Get Into Medical School – 1300 UCAT Practice Questions is the UK’s bestselling UCAT book, currently on its third edition. It was most recently updated for the 2021 UCAT exam for 2022 entry Medicine.
As the title suggests, this UCAT book contains 1300 practice questions as well as a mock exam. The questions come with in-depth explanations for each answer, plus tips and techniques to tackle each section of the UCAT.
A key strength of this UCAT book is the amount and range of questions included. However, some reviews of previous editions say that certain questions in the book (particularly Abstract Reasoning) are more difficult than they are in the actual test. You should also bear in mind that the UCAT is a computer-based test, so doing practice questions on your computer will always be more representative of the real test than answering practice questions from a book. If you choose to get this book, it would be wise to use it as an addition to (rather than a substitute for) your computer-based UCAT prep.
Score Higher On The UCAT is now on its seventh edition and was most recently updated in 2021. It includes 1500 practice questions, plus three mock tests.
Advantages of this UCAT book are that it contains a large amount of questions (more than any other UCAT book here) and comes with some online resources too. Of the three mock tests, two are in the book and one is an online test – and there are also some additional practice questions available in an online centre.
This book is more focused on practice questions than on high-level strategies, which may influence how useful you find it. Also, since the UCAT is a wholly computer-based test, it can be argued that all of your UCAT prep should be done online, in a way that reflects the real test. If you decide to use this book, we advise you to make sure you do plenty of computer-based prep as well.
Mastering The UCAT: By The Top 1% was most recently updated in 2021 and contains tips and tricks to score highly in the UCAT. It includes 500 practice questions, 5 mini mocks and 1 full mock.
This book has fewer practice questions than the two UCAT books mentioned above, but it’s still around 500 pages long and reviews suggest that it’s very thorough. At time of writing, its price is a bit higher than the other UCAT books listed here. Depending on how you learn best, you might find that you prefer to learn strategies from high-scoring medical students through a UCAT course than through a book, however.
UCAT Study Guide: Self-study Preparation Coach was published in 2021 and includes preparation strategies for the UCAT.
Unlike the other books above, this book focuses on UCAT exam theory and preparation as opposed to practice questions and answers – and for this reason it’s shorter than the other UCAT books. It’s designed to help people who don’t know where to start with their UCAT prep and/or are in need of some guidance. There is also a book called UCAT Study Guide: 30-Day Preparation Challenge by the same author, which offers a 30-day prep plan for the UCAT test.
If you prefer taking in information from books rather than online, you might find this book useful when planning your UCAT preparation. However, be aware that you can find plenty of content about how to prepare for the UCAT online – and when it comes to learning UCAT exam theory, it might be more beneficial for you to learn through an interactive UCAT course than from reading it in a book.
Because the UCAT is a computer-based test, we always advise that computer-based practice is the best approach.
With an online Question Bank, you can try lots of practice questions and see model answers to learn from your mistakes. Question Bank mock tests simulate the real test environment, so you can get used to test day conditions and incorporate the UCAT calculator into your practice. You can also track your UCAT score to monitor your progress, and even benchmark your score against other users.
UCAT books might serve as helpful additions to your UCAT prep – but remember that realistic online practice is the most sure-fire way to boost your score and prepare yourself for test day.
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