UKCAT Lessons

UKCAT Lessons (UK Clinical Aptitude Test) are needed in case you want to study Medicine or Dentistry abroad.

The UKCAT assists universities in selecting among the many well-trained applicants for medical and dental programmes. It helps ensure that all candidates chosen are equipped with the necessary critical skills and professional attitude required of new doctors and dentists so that they lead a successful career.

The UKCAT does not include a specific curriculum or a particular scientific content. It focuses on evaluating the candidates’ mental skills as well as other qualifications.

The examination is computer-based and it is held in specific examination centres in Athens. It is taken by appointment from the beginning of July until early October each year. Each examinee is asked a different set of questions out of a vast collection of possible options via computer, so the examination can take place at different times. Even though the questions differ, the resulting score theoretically corresponds to identical sets of questions. Thus hundreds of candidates can take the test using only 2-3 computers (at the specific examination centre in Athens), which are connected to the central system abroad. The test may be taken only once (there is no possibility for re-examination) in summer or in autumn, before submitting the UCAS applications for entrance in British universities.

Performance in the UKCAT is important, since it is taken into account together with all other qualifications. Given that demand for a place in British medical schools is higher than the current supply, many of the candidates are unfortunately rejected. The reason why a candidate does not receive a place is often the low or mediocre score in the UKCAT.