How Universities Consider the UCAT

For those of you seeking entry into a medical school in New Zealand, the UCAT exam is mandatory. This is a highly-established clinical admissions test that is recognized by leading universities in other countries as well.

Different Marks for Sections

The UCAT is a computer-based test that presents 233 questions to students in the stipulated time of two hours. There are four main sections - verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning and abstract reasoning, each with a different number of questions and different time allocated. It is important to choose the best UCAT coaching and practice a lot of test examples before appearing for this exam.

Since all the sections have different numbers of questions, it’s not possible to compare the absolute marks in each. Instead, the system translates your results into scaled marks between a range of 300 and 900 marks. The entire exam generates a total of scaled marks that range between 1,200 and 3,600.

You get one mark for every right answer in each of the sections, with the exception of the decision-making section. In this section, some questions may carry two marks. For these, you get one mark if your answer is partially correct. There is an additional section on the situational judgment that follows a different scoring methodology.

Apart from this, different universities follow different systems for considering your scores. Let’s have a look at this.

One Cutoff System

New Zealand universities consider the UCAT score as a significant factor for admission into medical and dental degree courses. Many of these medical schools consider the total score. They decide on a cutoff mark for offering admission and this mark could vary from year to year. You can find out about the cutoff mark for different universities on the respective website.

There are various guidelines to follow to seek admission and the best source of such information is a good UCAT coaching institute, like iCanMed, which not only prepares you with UCAT test questions but also gives you advice on other aspects of medical college admission.

Separate Cutoffs for Individual Subtests

Some universities set an individual cutoff for each subtest, rather than considering your overall score. This is tougher to meet a criterion, as you need to perform well in all sections of the UCAT questions and answers. Practicing regularly with UCAT test examples can help improve your skills in all sections.

The Band Scored in Situational Judgement

For this atypical section, the scoring is in bands ranging from 1 to 4, with 1 being the best and 4 being the lowest band. Some universities reject the application of candidates having band 3 and 4 in this section.

Look for as many free UCAT practice tests you can find online. Keep practicing to improve your chances of being selected by a New Zealand university. 

Tips for Improving Your Body Language for a Medical Interview

Humans are the only species that can talk. But speech is not the only way in which we communicate. Apart from language, we use gestures, facial expressions, the tone of voice and signs to get our thoughts across to others. In fact, more than 50% of communication comprises of body language, says professor of psychology at UCLA, Albert Mehrabian. So, make sure that your medical interview training includes sessions on improving your non-verbal communication.

A UCAT interview call brings anxiety along with excitement. So, your medicine interview course should not only help you brush up your knowledge but also inculcate the right body language.

Medical School Interview Preparation: Tips for Improving Non-Verbal Communication

Join a Reputed Medical School Interview Coaching Program: A professional medical school interview course will include several mock interviews. It’s a great idea to practice answering questions with the right voice modulation, tone, and volume. Practicing also helps control your stress and feel more confident and comfortable. This is automatically reflected in your body language.

Remember to Smile: Did you know that a smile can release neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which boost your mood. Smiling will not only elevate your mood but also have a positive impact on the mood of interviewers as they smile back at you. So, remember to smile when you enter the room as well as during the interview.

Practice a Good Handshake: Your handshake is the first real connection you make with your interviewers and it can communicate a lot about you. Ensure that your right hand is free before entering the room. A handshake should be from thump to thump. Don’t just touch the fingers. Hold the other person’s, entire palm. This shows confidence. Ensure that your handshake is firm, not limp. At the same time, don’t squeeze too hard, as this conveys your nervousness.

Avoid Fidgeting When Sitting: Sit firmly and straight, with your back against the chair. Do not lean backward, as this shows boredom or arrogance. Place your hands on your lap. You should use your hands for gesturing but position them back on your lap when you’re done. Avoid touching your face or hair. Keep your feet on the ground. Don’t shake your legs or stamp your feet. Resisting the temptation to move your hands and legs is something you should practice during your medical interview training.

The other things that your medicine interview course will teach you is to maintain eye contact, while not staring too hard. You will also learn things like keeping your portfolio on the desk and your bag on the floor.

To perform better at your UCAT interview, you need medical interview training from a reputed and experienced institute like ICanMed. Such an institute can provide you many other tips during your medical school interview preparation.

4 Simple Study Tips for UCAT Preparation

With UCAT exam replacing the UMAT exam from 2019, every student planning to apply for most of the medical or dentistry courses in Australia and New Zealand needs to sit for UCAT.

The Universal Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), aims to help universities in selecting applicants who have highly suitable attitudes, professional behaviours, and mental abilities which are a must for medical field professionals.

While most students rely on professional UCAT courses for exam preparation, self-studying is still one of the most important steps to succeed. Here are 4 simple tips to help you study for UCAT.

 

1. Time Management is Key to UCAT Preparation

With 5 different subtests to take care of, it is common for a lot of students to waste their time panicking. This can be avoided by effective time management. Based on the duration left for the exam, plan your preparations accordingly to make sure that every subject gets adequate time. Know the subjects that you are weak in and focus on them during your UCAT tutoring.

 

2. Understand the UCAT Question Format

UCAT tests your skills and not your knowledge. As a result, the questions in the test are generally very different from what you might have experienced at universities and schools. This makes it very important for every student to clearly understand the format of questions in each of the 5 subtests. Go through practice papers on a regular basis to familiarize yourself with the paper format.

 

3. Practice with Friends

While self-studying is crucial, things can easily get very boring after some time. To make the preparations more interesting, try to practice the questions with friends from UCAT prep course. Try to answer the questions together, go through answer explanations, and ask questions to each other to keep boredom at bay.

 

4. Practice Tests in Simulated Conditions Can Be Very Helpful

Most of the UCAT courses will require you to sit for practice tests under simulated conditions. The importance of these tests couldn't be stressed enough. It is only under simulated conditions that you will get to experience the actual time pressures that you will be facing during the exam. Also, get used to the computer-based platform that is used for UCAT during the preparations.

 

While there is no denying that UCAT is one of the most challenging exams in the medical profession, you can excel with the right approach and preparation. Look for a reputed institute like iCanMed, which offers comprehensive UCAT preparation courses and provides you with assistance and guidance every step of the way.