BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered E-Book

T. O. Osinowo

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 349

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Contains over one thousand practice questions - worked examples, quick tests, 2 full BMAT-style sample test papers, and 2 full UKCAT-style sample test papers. With the use of admissions tests becoming an increasingly more common part of the selection process for entrance to medical school, BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered is a comprehensive yet accessible guide to the two main tests used by UK medical schools. Written by recent Cambridge graduates, the authors' experience lies in taking these exams themselves and teaching students how to pass them. They combine key strategies for tackling the specific skills tested by the BioMedical Admissions Test and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test, along with practice questions and tests, with worked answers, in the style of the BMAT and UKCAT exams. The simple, informal teaching style, highlighting key practice areas, with the minimal use of jargon, means BMAT and UKCAT Uncovered is an essential tool for all medical school applicants.

Leseprobe

Contents

Foreword

Preface

CHAPTER 1 Quantitative Analysis for the BMAT and the UKCAT

Part A: First glance

Part B: the approach

Quick test 1

Quick test 2

Quick test 3

Quick test 4

Quick test 5

Quick test 6

Quick test 7

Quick test 8

Quick test 9

Quick test 10

Quick test 11

Quick test 12

Quick test 13

Broad themes: Combining functions

Part C: Practice

CHAPTER 2 Critical Analysis for the BMAT and the UKCAT

Part A: First glance

Part B: the approach

Evaluating arguments

Strengthening and weakening arguments

Break down the argument:

Part C: Practice

Some useful definitions

CHAPTER 3 Scientific Knowledge and Application for the BMAT

Part A: First glance

Part B: High yield topics: Subject summaries

Part C: Practice

CHAPTER 4 The Writing Task for the BMAT

Part A: First glance

Part B: The approach

Part C: Practice

Sample Answers

Sample Student Essay 1

Your Comments: Your Score:

Example Question 4

Sample Student Essay 1

Part D: Summary

CHAPTER 5 Abstract Reasoning for the UKCAT

Part A: First glance

Part B: the approach

Part C: Practice

Part D: Answers

CHAPTER 6 Decision Analysis for the UKCAT

Part A: First glance

Part B: the approach

Quick test

Quick test

CHAPTER 7 BMAT Practice Papers

Bmat Practice Questions

Sample Paper A

You Must Answer Only One of the Following Questions

Bmat Practice Questions

Sample Paper B

You Must Answer Only One of the Following Questions

CHAPTER 8 UKCAT Practice Papers

Practice Questions

Sample Paper 1

Ukcat Practice Questions

Sample Paper 2

CHAPTER 9 Solutions

Chapter 1 – Quantitative analysis

Chapter 2 – Critical analysis

Chapter 3 – Scientific knowledge and application

Chapter 7 – BMAT practice papers

Chapter 8 – UKCAT practice papers

Index

Dedication

To our parents

for life, love and learning

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank:

Our teachers for inspiring us; Karen Sayal and our students for their valuable feedback; Russ Daff for his illustrations;

Ian Stannard and Paul Maddren at Christs Hospital for support and encouragement; Mary Banks and her team at Wiley-Blackwell.

This edition first published 2008, © 2008 by T. O. Osinowo, R. A. Weerakkody, H. W. Woodward

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Osinowo, T. O.BMAT and UKCAT uncovered : a guide to medical school entrance exams / by T. O. Osinowo,R. A. Weerakkody, H. W. Woodwardp. ; cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN: 978-1-4051-6918-91. UK Clinical Aptitude Test—Study guides. 2. BioMedical Admissions Test—Study guides.I. Weerakkody, R. A. II. Woodward, H. W. (Harry W) III. Title.[DNLM: 1. Schools, Medical—Great Britain—Examination Questions. 2. Education,Medical—Great Britain—Examination Questions. 3. School Admission Criteria—Great Britain—Examination Questions. W 18.2 O82b 2008]

R838.5.O85 2008610.71′141—dc22

2008023444

Foreword

Selecting students for a medical school education is, perhaps understandably, very difficult. Medicine is a multi-faceted challenging activity requiring considerable intellectual and practical competencies as well as interpersonal skills. UK medical schools are conscious of the fact that to cope with the demands of their medical courses and subsequently become effective doctors, prospective students need to be of high intelligence and come equipped with nimble problem-solving minds. There has been a perception amongst those selecting prospective medical students that even the ability to get top grades in A level examinations is not a sufficient discriminator with which to choose students of sufficient intellectual ability to interview (when their interpersonal skills can be judged). Hence the development over the last 10 years of the BMAT and UKCAT exams by medical schools in the United Kingdom and others such as the GAMSAT in Australia.

These exams are designed to test prospective medical students’ intellectual ability, quickness of thinking and reasoning ability in a manner that is relevant to their future work as doctors and their ability to cope with a lengthy and often demanding medical course. Proper preparation for these exams is essential, not because an unsuitable candidate can thus pass the test but to ensure that a student who is capable does not fall at this first hurdle because he or she did not know what to expect. This book cannot replace all the hard work at school that is required to get good GCSE grades and A levels but should be invaluable in going the further mile that is required for medical school entry. Who better to guide prospective students in this than the authors of this book, only recently faced with both the tests and the subsequent rigours (and joys) of the medical course in Cambridge?

I can commend this book to all those who are facing medical school entrance exams and need the excellent guidance and thorough preparation which the three authors provide. This should enable a prospective student of sufficient cognitive ability to pass this hurdle and thence pursue what many in it consider the most satisfying career possible, that is the combination of scientific knowledge with practical and interpersonal skills to solve the problems of disease and illness.

Dr Chris Allen MA MD FRCPConsultant Neurologist & previous Clinical Dean (1996–2003)University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine

Preface

When applying to medical school, we were startled to hear that we had to take a new test which was different to anything we had taken before. This test, a pilot version of the BMAT, was different because the questions tested how you actually thought and applied knowledge rather than the knowledge itself. It was quite unfamiliar, up until then we had been in the habit of having a syllabus and past questions for every exam we sat. Unfortunately, apart from a few sample questions on the official website, there wasn’t much we could do to prepare for this new test. Needless to say, we were scared because we felt unprepared for a test in which we wanted to do our best.

Since then, medical school entrance exams like the BMAT and UKCAT have been rolled out to cover most medical schools, some vet schools and some biomedical courses across the country. The same fear of the unknown which we felt so clearly is apparent in students today, because even now it is very difficult to prepare: after diligently scouring the internet students finds themselves at a loss as to what will come up and how to go about answering the questions. However, it is obvious that after initially familiarising themselves with the format of the questions and developing a systematic approach they find they feel more comfortable and do much better.

It is therefore one of the aims of this book to unravel the basics of these exams, and to show you how it is possible to approach them effectively with only basic knowledge.

The other more obvious objective is to prepare you for the exams, not by teaching tricks or gimmicks but by actually attempting to make you a better thinker. As a result although this book is written with the average applicant to the top medical schools in mind, it is suitable for any student of Thinking Skills.

But this book cannot be relied on as the only thing you need to help you with these tests. It is meant to serve as a kick-start or springboard to set you on a journey of exercising your thinking faculties. This has several implications:

1 You should read the whole book cover-to-cover several times over, regardless of which exam you intend to sit. You are advised to do this because many of the more subtle points are easily missed on first approach.

2 Because this book is about Thinking Skills, conventional rote-learning approaches will not work: to get the best, you have to think. It is created to be more of a workbook than a textbook, with questions and suggestions to pique your interest and stimulate thought. Many questions in the book remain unanswered: the reason for this is to stimulate discussion and debate, using the book with your friends and teachers.

3 This also means that you will need and should want to go beyond this book, searching for other resources, and expanding the quality of the practice you acquire. So the earlier you read and digest this book, the better. You may find visiting our website www.cambridgethinking.com helpful.

What is the BMAT?

The BMAT (Biomedical Admissions Test) is a 2-hour exam composed of three sections introduced by several medical schools, including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, University College London and the Royal Veterinary College, which tests:

Section 1 (60 minutes): Problem solving and data handling, critical thinking and comprehension.Section 2 (30 minutes): Scientific knowledge (the core syllabuses of GCSE science and maths) with a focus on its application, rather than factual recall.Section 3 (30 minutes): Written communication in response to a stimulus question.

What is the UKCAT?

The UKCAT (United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test) is a 2-hour exam introduced by the majority of the other medical schools in the United Kingdom. It is administered in test centres around the country and is computer based. The sections of the UKCAT are:

Verbal Reasoning (22 minutes): Comprehension and inference.Quantitative Reasoning (22 minutes): Calculations and data handling.Abstract Reasoning (16 minutes): Spatial problem solving.Decision Analysis (30 minutes): Decoding and encoding messages.Non-Cognitive Analysis (30 minutes): Psychometric test in a questionnaire style.

These serve as a summary, and you are encouraged to look at the official websites for both these tests for the latest up to date information.

How to use the book

The layout of the book has been chosen to allow ease of use. There are four main sections:

1 The core two chapters cover numeracy and verbal skills required by every candidate.

2 The BMAT-specific chapters cover Sections 2 and 3 of the BMAT.

3 The UKCAT-specific chapters cover Abstract Reasoning and Decision Analysis for the UKCAT.

4 The Question Papers for the BMAT and UKCAT.

Candidates who wish to prepare exclusively for either the BMAT alone or the UKCAT alone need only read the core two chapters plus the sections relevant to their exam, but we believe you will gain even more by reading the whole book irrespective of which exam you are sitting.

Finally, although this book is primarily aimed at prospective medical and veterinary school applicants, the Thinking Skills required for the BMAT and UKCAT are increasingly becoming a requirement in many other tests (e.g. the LNAT for prospective lawyers, the TSA for prospective computer scientists and even tests by graduate recruiters for large corporate employers) as well as life in general. This book may therefore have a wider forum.

Enjoy!

T. O. OsinowoR. A. WeerakkodyH.W. Woodward

www.cambridgethinking.com