The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is a challenging exam, likely different to anything a Year 12 student has ever faced before. Its uniqueness lies in its psychometric testing approach, which is content-free (with some minor exceptions). This flips the usual curricula-based high-school testing regime that most students are used to on its head, and instead requires students to take a skills-based approach to testing.
Not many students cope well with this change of assessment. In our experience, we get students from a variety of backgrounds, skill sets, and motivation levels; therefore, we have designed four different courses to cater to the needs of students and their families depending on their circumstances. In this article we will go through the four main UCAT courses we offer here at Fraser’s and discuss how they’re designed and who they’re best suited to.
Fraser’s UCAT Strategy Weekend
The strategy weekend course is ideal for students who want an in-depth introduction into what the UCAT entails. The course lasts three full days, where students learn in small groups of 10-20, and receive personalised training from some of Australia’s best UCAT tutors. One also gets access to over 500 UCAT practise questions and a diagnostic mock exam to apply and practise the skills learnt in the course.
Following this weekend introduction to UCAT strategy, a lot of our students sign up for UCAT comprehensive courses, and we offer a full redemption of the costs of the Strategy Weekend towards the final fee. Strategy Weekend is a great way to get a feel for Fraser's approach to teaching the UCAT and it provides a great foray into what the comprehensive course is going to look like before one goes ahead and commits themselves.
As a parent, if you’re unsure about investing into a Fraser’s comprehensive or concentrated course, the Strategy Weekend can be a good way to gauge the value you and your child will get out of the Fraser’s experience.
The UCAT strategy weekend is also a great way to get a real insight into what we’re all about. Even if your child does not go on to sign up for a comprehensive Fraser’s package, your child will still get invaluable insights at a reasonable cost, and get access to practise material with in-depth explanations for their UCAT preparation.
Fraser’s UCAT Blueprint
If your child is a self-starter, motivated individual with the ability to learn independently, the Blueprint course could be the one for them. Our Blueprint package is a self-studier’s dream with plenty of online resources, live workshops, and access to UCAT Strategy Weekend. There is almost limitless material for your child to immerse themselves in their own time.
The course marries fundamental instruction with ample practise so that your child can learn which techniques work for them with ample practise to improve their overall efficiency and accuracy.
The UCAT is a time-scarce exam. It is not only about applying the skills correctly, but also applying them quickly and accurately within the allocated time. So, the more practise your child can get, the better their chances are of doing well.
The blueprint course is also great for students with previous UCAT experience. If your child has previously prepared for the UCAT or has taken a short UCAT course in high school or elsewhere, they’re probably up to speed with certain elements of what it entails.
The blueprint course can provide them with the necessary direction and practise to get the UCAT exam ready. All 2000+ questions in the blueprint package come with detailed explanations so that your child can learn from their mistakes and improve as they do more practise. In addition to this, your child will also get to participate in problem-based learning classes where there will be many opportunities to get personalised help and feedback from our experienced UCAT tutors.
Fraser’s UCAT Concentrated Package
Let’s face it, learning on your own with little guidance is not for everyone. Studying alone requires a lot of focus, motivation, and time that not a lot of students have. Our concentrated package is designed for students who want a holistic UCAT experience.
The concentrated package moves beyond the blueprint package to include personalised, one-on-one classes with experienced UCAT tutors. It provides the complete spectrum of learning we cover here at Frasers, from workshops that help you to understand the fundamentals of what the UCAT is, to simulated mock exams that mimic the real UCAT exam-day environment. If you’re looking for a complete package, this is the course for you.
In addition, we provide our UCAT Concentrated students access to over 10000 practise questions, plenty of full-length mock exams, and 20 mini-mocks so that your child can go that extra mile in their preparation. There are more resources, personalised classes, and all the necessary support for your child to achieve the UCAT score for their dream university course.
Every single student in our concentrated UCAT course also gains access to a personal UCAT tutor mentor, who gets in touch weekly to track their progress and guides them through every step of preparation.
Fraser’s UCAT Comprehensive Package
As the name suggests, this is our most hands-on and thorough UCAT course offering. The comprehensive course is designed for students and parents that do not want any hiccups. If you, as a parent, really want to leave no stone unturned towards getting your child the necessary resources and expertise to ace the UCAT, we recommend going for the Fraser’s UCAT comprehensive package.
The comprehensive package, in and of itself, is a commitment because it involves a packed schedule from start to finish of the UCAT preparation season. We start off our comprehensive course, not by teaching the fundamentals, but by getting our student’s hands dirty through simulated mock exams, where their strengths and weaknesses in their individual skill-sets are gauged. We then, for the remainder of the course, work on improvement areas that are most likely to boost your child’s UCAT score.
As part of the comprehensive package, your child will have access to all of the resources mentioned so far in addition to 10 private tutorials (one-one sessions with experienced tutors), pre-class preparation modules, more mock exams, and much more. If you have the resources, we would certainly recommend the comprehensive package because it offers the best chance of success for your child.
Remember, your child only gets one shot at the UCAT before they move on to university. The UCAT is highly important for undergraduate medical school applications—it could prove to be the difference between them getting into medicine or not. It is more than worthwhile spending resources towards this chance they have of becoming a doctor.
Final Remarks
We hope this article helps you decide which UCAT course is best for you and your child depending on your personal circumstances. Each course we offer is designed specifically to meet the needs of particular households. We hope you will make an informed decision, and are more than happy to discuss individual circumstances where necessary.
We look forward to being part of you and your child’s journey of becoming a doctor!
