What is UCAT Decision Making?

Decision making in the UCAT exam tests your ability to problem solve and apply the principles of logical reasoning. You have to study the contents of the question and see if you can reach certain conclusions or decisions based on the information you have been given.

Decision making has several question types spread across 29 questions. These questions are to be answered within 32 minutes – this includes 1 minute to read the instructions, leaving approximately one minute to answer each question. Every question is standalone (this means data is not shared between questions) and you will be expected to look at text, chart, graphs and diagrams for example. It replaced what used to be called Decision Analysis back in 2017.

You are able to use the on-screen calculator as well as your whiteboards and pen. A basic level of maths at GCSE level is required.

Why is Decision Making Important?

Doctors and dentists are often required to make decisions in situations that may be complex, for example a doctor would have to look at range of complex investigation results including bloods results, imaging and statistics to help make a decision on what treatment is best for the patient. This requires a high-level of problem solving skills and the ability to assess and manage risk and deal with uncertainty.

How is Decision Making Marked?

The UCAT consortium states questions with one correct answer are worth 1 mark and those with multiple statements are worth 2 marks. You can also get one mark if you don’t get all the correct responses on the questions that have multiple statements.

The mark you receive for the decision making is more complex compared to other sections in the UCAT. Although you are marked based on the number of correct answers you give, questions with multiple answers can be awarded two marks if they are answered correctly. Partial marks are also awarded for partially correct responses.

Your total raw score for the section with be converted to a range scale score between 300 and 900. In 2020 the average scaled score was 625. It has stayed roughly around this level over the years.

What definitions do I need to know in Decision Making?

The UCAT consortium gives you the following definitions and you should stick to ones that are provided.

All - An unspecified number referring to the whole of it/everything.

Always - On all occasions, without fail.

Either - Exclusively A or B (not both).

Few - A small number of, less than 50%.

Majority - A number that is more than 50% of the whole but not all.

Many - An undetermined number similar to 'some'. A part of it, not all of it.

Most - An undetermined but majority number/largest part.

None - Not even a small amount/not even one.

Nothing - Not a single thing. Of no value.

Not all - 1-99%

Only - Introduces something which must happen before something else in the sentence. Indicates there is nothing else.

Some - An undetermined number being more than one but less than all. A part of it, not all of it.

Unless - Introduces the only circumstance which makes the statement not true or valid.

What are the Question Types in Decision Making?

Drawing Conclusions and Syllogism type questions

In the most basic type of this question, you will be given a short piece of text followed by a number of statements. You will be then asked if each of the statements logically follows on from the information given in the text, in which case you answer ‘Yes’; if they do not follow, you answer ‘No’. The level of difficulty varies with some answers a simple copy/paste from the text and others will try and trick you, for example by making you assume things. You will need to pay close attention to the exact wording in the questions and the definitions shown above.

Logical puzzle

These questions mean that you will have to work through a set of rules in order to solve a puzzle. Examples of this include placing items in order or matching things or people. You do not always have to solve the entire puzzle in order to answer all the questions.

Venn Diagram interpretation

You will need to revise the basis of Venn diagrams, but this is not too complex. You can be given a single Venn diagram and be asked questions on it or given a question and then asked to choose the matching Venn diagram based on the information in the question.

Probability

These tend to be at the end of the exam. As you might expect, you will need to revise basic probability in order to answer questions in this section. Generally speaking there are two types of probability question in Decision Making. The first is a decision-based question, in which you are given some relevant pieces of information that you have to consider and put together to reach a decision. The second type of question is a form of probability game that will test your understanding of the basic principles of probability.

Overall Tips for Decision Making

You need to be aware of all the question types they use in this type of exam, work out how to approach each one and then practice as many questions as possible. You also need to revise basic probability and Venn diagrams.

Come to our UCAT course and learn in depth each question type and how to approach it. Learn about the pitfalls in Decision Making and how you can answer more quickly and accurately. We offer a live classroom course as well as a self study at home course. Click below to learn more and book your place.