UCAT: Abstract Reasoning

[kabir1803]

I'm struggling the most in this section. Shapes just make zero sense to me. Would appreciate some tips for AR! Thank you!

Personally, I was in your shoes around this time last year. I watched ALOT of youtube videos which allowed me to see the process to actually get the pattern. I would recommend Emil Eddy and KharmaMedic mainly for this on youtube. Also do a lot of questions but do them untimed in the start to get accuracy first. Speed will follow. Bets of luck

 

[Doradoraaa]

This is from the official mock B
Can anyone please explain what it means by 'L shape that is 2 layers thick'?

 

[A1]

Can anyone please explain what it means by 'L shape that is 2 layers thick'?

Two layers thick means one L on top of another L.
A 5x5 L shape needs 9 small squares (blocks?). Two layers = 18 blocks. But there are only 16 blocks in each group so not possible.

(You didn't show the question so I don't get why it gives six groups of 16 blocks in each set).

 

[Doradoraaa]

Two layers thick means one L on top of another L.
A 5x5 L shape needs 9 small squares (blocks?). Two layers = 18 blocks. But there are only 16 blocks in each group so not possible.

(You didn't show the question so I don't get why it gives six groups of 16 blocks in each set).

if you count the little blocks for each pattern in B they equal 16
which makes me even more confused... i really want to understand this pattern as it is an official AR question

 

[A1]

if you count the little blocks for each pattern in B they equal 16
which makes me even more confused... i really want to understand this pattern as it is an official AR question

I need to see the question itself to understand fully. You only posted the Answer Rationale.

By the look of it, I don't think it's intended you figure out mentally how to fit the B blocks around. The quick trick is in knowing 5x5 L shape two layers requires 18 blocks while you're given only 16. Thus "Set B" statement is not possible.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I agree with A1. If you take the time, you can rotate the blocks in each of set A to make the 4x4 shape but you can’t do that with the configurations in Set B despite there being the same amount of total blocks. That would be the ‘long’ way to do the question. But rapidly calculating that 4x4 = 16, but 9+9 = 18 means you can rule out B without taking that time.

 

[medpharmed]

Hello, could someone help me with this question from the official questions. What does the part that I highlighted mean? Won't you always get back the same number that you subtracted from the largest number if you do these steps? Thank you so much

 

[medd]

Can anyone explain what 'even numbers of lines leave each white circle' means?

 

[2xq]

Can anyone explain what 'even numbers of lines leave each white circle' means?

Exactly how it is described to you.
If you look at the lines that leave the white circle, there is an even number of them that do.

 

[Dank_Watu]

They're removing AR next year UCAT ANZ 2025 | UCAT ANZ Consortium

 

[Undefeatable]

No more AR next year, so please focus on the other 3 sections

 

[RainRainGoAway]

They're removing AR next year UCAT ANZ 2025 | UCAT ANZ Consortium

This is crazy!! I wonder whether it’ll do much to be honest. They cite ‘less coachable” as their reasons….
But as someone who hates AR and could never do it, I am glad!!

 

[DavidDuffy]

Looks like more weightage to VR. People who are good at AR or enjoy AR severely disadvantaged. How even this reduce coachability, still there are other sessions exists

Also DM questions increased from 29 to 35 questions and hence timing also increase from 31min to 37 min. SJT questions increased by 3 but time remains same i.e. 26min

 

[richbabyh1tman]

Looks like more weightage to VR. People who are good at AR or enjoy AR severely disadvantaged. How even this reduce coachability, still there are other sessions exists

I mean their research showed the AR was the most "coachable" in terms of the subtests so they removed it. Obviously there is still an element of coachability involved. Plus, given that the 90th percentile mark for AR was 880 for UCAT ANZ 2023, the top end is all congested from 880-900 anyways. I don't think this is a severe disadvantage for those who are good at AR or enjoy AR as you said because based on the stats a lot of people are good at AR, and it is this top end that is relevant.

 

[RainRainGoAway]

I mean their research showed the AR was the most "coachable" in terms of the subtests so they removed it. Obviously there is still an element of coachability involved. Plus, given that the 90th percentile mark for AR was 880 for UCAT ANZ 2023, the top end is all congested from 880-900 anyways. I don't think this is a severe disadvantage for those who are good at AR or enjoy AR as you said because based on the stats a lot of people are good at AR, and it is this top end that is relevant.

I agree, but what is so wrong with coach ability? I understand that it favours a more socioeconomically high cohort, but also I don’t think it should be purely up to aptitude no? What if there is someone who is great at being a doctor but they just can’t wrap their heads around the ucat?

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I agree, but what is so wrong with coach ability? I understand that it favours a more socioeconomically high cohort, but also I don’t think it should be purely up to aptitude no? What if there is someone who is great at being a doctor but they just can’t wrap their heads around the ucat?

There are heaps of non-UCAT options for Med. The majority of Aus med school students do not get into med via a UCAT pathway.

(GAMSAT for all Grad med, plus JCU, Bond, indigenous applicants, internal pathways that sometimes don’t require it etc).

 

[RainRainGoAway]

There are heaps of non-UCAT options for Med. The majority of Aus med school students do not get into med via a UCAT pathway.

(GAMSAT for all Grad med, plus JCU, Bond, indigenous applicants, internal pathways that sometimes don’t require it etc).

This is so true! You can tell I’ve been overthinking everything lately

 

[A1]

What if there is someone who is great at being a doctor but they just can’t wrap their heads around the ucat?

At the stage of student selection the unis have no idea who is/will be great at being a doctor.
Their criteria are to select the ones with the capabilities & personalities to successfully complete the course to AMC-accreditation standards.

When students complete the uni degree they're just starting to be a raw trainee. How they turn out to be great or mediocre doctors will be up to them and the training system where they work, the unis have little to do with that.

 

[Uganalav]

I actually did a much longer mnemonic than scans or sponcs or whatever the normal ones are. I think the one I used was CASINOS CARTS, and I have also seen Titans pads (which I didn't like so much). I am struggling remember now what casinos carts (but I do remember playing on a site with a great selection of casino games.) stood for because I've pushed UCAT to the furthest edges of my brain and jammed it full of med stuff! and because I have had a couple too many drinks tonight. But it may have been colour, arrangement, size, intersections, number, orientation, shape, conditional, arrows?, right angle (that one could very well be wrong), touching sides, symmetry. Something like that. I don't think it matters what mnemonic you use. But just choose one and become very systematic about your approach. Practice a lot and hopefully it becomes automatic and much faster.

Yes, it's a massive pain to do to begin with. And no I didn't do it in the actual exam. But, I wrote it down and used it in mocks enough times, over and over that it became automatic.

As far as memorised patterns, just that. I familiarised myself with every official AR question on the UCAT website and remembered what the rule was. I didn't get the same questions in the exam of course, but when you learn the type of questions they normally ask, itgets easier

It’s true that while the exact questions won’t repeat, the types of rules and logic they test often follow similar themes. That familiarity can make a huge difference in speed and confidence during the exam.