The four stages
| Stage | Aim | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Learn the test | Know every kind of question and the screen | Read the guide to each subtest, try each kind untimed, sit one full mock for a starting score. |
| 2. Build method | A reliable way of doing each kind | Work by question kind, untimed at first. Write one line on every mark lost. |
| 3. Build pace | Do it inside the time | Timed subtests on a screen like the real one. Practise guessing, flagging and moving on. |
| 4. Full mocks | Hold it together for two hours | Full mocks in one sitting, with a review longer than the mock. |
How many weeks for each stage
| Stage | 12 weeks | 8 weeks | 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learn the test | Weeks 1 and 2 | Week 1 | Days 1 to 3 |
| Build method | Weeks 3 to 6 | Weeks 2 to 4 | Rest of week 1, and week 2 |
| Build pace | Weeks 7 to 9 | Weeks 5 and 6 | Week 3 |
| Full mocks | Weeks 10 and 11 | Week 7 | Week 4, first half |
| Taper | Week 12 | Week 8 | Last three days |
| Hours a week | 5 to 7 | 7 to 10 | 12 to 15 |
Twelve weeks is the comfortable version and suits a school term: start in April for a July test. The hours are a guide. What matters more is that the work is spread across most days of the week.
A sample week in each stage
Build method (about an hour a day)
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Monday | Verbal Reasoning: two kinds of question, untimed, then review. |
| Tuesday | Decision Making: one kind of question (for example syllogisms), untimed, then review. |
| Wednesday | Quantitative Reasoning: two data sets with the on-screen calculator, then review. |
| Thursday | Situational Judgement: two scenarios, and read the explanation for every rating. |
| Friday | Your weakest kind from the week, again. |
| Saturday | One timed passage or data set from each subtest. |
| Sunday | Rest. |
Build pace (about an hour a day, more at the weekend)
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Monday | A timed Verbal Reasoning subtest, then review. |
| Tuesday | Review of Monday's lost marks, and untimed work on the kind that cost most. |
| Wednesday | A timed Decision Making or Quantitative Reasoning subtest, then review. |
| Thursday | Untimed work on your weakest kind. |
| Friday | A timed Situational Judgement subtest, then review. |
| Saturday | Every second week: a full mock in one sitting. Otherwise the subtest you did not sit on Wednesday. |
| Sunday | Review the mock, then rest. |
Full mocks (two mocks a week)
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Monday | Light: redo the questions you lost marks on last week. |
| Tuesday | A full mock, at the time of day you are booked. |
| Wednesday | Review the mock. Spend longer on it than the mock took. |
| Thursday | Untimed work on the two kinds that cost most. |
| Friday | Rest, or a short timed set. |
| Saturday | A full mock. |
| Sunday | Review the mock. |
If you have only four weeks
Do not skip the method stage to sit more mocks. A mock shows what you get wrong; it does not teach you how to get it right. Give the first ten days to method, even at this length, and choose the two subtests where you lose the most marks for most of your time.
Fitting it around school
- Fix the time of day. The same hour each day, treated like a class, lasts longer than good intentions.
- Protect your school results. Most universities weigh them at least as heavily as the UCAT, so ease off in assessment weeks and make it up in the holidays.
- Use the holidays for mocks. A full mock and its review take most of a morning, which is hard to find in term time.
- Stop two days before the test. Nothing new, an early night, and check your identification and test centre.
Adjusting as you go
A timetable is a starting point. After each timed subtest or mock, look at where the marks went and move the next week's time towards the kinds that cost most. How to prepare explains how to review a mock, and Timing gives the checkpoints to aim for in each subtest. To keep to the plan without building it yourself, the free guide by email sends one step at a time.
Official sources
Dates, fees and entry rules change every year. Always confirm them on the official page before you act on them.