#admissions test

[chemistry-and-cupcakes]

Cambridge NatSci Admissions Test 2018

Oh dear Lord I’ve never felt so inadequate.

I didn’t realise the second paper was a calculator paper and was given a really crappy 50p one by school, which slowed me down.

I lost so many marks on being genuinely dumb. I just blanked.

I didn’t get break time today so I was sat on my own in a room (with an invigilator obvs) for two hours hungry, stressed and with a massive headache.

It was so much harder than the practice papers I did.

I’m sorry for the rant - I just need to get my feelings out so I can focus on thinking positively and put it behind me.

Anybody who sat it - good luck to you, fellow soldier. I wish you all the success in the world.

[help-im-a-medstudent]

Hey!I want to ask a question about the BMAT because Im feeling really insecure about it.I am not taking A level maths and I always worry if this is going to ruin my chances.Im great with chemistry/biology and fine in physics,but math is just not my subject. Can I still pass it even because of that?

Hello! 

First thing to say about the BMAT is there is no real “pass or fail”. You get a score and universities use that score, alongside other things in your application, so they balance it. I think one of the London universities might use a cut off, but it’s a few years since I applied and this may have changed. Check with the universities you want to apply to and see how they use it. Hopefully this will put your mind at rest that even if you struggle, it won’t prevent you from getting an interview. 

The first section is about problem solving and although it can require a little bit of arithmetic, it isn’t about pure maths, it’s more about data interpretation, reading the question and being analytical. 

I had the same problem as you, but with physics. I did it for GCSE and did not get on with it at all. I didn’t take it for A level, and I was worried it would affect my score as well. You don’t have a lot of time in the test, so in the second section i skipped questions that weren’t immediately obvious to me, (basically all of the physics ones) so that i could make sure the ones i knew i would get the marks for. I then went back through and had a go at working them out but towards the end i genuinely just guessed the ones i didn’t know how to do. I maybe eliminated some answers that were definitely wrong, but as there is no negative marking, it is definitely worth putting an answer down for every question, providing you aren’t guessing ones you could work out but you’ve run out of time. 

Overall, you absolutely can do well in it and get an interview at your chosen university. You could look over some gcse maths, that is the level the questions will be set at, but i didn’t do much physics before hand. Have a look at the practice questions and see what level they are and how difficult you find them, then you will be prepared when you go into the test. 

Hope this helps, any other questions feel free to ask :)

[allthestudying]

UKCAT

I wrote this nearly two years ago now, just after I’d done my UKCAT but never actually got round to posting it. Since it’s that time again, I thought I’d share it now for anyone sitting it this year! It’s just a little rundown of what to expect for each section. Hope it’s helpful, feel free to ask any questions!

Verbal Reasoning- This was my worst section out of the four which was odd as I was doing well at it in practice tests! Some of the texts seemed exceedingly lengthy and were a bit obscure, but you just have to focus on skimming to get to the bits you need to.

Quantitative Reasoning- SO much easier than any of the practice questions I had done! If you have the 600 Questions book, you will be more than prepared. In all practices, I had run out of time but in the real exam I even had time to go back over some of my answers. This was the section I was most worried about but I found the maths to be incredibly simple- mainly just percentages and basic arithmetic! So much worry for nothing when it came to this section!

Abstract Reasoning- Much like the questions in the 600 Questions book and on the UKCAT website. Some patterns were incredibly obvious, others I took a bit of a guess. As well as the obvious things to look out for (colour, number, placement etc) particular things I’d say to check for are: intersections between lines, overlap between shapes and number of sectors. Things I often brushed over but can be the whole basis of a pattern! 

Decision Analysis- I’d say a tiny bit trickier than the online UKCAT practice tests but nothing too worrying. For me, writing parts of the code down on the whiteboard made it all clearer as there was plenty of time to do this I thought. 

Situational Judgement- Once again much the same as practice tests. I managed to get Band 1 for this which I was really happy about. Just read the scenarios and go through how different people will be affected by your actions. If there is negative impact on anybody, it’s probably not a great idea. The importance of rules/policies/confidentiality is also key in this section. 

Good luck to anyone sitting the UKCAT soon, hope it goes well for you! :)

[oztrekk]

What is the ISAT?

Just like the MCAT or the DAT, the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) is designed to assess your abilities and intellectual skills, and to see whether or not you have the capability to succeed in your chosen program, like medicine or dentistry.

The ISAT test is a 3-hour computer-based multiple-choice test. It assesses your ability to understand and analyze. Questions typically require you to read and think about a passage of writing, to interpret graphical displays of information, to use mathematical relationships, and to reason about tables of data.

[oztrekk]

What is Casper and how do you prepare?

You’re getting ready to apply to an Australian university and you see “Casper” as part of the admissions requirements.

What on earth is Casper?

No, we’re not talking about a friendly ghost! The Casper our universities work with is an aptitude test that assesses a student’s decision-making skills, thought processes, and people skills through open-ended questions. This is what’s known as a situational judgment test (SJT). It asks what you would do in a tough situation, and more important, why. This helps determine behavioral tendencies of applicants pursuing people-centered professions, like medicine, dentistry, teacher education, and even veterinary medicine!

Why is Casper important? Casper will provide universities with a more complete view of you and your skills—beyond book smarts!

For that reason, it is required by some universities as part of the admissions process. These schools recognize skills and attributes such as resilience, critical thinking, and communication using the Casper test in lieu of an interview.

Keep reading.

[oztrekk]

Upcoming DAT dates for 2023 intake

Upcoming DAT dates

Are you thinking of applying to the 2023 intake at an Australian dental school?

[lafontastic]

ANY PHARMACY STUDENTS OUT THERE HAVE ADVICE FOR THE PCAT??

I’m taking my exam in a few days and I’m getting really nervous

[keepcalmandstudy]

Are there entry exams for English? If so, what are they/how do I prepare?

Hi!

There are indeed - it’s called the ELAT (English Literature Admissions Test). Have a Google and you should find some more info on it - any more questions, feel free to shoot me an ask:)

Also have a look at this:

http://oxfordandmoll.tumblr.com/post/152416525491/hi-i-was-just-wondering-how-you-prepared-for-your

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