Australia’s New Medicine Entrance Exam

From 2019 onwards, the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) will be replacing the UMAT as part of the admission process for students interested in studying medicine and dentistry. While the UCAT is entirely new to Australian students, it has been used by a consortium of UK universities for over 10 years.

Changes from UMAT

One of the biggest differences between the UCAT and the UMAT is that the UCAT is a computerized test, where students will be invited to testing centres on an assigned date. They will also receive their results straight after their completion of the test.

Additionally, the UCAT comprises of 5 subtests as opposed to 3 in the UMAT, and consists of 233 questions with an allotted time of 2 hours. This, in particular, will prove quite challenging when compared to the UMAT, as the UCAT requires a substantially higher amount of questions to be completed in a shorter amount of time. There are 5 different subsets as seen below:

Verbal Reasoning

Decision Making

Quantitative Reasoning

• Abstract Reasoning

Situational Judgement Test

UCAT At Ace

The purpose of the UCAT is not dissimilar to the UMAT, which is to test the cognitive abilities and behavioural attributes of the candidate. The difference in structure of the UCAT necessitates a rigorous revision of teaching approaches, yet the core focuses do not change. Our team of high performing medical students and doctors has been working tirelessly to provide a comprehensive course for candidates sitting the UCAT for the first time in 2019.

Our UCAT course consists of 3 different components of weekly classes that run for 8 weeks each:

Theory

The Theory term will introduce and explain the unique learning approaches for each question type in each subtest. Each weekly lesson commences with a 2 hour theory class, in which all new theoretical knowledge is taught. This will be followed by a 1 hour Problem Based Class, where students attempt and receive feedback on questions related to the newly taught material in timed conditions. Finally, there will be a 1 hour Tutorial class, where tutors revise the content of the week before and offer opportunities for students to voice their concerns or queries.

It cannot be stressed strongly enough that a successful attempt at the UCAT necessitates a deeper understanding of the concepts at hand. Our tutors, being highly performing medical students themselves, will use their experience in helping you to perfect your approaches to the various subtests of the exam. For example, given that Section 5, the Situational Judgement Test, requires a nuanced understanding of medical scenarios and responsibilities, our team is well-equipped to help you step into a medical student’s shoes.

At the end of this course, the student will be equipped with all of the learning approaches required for each of the 5 subtests.

Extension

We recognise that the gap in skill between learning the theory concepts to performing well in exam conditions is considerably large. Accordingly, we have introduced the Extension term as a new, bridging addition to our course. The extension term will be entirely question-based, where we cycle through different subtests each week and enforce the respective time limits so that students become acclimatized to the pace and dexterity required to excel in the UCAT. This course will be another opportunity for students to seek targeted teaching and intervention.

Mock Exams

Finally, the Mock Exams term aims to simulate exam conditions to the highest possible level of accuracy. Students will attempt a 2 hour UCAT exam under timed conditions one week, and come to a 3 hour review class the following week. During the review classes, tutors will go through exam answers, revising the concepts taught in previous courses and introducing new valuable information. The 8 week mocks term will consist of 4 mocks and 4 review classes. We foresee that the most difficult challenge that students will face in preparing for the UCAT are the time limits for each subtest. Therefore, it is essential that students practise in an accurate, timed environment. Our Extension and Mock Exam courses will be especially targeted at this aim.

Our team of highly performing medical students have the insight into how to excel at aptitude tests and always go above and beyond for our students. The structure of our classes encourage students to identify and highlight their weaknesses. Additionally, we run a number of free seminars for our students to revise and strengthen their abilities.

(02) 9874 7045 admin@acehsc.com.au acehsc.com.au