METC Institute Blog

The date has been set; your diary is marked. What next?

It goes without saying this is an exam you can’t prepare for overnight. That’s not to say that someone, somewhere, can go into a UCAT and perform well with minimal preparation – but it’s a rarity. Give yourself enough time to prepare. Chances are if you’re reading this blog, you’re invested in performing well so have at least a rough plan for your preparation. Let us at METC help you improve it and ensure that you’re working towards excelling in each of the sections, in order to maximise your score.

Topics: UCAT, UCAT Preparation

The Australian Medical Council (AMC) website can sometimes be quite confusing for many International Medical Graduates (IMGs). To assist IMGs with their AMC Portfolio creation, we have put together a list of six helpful AMC landing pages all IMGs should consider looking at before beginning their AMC Portfolio creation.

Topics: IMG, AMC

With so many different pathways to registration in Australia available, it can sometimes be confusing for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) as to which pathway is the best option for them as an individual.

This article covers everything you need to know about the Competent Authority Pathway, from eligibility and application, to training and registration.

Topics: IMG, AMC

So far in this series of articles we have looked at an introduction to successful GAMSAT preparation and an overview of GAMSAT Study techniques. The next few articles will focus on the individual sections themselves with this article concentrating on writing the ideal GAMSAT essay.

Section II of GAMSAT can be a challenging section for those who are unprepared. The section requires the candidate to write two complete essays in 60 minutes. Instead of the luxury of simply colouring in the circles on an MCQ sheet, Section II presents candidates with the challenge of synthesising a novel response in the shape of a formal essay. More challenging is that the candidate does not know what the topic will be, and the fact that there are two essays that need to be written.

Writing strong GAMSAT essays requires sophisticated skills in two domains: essay structure and composition, and content. The importance of these two proficiencies are emphasised officially by ACER:

Topics: gamsat, gamsatpreparation, gamsatessay

Your last section of the UCAT is the Situational Judgement section. In 22 different scenarios, you are either assessed on:

• The appropriateness of particular actions you may take in response to scenarios
• The importance of possible considerations within a situation/scenario

You’ll be given 26 minutes to complete 69 questions within this section and neither medical nor procedural knowledge is required. 

 

Topics: UCAT, UCAT Preparation, UCAT Situational Judgement

 

The Abstract Reasoning section of the UCAT tests your pattern recognition skills under fairly tough time constraints. You’ll have 13 minutes to complete 55 questions, organised into 11 units of five questions each.

Each unit will contain two sets (of shapes): Set A and Set B. The question will then show you a test shape/pattern that needs to be matched with Set A, B, or neither.  

Topics: UCAT, Undergraduate Medicine, UCAT Preparation, UCAT Abstract Reasoning

 

With so many different pathways to registration in Australia available, it can sometimes be confusing for International Medical Graduate (IMGs) as to which pathway is the best option for them as an individual.

Topics: IMG

 

Your third task when sitting the UCAT is the Quantitative Reasoning section. This section involves 36 questions within a 24-minute period.

This section focuses primarily on testing your calculation skills under time pressure.

Topics: UCAT, Undergraduate Medicine, UCAT Preparation, UCAT Quantitative Reasoning

Medical professionals (dentists and doctors) are often confronted with complex situational tasks that require quick and accurate decisions. This is tested in the Decision-Making section of the UCAT. Below, we’ve asked our UCAT experts their recommended approach in succeeding in this section.

Topics: UCAT, Undergraduate Medicine, UCAT Preparation, UCAT Decision Making

As an IMG, there are many steps to undertake when gaining registration with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA). One crucial step that applies to many IMGs is the Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview, also known as the PESCI.

Topics: IMG, International Medical Graduate, PESCI