Which UCAT Book Is Best For Your Preparation?

A UCAT preparation book can be one of the most useful resources when preparing for the UCAT. But with such a large selection available it is difficult to know which one is best for you. This article covers some of the UCAT books that we think are the most useful to help boost your UCAT performance.

It may be the case that using a combination of books may be the best option for you. Or that you may try one book and find it too difficult to manage by itself. This is why careful consideration is key before making your purchase.

Master The UCAT

Medic Mind is pleased to announce the publication of a new and up-to-date UCAT Guide Book titled ‘Master the UCAT’ for the 2023 entry.

The ‘Master the UCAT’ Guide, published by the UK’s Award-Winning Medical Admissions Tutoring Company, is the most complete UCAT Book currently available. Written for the 2023 entry, it includes effective time-saving techniques that will allow you to complete difficult questions within the allotted time, a massive 2000+ Practice Questions written in the format and level of the real exam, as well as 100+ vital UCAT theory lessons and advice from medical experts.

For each question, Fully Worked Solutions are supplied, which lead you through the simplest, most effective way to obtain the correct answer. The book’s authors are professional doctors with thousands of hours of UCAT tutoring experience. One of the authors is Dr. Kunal Dasani, a co-author and UCAT scorer with a 900.

The UCAT Book by Medic Mind thoroughly covers all of the topics required to earn high UCAT scores. The UCAT book is an excellent resource because it teaches you to identify learning tactics, pitfalls to avoid, and approaches to perfect for the actual exam. With contributions and guidance from top UCAT Tutors, this is your Ultimate companion to the UCAT and a MUST-BUY for people hoping to do well in the exam.

Price: $27

From: Medic Mind

ISC 1250 UKCAT (UCAT) Book

This is regularly the bestselling UCAT book and this new edition is updated for the new test, including the new decision-making section. The book contains 1250 practice questions, including a mock exam, with in-depth explanations for each section of the test. It also includes lots of tips and techniques to help you to optimise your score.

One of the best things about this UCAT book is the breadth and depth of the questions it includes. So that on test day there should not be a question type that you have not come across before. It also helps by showing you some of the traps that can be laid by the test to catch you out. 

One of the few criticisms of this book is that some of the questions are actually much harder than those you’ll find in the test itself. But students often say, especially Quantitative Reasoning ones, that this prepares them well for the UCAT. 

You need to keep this in mind when planning your preparation strategy. If you are first starting out with the UCAT, this might not be the best place to start. These difficult questions are more ideal for a well-prepared candidate who is looking to push themselves after they’ve mastered the fundamentals.

Price: $45

From: Amazon

Score Higher on the UCAT – Kaplan Test Prep Book

This UCAT book is currently in its sixth addition and has been a useful tool for many since it was first published. The book itself contains 1500 questions with access to more in question banks online.

This allows for a huge amount of practise, and also includes three full length mocks. With one of these being online allowing for you to practise with the timings and interface of the actual test. 

The one limitation of this book, however, is the lack of tips and techniques it gives to help you with the questions. This UCAT book may be the best option for gaining access to the greatest number of questions. But it is not the best for helping you to understand the fundamentals of the individual UCAT sections.

Price: $45

From: Amazon

UCAT Study Guide

This UCAT book is significantly different from the other two, instead focusing on strategies and techniques to use during the exam. So, if you are struggling with the fundamentals of the test and not quite ready to face large blocks of questions yet, then this book may be best for you. 

This UCAT book has a step by step guide to take you through proven exam strategies, tips and preparation advice (covering all of the five subtests). And it goes into much more detail than any of the other UCAT books, making it the best option for you if this is what you are struggling with most. But remember you will need to look elsewhere for questions to practise these strategies and tips on. 

Price: $28

From: Amazon

Summary

UCAT books can be one of the most useful things to add to your UCAT resources. So, choosing the right one is key. As all the books have different areas in which they are best.

Many students find that these books are best used in combination with other resources. Or, as with the UCAT study guide, as a reference tool to help them through online question banks. So hopefully this article has given you further insight into which one will be the most helpful for your UCAT preparation. 

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