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UCAT
Sample Notes

5 sample questions
1. Verbal Reasoning
2. Decision Making
3. Quantitative Reasoning
4. Abstract Reasoning
5. Situational Judgement
Verbal Reasoning

Halley’s Comet, officially designated 1/P Halley, is a short-period comet visible from Earth
every 75-76 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is clearly visible to the
naked eye from Earth, and the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human
lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-
2061.

Halley’s returns to the inner Solar System have been observed and recorded by astronomers
since at least 240 BC. Clear records of the comet’s appearances were made by Chinese,
Babylonian and medieval European Chroniclers, but were not recognised as reappearances
of the same object at the time. The comet’s periodicity was first determined in 1705 by
English astronomer Edmond Halley, after whom it is now named.

During its 1986 apparition, Halley’s Comet became the first comet to be observed in detail
by spacecraft, providing the first observational data on the structure of a comet nucleus and
the mechanism of coma and tail formation. These observations supported a number of
longstanding hypotheses about comet construction, particularly Fred Whipple’s “dirty
snowball” model, which correctly predicted that Halley would be composed of a mixture of
volatile ices – such as water, carbon dioxide, and ammonia – and dust. The missions also
provided data that substantially reformed and reconfigured these ideas; for instance, now it
is understood that the surface of Halley is largely composed of dusty, non-volatile materials,
and that only a small portion of it is icy.

Bearing the passage in mind, which of these options is most likely true?

(A) In theory, Halley’s comet could be viewed three times during a person’s lifetime
(B) The comet was named after Halley as he was the first person to see the comet
(C) Officially, the comet is referred to as Halley’s comet after Edward Halley
(D) A comet has a nucleus and a tail present

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Decision Making

Several families live in the small suburb of Starway, enjoying their time with pets and
children.

Tyson and Clara’s first pet was a dog, Chowder, which they brought up from its birth. They
later adopt a 5-year old cat, Sombrero, before Tyson turned 50 in 2007.

Zara was born to Sandra and Tony after they married in 2011 and before they moved house
in 2013.

In 2014, Akshay and Debbie gave birth to twins, Stephanie and Simran.

Which of the following statements MUST be true?

(A) Chowder is older than Sombrero

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Quantitative Reasoning

A B&B offers a variety of different rooms charged at different prices, as shown by the table
below. Included in the table is a service time, which gives an average of how long it takes the
cleaner to service the respective rooms after each stay.

Each room is only serviced once per customer and the cleaner is paid £9.50 an hour.

As part of the B&B policy, the customer is allowed to request a partial refund for any parts of
their stay that they found unsatisfactory.

Over the course of a year, the Grant suite is occupied for 176 nights. How much revenue
does the B&B make from this room, including service charges, assuming all the guests stayed
for 2 nights?

(A) £7,964
(B) £8,382
(C) £8,800
(D) £8,956
(E) £9,094

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Abstract Reasoning

Which figure completes the statement?

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Situational Judgement

Sandeep and Bryony are two second year medical students who are on a clinical placement
at their local GP practice. They have been asked to take a history of a patient, Mrs Smith,
who has come to the GP complaining of right abdominal pain. During the conversation,
Bryony notices that Mrs Smith is avoiding eye contact with Sandeep and avoids answering
any of the questions that Sandeep is asking her. This is causing Sandeep to feel very upset
and she excuses herself from the room. When Sandeep leaves, Mrs Smith makes a very
racist remark. Bryony has heard this and is very shocked.

How appropriate are the following responses by Bryony when deciding how to respond to
the situation?

Tell Sandeep what Mrs Smith said, so that Sandeep reports this.

(A) A very appropriate thing to do

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