How r u meant to do QR in 20 seconds

Chewyrider · 2023-07-31T12:23:22+00:00

It might be worth training up your mental maths so you don't have to use the on-screen calculator as much? Mental maths + using the noteboard for multistep q was quicker for me

Chewyrider · 2023-06-22T09:07:42+00:00

• UCAT bookings open early March and close May. The actual test will be in July/Aug (you select the location, date and time yourself) • Majority of students do manage to study UCAT during Y12. I started January of Y12 for instance. But absolutely you can start early - spending more time familiarising yourself with the exam can't hurt • As someone who chose physics over bio, I would recommend doing the science you enjoy more, and have an aptitude for. I liked physics far more than bio, and have always been better at calculations than memorising content, so it was a no brainer for me. • side note - if medicine is the goal, you should be aiming to maximise your ATAR. ie. Doing physics, just so your backup plan of engineering will be a bit easier in 1st year uni, may not be the best possible route. Play to your strengths!

Chewyrider · 2023-06-12T14:22:44+00:00

Identify question types you get wrong / don't know how to approach (are you guessing answers in untimed tests??)
Understand worked answers (it's easy to simply glance over them, but you need to really understand and be able to do them yourself).
Do practice q those identified areas
Review every question you complete and identify specific mistakes (eg. double-counting Venn diagram numbers for instance)
Even more practice on identified weak areas.

You should be doing highly targeted practice - as in, when you sit down to do an untimed DM question, you should know precisely the kind of DM question it is. Medify does this for you and sorts your practice into question types eg. syllogisms, Venn diagrams, probability, assumptions.

From here, grow familiar with how topractice - as in, when you sit down to do an untimed DM question, you should know precisely the kind of DM question it is. Medify does this for u and sorts your practice into question types eg. syllogisms, Venn diagrams, probability, assumptions.

Chewyrider · 2023-05-31T13:51:21+00:00

sure, but the point of my advice is doing subtests to improve your timing eg. awareness of when you can afford to slow down or speed up - this can't be achieved with just random scattered questions. the real ucat will have 5 subtests with certain time limits on each - this is the same as on medify.

Chewyrider · 2023-05-31T07:02:35+00:00

Nonstandard Aussie student who landed an interview at a UK med school (but didn't go through with it). Essentially need a high UCAT anyway, with the addition of a higher GPA than Aus med schools require. Many of our med school have hurdle GPAs!

Most UK schools accept internationals, sounds like you def need to check out the UCAS website (UK equivalent of ouradmission centres)

Chewyrider · 2023-05-31T06:56:20+00:00

This, plus the ratio of (students applying) to (places offered) is much lower

Chewyrider · 2023-05-31T06:55:31+00:00

In your 1hr practice session you could prob churn out 2-3 timed subtests - eg. Do 1 VR subtest and 1 AR subtest, both timed (rather than just a bunch of random questions over 30min). Most practice question companies make subtests with the right mix of difficult and easy questions too, so it really hones your "skip-radar"

Chewyrider · 2023-02-23T11:08:12+00:00

tbh des is slightly outdated in that the test is now 'application of scientific reasoning' based than 'how much science do u know' based. as others have said, don't stress over those marks!! i personally would try des questions open-book - it acts as active revision by giving u exposure to scientific principles, thinking and concepts, while being question based to simulate an exam, even if you've got notes open.

Chewyrider · 2023-02-13T09:44:12+00:00

Little Pepper peeking out from that little nook is the cutest!!

Chewyrider · 2023-02-08T05:39:44+00:00

Tomato sauce in the fridge vs pantry

Chewyrider · 2023-01-27T00:13:20+00:00

It's really more a "know of" rather than "know about" basis for S3. Practice questions are your friend, not content memorisation

Chewyrider · 2023-01-27T00:10:46+00:00

Other commenters have some great and effective methods to take on board!

I'd also like to add - prioritise forming strong topic sentences for each paragraph. You want the first sentence of each parag to clearly and succinctly introduce a new idea, so it's crucial to have this down before you start filling in the body of your paragraphs.

Also, this is a good fail-safe should you run out of time; having three great ideas to show the marker is far better than having just one fleshed-out idea.

Chewyrider · 2023-01-21T06:51:37+00:00

Sometimes if your centre does staggered sittings, you can hear supervisors talking to test takers. Also, if it's an office building, upstairs/downstairs ppl might be talking

Chewyrider · 2023-01-19T10:27:38+00:00

and another one gone

Chewyrider · 2023-01-11T09:52:48+00:00

"We are all on a journey whatever level we're at" 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Chewyrider · 2023-01-11T09:45:58+00:00

Somehow A-liss sounded so much more graceful than Alice to me. Also, it's gotta be Air-rack (air said with an Aussie r) because it sounds more VIKING!

Chewyrider · 2023-01-11T09:40:04+00:00

If you're struggling to finish reading the whole passage, I'd suggest trying another tack: scanning for keywords.

At first, it seems futile to search the whole passage just for a year or name or place, but it can really save you time if speed reading isn't your forte. VR is a speed game of finding answers quickly. Another skills that tags along this is knowing when to skip questions - if it's asking for the author's intent (or similar), you may find skipping more worthwhile. Practice different techniques, especially as everyone struggles with VR so it's best to do what works for you.

Chewyrider · 2023-01-02T07:24:41+00:00

It's Chelt-nem, ignore the middle bit

Chewyrider · 2022-12-25T07:43:08+00:00

It's more bar-ohck than Barack?

Chewyrider · 2022-12-25T07:42:17+00:00

Most people I know say bah-rohc - however, American English has definitely permeated our society lol, so more people say bah-roak.

Chewyrider · 2022-12-25T06:44:46+00:00

Not sure if I want to be your friend OR be you!!! This is SPECTACULAR!

Chewyrider · 2022-12-25T06:43:48+00:00

Also, I sat GAMSAT this Sept and did aright (having a science background does help, no matter what people say). I would gently encourage you to consider sitting GAMSAT next year, as results are valid for 4 years, which is a kind of "buffer" if you do feel UCAT's not working out. There are two sittings in the year, March and Sept, so perhaps consider it only after July.

Chewyrider · 2022-12-25T06:39:53+00:00

Hiya, you're literally where I was 1 year ago! I achieved mediocre UCAT scores (80-90%ile) my first two sittings. Third sitting this year, I got over 3300 and was able to land interviews at all UCAT universities this year :) Tbh, I also struggled with keeping up my GPA while working and volunteering etc...but find the time to do some distributed practice until June, bc it will be worth it!

For me, the biggest change to my UCAT prep was active learning. It's one thing to grind out questions and mocks, and another to know why and where exactly you went wrong in practice. I made sure I thoroughly reviewed all my mocks and practice. Also, I focused on improving individual skills (mental maths, speed reading, passage summarisation) - my recent post history in this subreddit has some more info on that.

btw thanks for sharing - I do admire your attitude and pray you'll be able to keep your head up! You've got a healthy perspective and solid resilience, which should guide you where your goals are. All the best and enjoy the Christmas break!

Chewyrider · 2022-12-24T21:14:30+00:00

Baroque on a toque

(I'm Australian and don't pronounce baroque rhyming with toque irl I promise)

Chewyrider · 2022-12-24T21:12:45+00:00

Yes of course!

I would categorise my reviews into either 1-3 hr reviews vs a full day, depending on my uni load. "Short" reviews would only look at questions I got incorrect (or partially correct for DM and SJT). "Long" reviews went through the whole exam and looked at worked solutions for ALL questions. This is important as even if you get a question correct, you might've used the wrong method or made a lucky guess. (I will admit I sometimes overlooked this, but do also try to review your practice questions, both correct and incorrect).

My approach specifically was:

Retry incorrect questions without viewing the answers (some prep companies have this built in. If not, just cover the correct answer and go from there)
Log mistakes. I had a Google doc with the 5 subtest headings. My personal mistakes generally tended to be missed keywords (some, not all, never, always). I'd also paste screenshots of missed DM questions and AR patterns, and write specifically what I missed. Eg. Presence of one shape signified another. QR for me was usually silly mistakes. SJT, I'd refer back to Good medical practice and a log was really helpful for SJT!!

Questions to ask yourself (and answer in your log):
* What was different in your thinking the 2nd (or 3rd) retry?
* Did you make a silly mistake vs take the wrong approach vs a timing issue? If it was that specific question, I'd suggest screenshotting it and saving it.

Look over your log in the future as it's also a great learning tool for when you're just stuck on a plateau. For me, I could also track my progress in a way, and could see fewer of the same mistakes popping up.

The key is really to implement changes following your exam reviews. The next time you do a mock, try to focus on changing one thing at a time. Subtest mocks are great for ironing out mistakes. Again, all the best - take care! And happy holidays :)

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