What exams do I need to sit to apply for medicine?

Navigating what exams you need to sit to apply for medicine can be daunting. We are here to help you will the information you need to decide what exam you need to sit and how they work. We have got you babe! 

UCAT

Website: https://www.ucat.edu.au/about-ucat-anz/

The UCAT website offers a comprehensive and user-friendly interface. We strongly recommend you read the website for details regarding registration, official resources, and important dates. This following information is a guide from the experiences of students who have previously undertaken the UCAT exam. 

The UCAT exam serves as a prerequisite for admission into undergraduate medical degrees in Australia. It utilises four cognitive subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning) and a fifth non-cognitive subtest of Situational Judgement. The aim of the UCAT exam is to examine an individual's aptitude for studying medicine or dentistry. It varies from the GAMSAT and does not test specific subjects but more skill sets.

How does it work? 

Tests can be taken in many locations in Australia, New Zealand and overseas. The booking platform usually remains open between March and May each year, with testing taking place between July and early August. Keep in mind, this is a general guide and specific dates vary each year. Once you create an account, you are required to choose a testing location, date, and time that suits you best. There are numerous locations spreading around ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, and WA. 

The examination incurs a fee of $325, while a concession rate of $199 is also available. 

The exam lasts for two hours but can vary if special considerations are required. The exam is taken on a computer in a testing centre under strict supervision. Multiple exams are administered, drawing questions from a comprehensive question bank. Each student receives a randomly selected exam, featuring questions presented in a random order from a subset of questions used within the given academic year. 

The exam is intentionally designed to present significant challenges in completing each question within the allocated time for each section. It is common for a majority of people not to complete every question within the given time. However, it is worth noting that achieving a higher number of completed and correct answers correlates with a higher score.

UCAT Subtests

• Verbal Reasoning: assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form. This section comprises 44 questions in 21 minutes. 

• Decision Making: assesses the ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information. This section comprises 29 questions in 31 minutes. 

• Quantitative Reasoning: assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form. This section comprises 36 questions in 25 minutes. 

• Abstract Reasoning: assesses the use of convergent and divergent thinking to infer relationships from information. This section comprises 50 questions in 12 minutes.

• Situational Judgement: measures the capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them. This section comprises 69 questions in 26 minutes. 

In total, there are 228 questions to complete in a space of 115 minutes. It requires rapid assessment of the question, and lots of practice to be able to complete each question in the allocated time frame. 

Preparation Resources

There are a number of preparation strategies you can use to familiarise yourself with the exam format and process. 

The first resource you should be accessing is the official UCAT website where they provide free resources and practice exams. The resources provided here are high yield, but limited. For this reason, many candidates pay a subscription fee for online study platforms. 

Some popular platforms include MedEntry, or Medify. These provide numerous practice questions and familiarisation tips, which can be particularly helpful for practice leading up to the exam. Please keep in mind that these platforms are not always necessary, as they do cost a lot of money to buy. Before committing to an online platform, we recommend joining facebook groups, YouTube lessons, and reaching out to other medical or dental students for advice or tutoring – we are always happy to help.

Tips for Studying

The most important piece of advice we can give you is to start studying early!! Begin with small familiarisation techniques, then progress to question banks as you feel more comfortable. The UCAT is an aptitude test, so some people will tell you that “you can’t study for it” which is by far the most common misconception. Getting used to the structure and pace is the most challenging part, so once you are familiar with that, you can begin practising your reading, maths, information synthesising, and rapid recall abilities. Most importantly, create a timetable that works for you and commit to regular study.

Here are some tips that we recommend trying: 

• Practice speed reading and focusing on key points for verbal reasoning, the biggest challenge with this section is the bulk of reading you have to do in such a short time. 

• Learn how to allocate time wisely (or else you will have 15 questions remaining in the final 2 minutes – it happens!). 

• Download and use a brain training app. It helps you begin thinking in a “problem solving” way, keeping your brain active and response times short. 

• Get hold of a NAPLAN, or high school level maths textbook and practice doing questions under strict timed conditions, replicating the exam situations. The maths in the UCAT exam is basic equations, pitched at high school level, but is extremely time pressured (about 41 seconds per question)!!!  Getting ‘Maths fit” is the best way to approach the ‘Quantitative reasoning’ section, especially if you haven’t studied maths for a while. 

• For ‘Situational Judgement’ the questions work on a system of: 

  • Following student codes of conduct and health laws, and 

  • Solving issues at the level it has arisen and then going to the person directly above you. Do some research into basic health care professional laws and university student codes of conduct. 

• Most importantly, a good balance of sleep, exercise, and nutrition can positively impact cognitive function, focus, and scores!! (you got this)

Scores

Most universities do not give a UCAT cut off score as they vary so much each year. We advise everyone to apply using their ATAR or GPA, regardless of your UCAT performance, as you may just surprise yourself. It’s easy to be deterred by others' opinions on your score, but we strongly encourage you to apply and give it a go. Remember, you lose nothing by giving yourself a chance. If you’re applying via the rural entry pathways, entry scores are often adjusted and the requirement is lower than metropolitan candidates. 

Please note, scores are released within 24 hours, with most appearing within the first few hours after you take your test.

Scoring Process

The UCAT scoring process involves multiple steps to ensure fairness and accuracy. Firstly, raw scores are calculated by determining the number of correct answers in each section. Scores are given on a scale with no negative marks for incorrect answers. In most sections questions are work one mark each. There are some exceptions in certain sections and they are as follows: 

1. ‘Decisions making’ – where questions with one correct answer are worth 1 mark. Questions with multiple statements are worth 2 marks (One mark is awarded to partially correct responses on the multiple-statement questions) 

2. ‘Situational judgement’ – where full marks are awarded for a question if your response matches the correct answer. Partial marks are awarded if your response is close to the correct answer. 

To account for variations in difficulty between different test versions, a process known as scaling is applied. This adjusts the raw scores to make scores from different versions equally comparable. The scores from each section are calculated, presented on a scale between 300 and 900, where higher scores indicate better performance. A final score is given between 1200 and 3600, with a separate score given for situational judgement. Additionally, each candidate is assigned a percentile rank, representing where you sit amongst the cohort of candidates who sat the exam with you (e.g. 90th percentile means you are in the top 10% of students in that section.) 

It is important to note that each university assigns different weightings to each section of the UCAT. Therefore, if you don't receive the mark you were hoping for in a particular section, there is still a possibility of receiving an interview at your preferred medical school.