How to prepare for the UCAT ANZ

Who can sit the UCAT ANZ, and when?

You can sit it in your final year of secondary school or later. In Australia that means Year 12 at the earliest: Year 11 students are not eligible, even if they take a Year 12 subject. University students and graduates can sit it too, though not every course that uses it accepts applicants who are no longer school leavers.

You may sit the test once in each yearly cycle. Booking opens early in the year, the test is held over a few weeks in the middle of the year, and each step has a fixed closing date. The fees and dates guide has this year's exact dates and costs.

Where should you start?

Start with the official materials. They are free, they were written by the people who set the test, and the test's owners say they are representative of the live test. Everything on the official preparation page is free to use.

The official page sets out an order, and it is a sensible one.

• Step 1. A preparation plan. A short official PDF that helps you plan your weeks of preparation.
• Step 2. The Tour Tutorial. A walkthrough of the test screen: answering, the calculator, moving between questions, flagging and reviewing.
• Step 3. The Question Tutorials. One general tutorial and one for each section, with an approach for each question type.
• Step 4. The Question Banks. Fifteen banks of questions by section, to work through over several sessions.
• Step 5. The Practice Tests. Full timed tests, best kept for nearer your test date.

There are twelve practice tests in all: four at standard timing, four with the extended timing some candidates are given, and four untimed. The official practice tests page asks you to use a desktop computer, to match the real test.

The test's owners also say plainly that they do not work with or endorse any commercial coaching company. That includes MyelinMed. They advise caution about claims that paid courses improve results, and they note that commercial questions may differ from the real ones. Weigh any paid product, ours included, with that in mind.

How should you plan your preparation?

Plan it in phases rather than to a fixed timetable. People start at different points and have different amounts of time, so the order matters more than the number of weeks.

• Phase 1. Learn the format. Know the four sections, their question counts and their time limits. The test format guide sets them out.
• Phase 2. Untimed practice by section. Work through questions slowly and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
• Phase 3. Timed sections. Practise one section at a time against its real clock.
• Phase 4. Full mocks. Sit whole practice tests in one sitting, as the day will run.
• Phase 5. Review your mistakes. After every session, work out why each wrong answer was wrong.

The last phase runs through all the others. Make a habit of it: a wrong answer you never look at again teaches you nothing.

Untimed practice builds accuracy and timed practice builds pace. A reasonable point to move from one to the other is when you can reach answers reliably without a clock. Leave enough time after that to learn the pacing, because the time limit is what makes the test hard.

How do you prepare for Verbal Reasoning?

Verbal Reasoning asks you to read a passage and answer four questions using only what it says. Some questions ask whether a statement is True, False or Can't Tell. Others are multiple-choice comprehension questions. You have about 30 seconds a question, or two minutes for each passage and its four questions.

Some general approaches to try:

• Read the question before the passage. Then you know what you are looking for.
• Separate what the passage says from what you know. An answer can be true in the world and still be Can't Tell from the passage.
• Watch the strong words. "All", "never" and "only" often decide the answer.

How do you prepare for Decision Making?

Decision Making asks you to apply logic, judge arguments and interpret statistical information. Question types include syllogisms, logic puzzles, Venn diagrams and probability. Some questions give five statements and ask for Yes or No on each. You have about 63 seconds a question, the most of any section, and a simple on-screen calculator.

Some general approaches to try:

• Practise each question type on its own first. They need different methods.
• Sketch the puzzle questions. Use the notebook you are given to draw an order or a grid.
• Judge an argument on its own words. A strong argument answers the question asked, whether or not you agree with it.

How do you prepare for Quantitative Reasoning?

Quantitative Reasoning asks you to solve problems with numbers, most often taken from a table, chart or graph. Questions usually come in sets that share one piece of data. You have about 43 seconds a question and a basic on-screen calculator.

Some general approaches to try:

• Learn the calculator. It opens in its own window and has keyboard shortcuts, covered in the Tour Tutorial.
• Read the units and the labels first. A misread axis costs more time than any sum.
• Estimate before you calculate. A rough answer rules out options and catches typing errors.

How do you prepare for Situational Judgement?

Situational Judgement asks you to read short scenarios set in clinical or training settings. You rate how appropriate a response is or how important a consideration is, or choose the most and least appropriate action. You have about 23 seconds a question, the least of any section. No medical knowledge is needed.

Marks are given in full for an answer that matches the correct one and in part for one that is close, so a near miss still counts. The scoring guide explains how the section is reported.

Some general approaches to try:

• Rate each option on its own. Several responses can be appropriate at once.
• Ask what a good professional would put first. Then rate each option against that.
• Keep moving. The pace is fast, so a long pause on one item costs several others.

How should you use full practice tests?

Use them nearer the test, once you can work each section against its clock. The official practice tests page recommends sitting them closer to your test date and reviewing your performance afterwards.

Sit each one in a single block, without pausing, at a desk with a mouse and keyboard. Each section has its own timer in the real test, and the clock cannot be paused. Afterwards, spend as long on the review as you spent on the test.

You can also try free practice questions with worked answers in the four sections.

What happens on test day?

The test is sat on a computer at a test centre. The official test day page sets out the rules, and these are the ones that catch people out.

• Arrive 30 minutes early. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late or miss the test, the fee is not refunded.
• Bring permitted photo ID. It must be original and current, and the name must match your booking exactly. Student cards are not accepted.
• Bring your booking confirmation. On paper or on your phone.
• Leave everything in a locker. Nothing goes into the room except the clothes you wear and permitted comfort aids.
• You are given a notebook and pen. A laminated notebook and a marker for working.
• The clock does not stop. You can leave the room, but the test keeps running while you are out.

Results reach your Pearson VUE account within 24 hours of the test. The scoring guide explains what they mean.

Sources

• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Eligibility
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Prepare
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Preparation Resources
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Question Tutorials
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Practice Tests
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Test Tools
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Test Format
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Scoring
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Test Day
• UCAT ANZ Consortium, ID Policy

The official website is the authority on the test. Check it before you book and again before your test day.

MyelinMed is not affiliated with UCAT ANZ, the UCAT Consortium or Pearson VUE.

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For parents: How to help your child prepare for the UCAT ANZ