UCAT Preparation Summary

Verbal Reasoning

Decision Making
Key Definitions

 Never forget to consider modality as it is quite important in DM

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- Because the question says, “only”, the modality is very specific and if it is not present in
the stem, it cannot be true

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Quantitative Reasoning

Common Formulas

- Speed = Distance/ time

- Change in speed = acceleration x time
- Mean = sum of all numbers/ number of scores
- Median = middle number
o Odd: (n + 1)/ 2
o Even: two middle terms (n/2)  add and then divide by two
- Mode: most frequently occurring value
- Percentage change: (New – Old)/ Old x 100
- Circles
o Area = r ^2 or (d)//2
o Circumference = 2r
o Diameter = 2r
- Currency  Currency you are taking = Currency rate x Currency you are giving

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- Surface area and volume

Length

- Different questions are of different lengths (recognize that!)

- Look out for questions that:
 Involve multiple steps
 Require the comparison of several quantities
Leave until the end and come back

Insufficient Information

-Just because ‘Can’t tell’ is an answer option does not mean it will necessarily be the
correct answer, but it is possible.
- When to pick the “insufficient information option”
 The wording in the question is opinionated about the data presented
 Questions confuses statistics (calculating mean from the range)
 Question asks for something from the data set but doesn’t provide all the
necessary information
Eyeballing
- Useful to save time
- Round numbers to make it simpler to divide

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- Eyeballing with awareness (questions with lists)
 Watch out for similar numerators and denominators as these will generally yield a
very small result (almost close to 1)  not the biggest (if question asks for that)
and vice – versa
 Look out for:
 Similar numerators, different denominators
 Similar denominators, different numerators
 Based off what is easiest to calculate in your head, you may choose to
round:
 Addition: one up, one down
 Multiplication: same direction
 Subtraction: same direction
 Division: same direction

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Unit Conversions

- 1 cm = 10 mm
- Im^3 = 1000 litres
- I cm ^3 = 1 ml
- 1l = 1000 cm^3

Rearranging Formulas

- a = b/c
- c = b/a

Rounding

- Round down for the number of people (eg: cannot have 0.86 of a person)
- Avoid rounding until the end of the calculation to improve accuracy

Percentages

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- Normal: (10/90) x 100
- Adding or subtracting
 Adding

 Subtracting

Ratios

- The x amount of something for the y amount of something else

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- Triple Ratios – simplifying triple ratios requires finding the highest common factor

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Banding

- Tax Brackets (progressive tax system)

- Eyeballing – person with the highest income will pay the MOST tax – income tax
increases with salary
- Steps:
 CALCULATE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY TAXED USING THE TABLE
 THEN CALCULATE TAX
- If question asks how much less/ more, it has not asked for a percentage, answer as a
NUMBER

Composition

- Types of questions:

- Missing number – assume total percentage = 100% (add or subtract accordingly)

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Percentage Change

A change in the value of the reference point (what we are comparing to), affects the numbers
we obtain

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Money

Easy Types – Reading off a table

Harder: Step by step

compound interest
calculations

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Rounding with money calculations – Maximum and Minimum Rounding

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Currency Conversion

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Flip for reverse
exchange rate

Commission

Speed, Distance and Time

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Schedules and Time

Time Zones

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- Find the difference in time (can even be in days), then answer the question

Geometry

- Perimeter and Circumference of a circle: Can rearrange formulas or add/ subtract to find
the missing values

- General Area formulas needed for the UCAT

- Volume Formulas

Abstract Reasoning
Common patterns and questions to consider:

 Number
 Shapes per frame
 Sides or angles

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 Number of lines (especially if shape is broken/ open)
 Number of intersections
 Number of overlapping regions
 Number of shapes per each element (number of black shapes vs the number of white
shapes in each set)
 Size of each shape
 Are any shapes consistently bigger/s smaller than others in the same frame?
 Are the shapes in one set consistently bigger/ smaller than those of the other set?
 Colour of each shape
 Commonly used as a distractor – shapes with stripes, patterns, or shading
 Are any specific shapes a particular colour/ pattern – eg: all squares are black,
shapes with curved edges are white, larger shapes are grey
 Are any colors found specific locations – eg: all the shaded shapes on one side of the
frame or is there always a coloured shape in the same corner
 Is there a specific number of shaded or unshaded shapes or shapes of a specific
colour (grey/ black or white)?
 Are the stripes going from top right to bottom left/ from bottom right to top left?
 Right angles
 Clocks
 Total time (both minute and hour hands)
 Position of the hands – which quadrant they are in/ one up or own down always
 Conditional
 Black circle = even number of intersections and white circle = odd
 Curved surfaces vs straight edges
 Symmetry (one big single shape in the square) – both vertical and horizontal axes
 Common shape present in each set
 Prime Numbers – 2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23,29,31,37,41,43,47
 Square numbers – perfect squares – 4,16 etc.
 Corresponding sides of opposite shapes in a cross arrangement
 Spirals rotating in clockwise/ anticlockwise direction
 Position
 Two specific shapes: a particular shape of a specific colour, size or type positioned in
a specific way (position is relative, eg: one on top of the other)
 A specific shape in a specific location in every frame of the set (only one object)
 Check the corners/ the center of the box to find the common shape/ curved or straight
edges in a shape
 Angles (obtuse or acute)
 Formulaic Rules
 Each object in a frame has a specific numerical value (eg: square = 1 point)
 Each frame in a set adds up to a specific number (eg: even multiples of 3)
 Shapes with even sides is double the shapes with odd sides in value
 Shaded objects are double unshaded ones
 Looking at simplest box (with the same number of shapes) and assigning a numerical
value to each. Eg: triangles = 1+ squares
 Orientation

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 Direction the shape is pointing/ facing
 Apply mainly to ARROWS
 Check the number of arrows pointing in a certain direction/ majority pointing in a
certain direction
 Abstract orientation – the direction in which the arrow points (all arrows pointing to
the top/ bottom)
 Relative orientation – an object pointing towards another object (towards the circle or
away from the circle/ north, south, east, or west)

Incorrect Patterns from official mocks

Mock D

- Set A: Numbers are presented in ascending order moving in a clockwise direction. The 2nd
largest number in each square is subtracted from the largest number, and this sum is used to
subtract from the largest number to find the next number in the sequence, and so on. e.g. with
the numbers 3, 6, 7, 8 and 11, 8 (2nd largest) is subtracted from 11 (largest) = 3, so 11 (largest) -
3 = 8 which takes the 2nd position in the anti-clockwise sequence. Set B: Follows the same
formula as set A, but all numbers are even and they are positioned randomly in the square.
- Set A: Contains 4 triangles - 2 isosceles, 1 equilateral and 1 right-angled. Also contains 3
quadrilaterals - 2 rectangular, 1 square. Set B: Contains 4 triangles - 1 isosceles, 2 equilateral
and 1 right-angled. Also contains 3 quadrilaterals - all rectangular, none are square.
- Set A contains a white circle and a white square, but not a white triangle. Set B contains a white
triangle and a white circle, but not a square.
- Set A: There is at least one circle in one rectangle and none in the other rectangle. A white circle
in one rectangle produces a white triangle on the bottom of the other rectangle. A black circle in
one rectangle produces a black and a white triangle on opposite sides of the other rectangle. Set
B: There is at least one circle in one rectangle and none in the other. A white circle in one
rectangle produces two black triangles (one on either side) on the other rectangle. A black circle
on one rectangle produces a white triangle on the bottom side of the other rectangle.
- Set A: A continuous set of line segments goes from one edge of a cell to another. There is an
arrow on one line segment that meets an edge. This defines the direction of the continuous line.
The number of circles on the left of the line is the same as the number of line segments. The
number of circles on the right of the line is one fewer. Set B: A continuous set of line segments
goes from one edge of a cell to another. There is an arrow on one line segment that meets an
edge. This defines the direction of the continuous line. The number of circles on the right of the
line is the same as the number of line segments. The number of circles on the left of the line is
one fewer.
- Set A: There are two pairs of geometrically similar outlines. The top left of each cell has a small
shaded shape inside a large unshaded shape. The bottom left of each cell has the reduced large
shape now shaded inside the enlarged small shape from the top. Lines at the side count how
many edges the top small shape has. Set B: There are two pairs of geometrically similar outlines.
The top left of each cell has a small shape inside a large shape with opposite shading. In the
bottom left of each cell the shading is reversed and the top outer shape inverted to give the
reduced inner shape. One large shape is shaded. Lines at the side count how many edges the
top small shape has.

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