Abstract Reasoning is notorious for being one of the most dreaded sections of the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT). The UCAT abstract reasoning section tests your ability to identify patterns and relationships under significant time pressure.
Having achieved a top 1% score on the UKCAT myself, I understand the anxieties students face when preparing for the abstract reasoning section of the examination. In this article, we provide you with our tried and tested tips on how to ace abstract reasoning and score as highly as possible on this section in your exam!
Need some extra support in preparing for your upcoming UCAT? Working one-on-one with our experts can help refine your skills and improve your speed, giving you the confidence needed to excel in your real exam!
Abstract Reasoning Top Tips Summary:
Know The Question Types
Get Familiar With The UCAT Timings
Stick To One Mnemonic & Learn It
Identify Shapes
Comparing Sizes In The UCAT Abstract Reasoning Test
Shading in UCAT Questions
Position Is Key
Look At The Sides!
Always start on the easiest box
Set B will likely be the opposite
Don’t Make Assumptions
Be Mindful In Your Revision
Become Comfortable With Your Keyboard Shortcuts
Know The Platform
Guess Answers To Boost Your UCAT Abstract Reasoning Score
Little & Often
Use All The Resources You're Given
Learn Common UCAT Abstract Reasoning Patterns
Don't Watch The Clock
Use Mainly Online Resources
Timed Conditions Only
Practice Makes Perfect
Tips 1: Know The Question Types
In the UCAT Abstract Reasoning Section, there are 3 types of questions that you may face:
You’re given test shapes - in these questions, you’ll be given 5 test shapes and are asked to classify them into Set A or Set B or Neither set.
Complete the sequence - you’re given 3 consecutive images and asked to pick a 5th image which fits the possible patterns shown.
Applying rules - these will be presented with the phrase “[box 1] is to [box 2] as [box 3] is to…”. You are required to choose which option is box 4, by finding the rule which connects box 1 and box 2.
Students tend to find type 2 and type 3 questions easier than type 1, so being familiar with the types of questions will help you set expectations for how long to spend on each question!
👉🏻 Read more in our Ultimate UKCAT Guide
Tip 2: Get Familiar With The UCAT Timings
In the abstract reasoning section of the UCAT, you’re given 12 minutes to answer 50 questions.
This gives you a mere 14 seconds per question. However, certain question types require different time investments.
In type 1 questions, you are asked 5 questions based on the same set of shapes. This means that you might spend slightly longer on the first question of a set, and less on the next 4.
However, type 2 and 3 questions are standalone, and you won’t be asked multiple questions on the same shape set. This means that you should aim to spend less time on these questions,
👉🏻 Read more about revising the UKCAT Verbal Reasoning section
Tip 3: Stick To One Mnemonic & Learn It
Looking online, you’ll be bombarded with mnemonics to help you remember what to look for in each pattern set. These include CPR, SCONE, NSPCC, SPONCS, SCANS.
Don’t get confused trying to learn them all.
We recommend SSSPN:
Shape
Size
Shade (colour)
Position
Number
These first go through the most obvious patterns, before looking at more complex features like numbers.
For each of these categories, there are several aspects you can look at.
Our next few tips will summarise the things you should be looking for in each section of the mnemonic.
👉🏻 Read more about what to expect on the day of your UCAT exam
AR Tip 4: Identifying Shapes
When looking at the shapes found in a set, consider the following to help you look for a pattern:
What are the common types of shapes?
What are the shape of the sides like? E.g. are the sides convex or concave?
Are there any common angles between shapes? e.g. every shape has a right angle
Are there any lines of symmetry within shapes?
What is the number of shapes in each set?
If you haven’t found a pattern which fits all of the boxes of a set, move on to looking at the size.
👉🏻 Join a UCAT Course to boost your score!
Number 5: Comparing Sizes In The UCAT Abstract Reasoning Test
After looking at the patterns between shapes, you might want to consider the sizes of each shape within a box of the set.
Consider specifically:
How do the sizes of particular shapes vary?
Is one shape always bigger than another?
If there doesn’t seem to be a pattern between the sizes, or all the shapes are the same size, move on to looking at the shade.
Top Tip 6: Shading in UCAT Questions
The diagrams in the UKCAT do not use colour, so when looking at the shades you only need to consider white, grey, black and patterned (e.g. hashed, striped).
Consider:
Are any particular shapes a set colour?
Is there always a set number of a set colour? Eg. there are always 3 grey shapes and 2 black.
You might find that patterns including colour are combined with another rule, such as a shape rule. For example, there may always be a black triangle in each box of the set.
👉🏻 Read more about the strategy behind choosing the day for your UCAT exam
Abstract Reasoning Tip 7: Position Is Key
When considering the position of shapes in the set, consider the following:
Where is an object positioned within the box?
Are there always any objects between 2 shapes?
Are shapes rotated in a particular way?
What direction are arrows pointing in?
Are the arrows pointing at a particular shape?
As you can see, often the position rule is indicated where a pattern includes arrows, as these are easy to design and can be confusing to interpret.
Tip 7: Look At The Sides!
Look at the number of different sides that each shape or total shapes have.
This could include looking at whether there is a set number of:
Total shapes?
Particular shapes e.g. triangles?
Number of Sides?
Enclosed areas?
Number of Intersections?
Angles?
Finally, consider whether these numbers have any characteristics, such as being a multiple of 3, odd or even. An example of this pattern in context would be, that all the shapes in the set have an odd number of sides.
Tip 8: Always start on the easiest box
Don’t make life difficult for yourself by trying to analyse the pattern of a really busy and difficult box.
Choose the box with the fewest shapes to try and deduce the pattern from. This reduces the chance of you being distracted by ‘filler shapes’.
Many choose to pick the box in the top left to help with this.
👉🏻 Read more: UKCAT Key Dates in 2024
UCAT Abstract Reasoning Tip 9: Set B will likely be the opposite
So you’ve found the pattern for Set A. Don’t waste time starting from scratch to figure out the pattern for set B. The patterns in set A and set B are usually the opposite of each other.
Examiners know that you don’t have time to interpret 2 completely different patterns for one question. Therefore, the pattern for set B is often the inverse to set A.
For example:
Set A - 1 black triangle and 1 white star in every box
Set B - 1 white triangle and 1 black star in every box
Abstract Reasoning Tip 10: Don’t Make Assumptions
After finding a pattern which is common to 2 boxes in a set, it can be easy to jump to the conclusion that this must be the rule.
However, before choosing your answer, we recommend checking with at least 2 other boxes of the set that the rule continues! This is such a common and easy mistake, that only takes a few seconds to avoid.
Abstract Reasoning Tip 11: Be Mindful In Your Revision
Doing practice questions can become a mindless task, but the whole point of practicing is to highlight what you struggle with, and what you need to focus more on.
After each abstract reasoning practice, comb through your answers carefully, making sure that you understand where you went wrong, and that you can recognise the pattern you missed.
Consider which question type you find hardest and get incorrect the most often, and hone your revision to focus on these questions in particular.
👉🏻 Read more about UCAT Reflective Revision to optimise your UCAT score
Abstract Reasoning Tip 12: Keep A Crib Sheet Of Hard Patterns
As you revise and encounter new and difficult abstract reasoning patterns, we recommend keeping a note of what you needed to look for, and what the pattern was.
If you’re a visual learner, it might be worth screenshotting or taking a picture of the pattern, and annotating the aspects which link each box.
This will form a useful handbook to return to when you need reminding of patterns you struggle to pick up on.
Abstract Reasoning Tip 13: Become Comfortable With Your Keyboard Shortcuts
In the UKCAT exam software, you are able to use keyboard commands to execute functions such as flagging, skipping and moving backwards. Using these shortcuts saves a significant amount of time compared to the traditional mouse method, which will help in acing the UCAT.
However, this is only the case if you’re comfortable using them.
We recommend you practice using these shortcuts at home and build up your muscle memory, so you’re comfortable with using them in the exam.
Here is a handy summary of the UCAT keyboard shortcuts:
Next Question | Alt + N |
Previous Question | Alt + P |
Flag Question | Alt + F |
👉🏻 Read more about how to avoid burnout when revising for the UCAT
Tip 14: Know The UCAT Platform
Whilst you might be familiar with various practice websites for the UCAT, we recommend you spend some time on the UCAT Consortium webpage, where you can run a simulation of the UCAT exam software to practice finding the calculator, using keyboard shortcuts and changing accessibility settings.
Tip 15: Guess Answers To Boost Your UCAT Abstract Reasoning Score
The UKCAT has no negative marking system. This means that if you guess a question and give the wrong answer, you do not get any marks deducted.
As such, if you aren’t sure of an answer, we recommend making an educated guess, flagging the question and moving on.
It’s worth guessing, rather than leaving the question blank, as the AR section is incredibly time-pressured. Although you may intend to revisit the question and choose an answer at the end, you’ll likely run out of time.
Given that there’s a 20% chance of guessing the correct answer, it’s worth guessing as you go.
Ensure that you do not leave any questions unanswered - this is one of the best tips to do well!
Abstract Reasoning Tip 16: Little & Often
When revising for abstract reasoning, we recommend revising a little and often. Work backwards from your exam date, and create a plan of how many questions you intend to do per day, per week etc, and create a schedule which works for you.
Spaced repetition is a proven revision technique for memory retention and the prevention of burnout in the UCAT. When building up pattern recognition skills, it’s just as important not to overload yourself.
👉🏻 Read more about making the perfect UCAT revision timetable
Abstract Reasoning Tip 17: Use All The Resources You’re Given
In the exam, you’ll be provided with a whiteboard and pen.
Whilst this is usually more useful for the quantitative reasoning and decision-making sections, it can still come in handy for abstract reasoning.
Reduce your mental load by writing down the mnemonic you use. This can act as a fantastic mental reminder or checklist during the AR section of the exam.
Tip 18: Learn Common UCAT Abstract Reasoning Patterns
Whilst you don’t know exactly what shapes will come up on the day, there are only so many patterns that are possible.
Therefore, it’s worth learning the characteristics of common shapes to save you time.
Save yourself from trying to count the number of sides of an arrowhead, by learning it in advance.
Shape | Number of Sides | Lines of Symmetry |
Circle | 1 | Infinite |
Heart | 2 | 1 |
Crescent | 2 | 1 |
Triangle | 3 | Equilateral - 3 Scalene - 0 Isosceles - 1 |
Square | 4 | 4 |
Rectangle | 4 | 2 |
Pentagon | 5 | 5 |
Hexagon | 6 | 6 |
Arrow | 7 | 1 |
Star | 11 | 5 |
Cross | 12 | 2 |
👉🏻 Read more about how universities use your UCAT score
Abstract Reasoning Tip 19: Don’t Watch The Clock
Students often struggle with focusing on each set when there’s checking the clock to see how long they’ve got left. This is an easy way to run out of time in the exam.
We recommend checking the clock at specific milestones during the exam and recognising that by minute 6, you should be approximately halfway through the questions, around question number 25.
Other milestones commonly used by pupils are at 1/4 of the way, 1/2 way, 3/4 of the way and with 1 minute left.
Abstract Reasoning Tip 20: Use Mainly Online Resources
Whilst paper resources are useful to introduce you to the types of questions you’ll face in the UCAT, we recommend using online resources, this is largely except the ISC Medical UCAT Book which we recommend.
Given that the UCAT is sat online at an exam centre, you will gain more useful experience through practice questions sat on a computer, than on paper.
In addition to this, practising online will allow you to get used to using your UCAT keyboard shortcuts.
There are several free, online resources to help you revise for the UCAT.
Abstract Reasoning Tip 21: Timed Conditions Only
The skills behind the abstract reasoning section are shown by the speed at which you can recognise the patterns. This means that unfortunately practising under unlimited time conditions, will likely not be very helpful to your revision.
Given the short nature of the abstract reasoning section, we recommend testing yourself to time, such as doing a practice run of 15 questions, at 3 minutes 30 seconds to see how you do.
However, initially, you should practice them untimed until you become more confident when you recognise patterns, and then you can complete the ucat practice questions with timing.
👉🏻 Read more about our UKCAT Practice Questions
Abstract Reasoning Tip 22: Practice Makes Perfect
Given that this section evaluates skills which most students aren’t used to using regularly, the best way to revise is through active methods. This means deliberate, focused practice.
Visualising as many patterns as possible, through completing questions will develop your pattern recognition skills, speed and problem-solving technique.
Abstract Reasoning Frequently Asked Questions
What is UCAT abstract reasoning?
Abstract reasoning tests your ability to identify patterns and logical rules in new or unfamiliar visual information. It involves deducing relationships between shapes and figures.
How is the abstract reasoning section structured in the UKCAT?
The section contains 55 questions to be completed in 13 minutes. The questions present a series of geometric shapes and you must identify the underlying pattern.
What kinds of patterns are commonly tested?
Common patterns include rotations, reflections, sequence order, figure additions/subtractions, figure transformations, and pattern breaks.
What is the best strategy for approaching this section?
Quickly scan the figures to spot patterns. Divide complex figures into components. Assign codes to track changes. Predict the next figure sequence.
How important are speed and timing?
Pacing is very important. You must answer questions rapidly to attempt them all. Practising timed mock tests helps develop speed.
Should you expect to answer all of the questions correctly?
It is highly unlikely. With the speed needed, you should aim to maximise your attempts and minimise incorrect answers. Guessing is not penalised.
How should you prepare for the abstract reasoning questions?
Use practice books and online tests to build experience spotting patterns. Online resources offer an opportunity to practice on the same platform as the exam and help you master pattern recognition techniques and strategies.
Does previous academic performance predict abstract reasoning ability?
No. Abstract reasoning assesses innate non-verbal logic skills separate from traditional academics.
Can you improve your abstract reasoning skills?
Yes, deliberate practice is key. Over time and repetition, you can enhance pattern recognition speed and accuracy.
What if I struggle with abstract reasoning?
Make it a priority in your preparation. More practice, self-reflection on mistakes, and learning core techniques can overcome difficulties.
Want some help with your own UCAT? Wondering if you might benefit from some UCAT tutoring?
Check out our UCAT tutoring packages, our UCAT Courses and our Ultimate Package to help boost your scores and success.
