UCAT Test Tactics and Preparation part 1: Avoiding multiple confusions in the multiple choice section of UCAT
2 years ago by Rob
A starting guide on how to tackle the multi-choice of UCAT from the team at MedEntry UCAT preparation:
- The ’2 out of 4′ rule in multi-choice: In any multi-choice test, it is significantly harder to create a good but incorrect answer than it is to create the correct answer. For this reason usually only two attractive answer-choices are offered. One correct; the other either intentionally misleading or only partially correct. The other two answer-choices are usually ‘fluff’. This makes educated guessing on tests immensely effective. If you can dismiss the two fluff choices, your probability of answering the question successfully will increase from 25 percent to 50 percent.
- Read the question carefully: - Are they asking for the best answer, the most right or simply the correct answer? - Is the question phrased positively? (watch out for double negatives) e.g. the least incorrect answer, - Or is the question phrased negatively? They may ask you to choose the option that is not correct or the exception to the answer set.
- Read all the options. What you initially perceive to be the correct answer may not be the best answer. This also helps if you have misread the question; if three of the answers seem similar and one doesn’t seem to fit, you may find that the question asked you to find the incorrect option and not the most correct one. Using the Process Of Elimination method can aid you in this.
- Be careful about changing your mind for an answer! Often the one that you first decided to be correct is correct. Only change your mind if you truly feel your initial answer was wrong.
For more helpful UCAT tips keep following MedEntry‘s weekly blog updates on UCAT test tactics and preparation or check out some of our previous UCAT blog entries!
