UCAT VR

44 Questions in 21 minutes —> 30 seconds per question

True/False/Can't Tell Questions: 4/11

1. Find key words in the text

2. Look in appropriate paragraph - decide if valid/contradictory/info not there

Reading Comprehension: 7/11

Unlike with TFC, is that one statement has to be true or, at the very least, be the
answer to the question.

Note: Make sure you have properly read the question first. Some questions of this
type do not look for true statements, but for false or even can’t tell statements.

When you have to pick which one is true out of 4 statements, you have no option
but to read all 4!

Inference:

Keep in mind that any statement is false if it contradicts an inference from the
passage, even if it’s not explicitly stated. i.e. visually identical is not the same as
completely identical

Which statement is true or not true: Go through each statement and decide wether
its TFC

Word Definitions:

Use process of elimination

If unsure, substitute the word back into the sentence

UCAT VR 1
 Qualifier Words:

Soft: Sometimes, May, Usually, Often, Can, Could —> More likely to be true/Can't
Tell (easy to prove)

Extreme: Always, Solely, Never, Everytime, Must and Certain —> More likely to be
false (easy to disprove)

if your question contains a superlative but you are unable to find one in the
passage, you will not usually be able to determine whether the statement is “True”
or “False”.

Questions containing future qualifiers will generally be “Can’t Tell”, as it is difficult to

predict the future with any certainty regarding a True, False, Can’t Tell statement.

Authors opinions:

You typically need to take into account the entire text and consider its tone, the way
the author introduces ideas and concepts and the author’s response to certain
ideas

Opinion vs Fact:

Predictions can be wrong.

Events described by the author are considered true.

Comments or quotes are likely to be opinion - Not all comments are wrong or non-
factual

When you see a text with lots of quotes and predictions, keep an eye on who said
what, as the UCAT may mix up who said something and even present what they
said as fact. In those instances, the answer is likely to be can’t tell.

Opinion: Based on emotion, Variable person to person, Not rigorously tested

Fact: Based on experimental data, Non-ambigous between people, Rigorously

tested

A subjective statement is a statement made by the writer which cannot be verified

by

UCAT VR 2
 factual or scientific sources.

according, believed, said, thought

Which of the following four statements does the author agree with?” whereby you
should seek a subjective statement.

An objective statement is one which is completely unbiased and based purely on

factual

evidence. proved calculated

Why is this relevant? Certain questions in the UCAT will ask you to determine which
statement
out of four is “best supported” or “true”. In these cases, the answer will always be an
objective
statement.

Multiple Source:

These are the best questions on which to guess an answer, flag and move on - v
time consuming

Determine if it is MS question —> Read through text and summarise paragraphs —

> Prove/Disprove 4 sources (maybe start from the bottom)

Hypothetical Questions:

The main element to know about hypothetical questions is that the extra information
provided by the question is always considered to be true. This is because the
question is specifically interested in what happens only if the premise it sets is true.

For example, in TFC it is possible that the actual question is true by itself, but it may
become false or can’t tell with the addition of the ‘if’ clause.

Aim Tone and Summary:

UCAT VR 3
 With this type of question, it is vital you at least skim read the passage and have
some idea of what is going on.

In cases of difficulty, the best approach is to pick the broadest option from those you
have available, then flag the question for later review and move on.

Negative Language:

The statement is negative and the text in the passage is positive. This scenario is often
“False.”
The statement is positive and the text in the passage is negative. This scenario is often
“False.”
The statement is negative and the text in the passage is also negative. This scenario is
often “True.”

Identifying the Best Conclusion:

When deciphering which of four given statements is the “best conclusion”, you must
decide which of the statements covers all of the premises given in the passage.

An assumption can be defined as anything that is taken to be true without proof:

Making an inference means to draw conclusions based on the evidence and information
given to you, i.e. reading between the lines:

“According to the text, which is the best supported argument?”

“Which statement can be correctly inferred from the text?”

“What conclusion can be drawn from the text?”

VR Paper 1: Pass Medicine - 1% Cohort (13/44) - 29%

If you cancel everything out, go for the one you're unsure about

If its not mentioned, it is an unsafe assumption - you can rule out

Be concrete when you're ruling out

UCAT VR 4
 Squint your eyes and use a pen to speed read

If you find the correct answer before assessing the other possible answers,
don’t be afraid to put it down and move on

Medify Session 1

Search key words —> line before and line after to be quicker

Medify Session 2

22/40 attempted

13 Correct

Improve speed reading and comprehension

Key word tactics

For comprehension - read all the text then the questions

What is chunking? and Reading in thought groups?

Chunking is moving your eye left centre and right of the sentence - absorbing 3/4
words in one go
Reading in thought groups you are reading 3/4 words in one go

Focus only on the top of the letters - 60% faster

Tell yourself to speed up at the end of a paragraph!

VR Paper 2: Pass Medicine - 18% Cohort (22/44) - 50%

What do you know about qualifier words?

What do you know about objective and subjective statements?

TFC Drill

Read the key word then one line above and one line below! - simple man

VR Paper 3: Pas Medicine - 9% Cohort (20/44) - 45%

VR Paper 4: Pass Medicine - 28% Cohort (25/44) - 56.5%

Read the question carefully - do not skim read the question! Understand the
question!

UCAT VR 5
 Medentry Diagnostic:

Medentry Mock 1:

Medentry Mock 2: 29/44

Medentry Mock 3: 23/44

UCAT VR 6