the type of question being asked and then decide how you will approach it time-wise.
See more: Decision Making tips
For Abstract Reasoning, the average timing is just 14 seconds per question. To answer quickly, you need to be as familiar as possible with common patterns used in this subtest. Number of shapes, sides, arrow direction and colours will be involved.
There are lots of questions to get through in a limited amount of time – so if you can’t identify patterns quickly, you’ll have to guess, flag and move on. By spending more time on one difficult pattern, you will be sacrificing easier marks from simpler patterns.
See more: Abstract Reasoning tips
In Quantitative Reasoning, the average timing is around 41 seconds per question. The maths involved in this subtest is not complicated, as it’s supposed to be GCSE level. Some questions require ‘eyeballing’ – looking at a graph to identify the tallest bar. The trap that people often fall into is spending too much time on questions which require multi-step calculations.
For example, if a question requires summation, division and then subtraction, it will obviously take longer. In these instances, it might be wise to make an educated guess or ‘guesstimate’, flag and move on, instead of devoting too much time to it and losing marks elsewhere.
Use the whiteboard in this section for any key numbers, like a total or average, in case an item within the same question requires it. Also, get used to using the UCAT calculator by completing practice questions with a UCAT Question Bank.
See more: Quantitative Reasoning tips
When it comes to Situational Judgement, you have around 22 seconds to answer each question. To make quick judgements in this subtest, make sure you understand the key traits and values of a good Doctor and can apply them to your own thinking.
By getting yourself into the mindset of a medical professional, the most appropriate answers should come naturally to you – and you won’t have to spend ages weighing up the different options to try and figure out what a good Doctor would do.
See more: Situational Judgement tips
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