Wellbeing when sitting the UCAT

Whilst feeling on edge about exams is your body’s natural response to pressure, too much stress can affect your mental health. 
 
The YoungMinds and Pearson websites offer some useful tips and resources for dealing with exam stress. 

The following tips are applicable to the UCAT: 

• Talk to a teacher or tutor. They can help you navigate things like registration and preparation for the UCAT. 

• Check if you are entitled to access arrangements. 

• Create a plan for your UCAT preparation. Be realistic with yourself and take regular breaks from studying. We have found that some of our highest-performing candidates take a ‘little-and-often’ approach to UCAT preparation. 

• Read advice from candidates who have previously sat the UCAT. 

• Make sure you know what to expect on test day and allow yourself plenty of time to get to the test centre. Familiarise yourself in advance with the test tools such as the on-screen calculator and flag and review function. 

• Try relaxation strategies such as mindfulness to calm test-day nerves. 

• Once you’ve sat the UCAT, have something good lined up after. It could be hanging out with friends or taking some time for yourself. 

Not getting the UCAT score you’d hoped for can be disappointing. Whether it impacts your next steps, or you just feel like you could have performed better, it is ok to feel upset. But it is important to remember that there is more to life than your UCAT score. If you still wish to pursue a career in medicine/dentistry, you have options going forward.

Universities use UCAT results in different ways during their selection processes. For some universities, the UCAT score may be a less important factor in their selection processes or only used in marginal situations. You will know your UCAT result well in advance of the UCAS deadline so you can use your result to help inform your UCAS choices.

You could also consider different routes such as re-applying next year (and retaking the UCAT), exploring different course options or considering graduate entry.

Talk to your teachers/advisers so that you can consider your options more fully.

If you are aware of anything that might affect your performance on the day, you should not sit the test. This is in line with our Fitness to Test policy.  

Candidates have the flexibility to test over a period of 12 weeks. UCAT also permits free reschedules up to 24 hours before an appointment time.  

If you are concerned that personal circumstances might affect your performance, please refer to the Fitness to Test advice before sitting a test.

The Studying Healthcare website, compiled by the Medical and Dental Schools Councils, offers some useful advice on next steps if you haven’t received any offers from your chosen courses. They recommend you reflect and request feedback, look at UCAS Extra/clearing, reapply next year, or consider graduate entry/alternative courses. 

There are also other websites to help you explore your next steps such as National Careers Service, UCAS, Not Going to Uni and AllAboutSchoolLeavers.