Practise Free UCAT Test Questions & Answers (2023)

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Verbal Reasoning

Elaine Bromiley was a fit and healthy young woman who was admitted to hospital for routine sinus surgery. During the anaesthetic, she experienced breathing problems and the anaesthetist was unable to insert a device to secure her airway. After 10 minutes it was a situation of ‘can’t intubate, can’t ventilate’; a recognised anaesthetic emergency for which guidelines exist.

For a further 15 minutes, three highly experienced consultants made numerous unsuccessful attempts to secure Elaine’s airway and she suffered prolonged periods with dangerously low levels of oxygen in her bloodstream. Early on nurses informed the team that they had brought emergency equipment to the room and booked a bed in intensive care, but neither was utilised.

Thirty-five minutes after the start of the anaesthetic, it was decided that Elaine should be allowed to wake up naturally and was transferred to the recovery unit. When she failed to wake up, she was then transferred to the intensive care unit. Elaine never regained consciousness and after 13 days the decision was made to withdraw the ventilation support that was sustaining her life.

Which of the following statements can reasonably be concluded from the passage?

A) Low levels of oxygen caused Elaine to lose her life
B) Anaesthetic is a common cause of breathing problems
C) Intensive care is an important aspect of managing difficult airways
D) 13 days is the cut-off for withdrawing ventilation

Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A) The nurses wanted to transfer Elaine to the recovery unit earlier
B) The nurses brought in extra equipment at 10 minutes
C) The consultant’s technical skills were poor
D) Elaine Bromiley’s death was preventable

Decision Making

A group of soldiers are sitting around a table, discussing their respective ranks. The General is adamant that he be sat next to both the Colonel and the Major, and disappointed that this is not the case. The Private suggests to the General that they swap, as the private is next to the Major. That would not work, says the General, as the General is next to the Colonel already. The Lieutenant, sat between the Private and the Sergeant, finds the situation faintly amusing, but doesn’t offer to help. He does however find it slightly ironic that the Major and Colonel are sat next to each other.

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) The Major is sat between the Private and the Sergeant
B) The Private is sat on the seat to the General’s left
C) The General is sat between the Colonel and the Sergeant
D) The Sergeant is sat next to the Colonel

Billy-Bob, William and Robert are jockeys. They are all competing on the same day, in different races. There’s a 50% chance of Billy-Bob willing, 30% chance of William winning and a 20% chance that Robert will win.

What is the likelihood of at least one of them winning?

A) 0.5
B) 0.72
C) 0.8
D) 0.84

Warfarin is an anticoagulant, which means that it prevents blood from clotting. It is metabolised by enzyme CYP450 to inactive metabolites. Warfarin is eliminated from the blood almost entirely by this process and the metabolites are excreted in the urine. Certain antibiotics, such as clarithromycin, affect the function of enzyme CYP450.

Which of the following statements cannot be concluded from the information provided in this passage?

A) If a patient is taking warfarin and clarithromycin, the rate of elimination of warfarin will be increased
B) There will be a higher concentration of inactive metabolites than warfarin in the urine
C) CYP450 plays a key role in the elimination of warfarin
D) Extra care may need to be taken when a new antibiotic is prescribed to an individual who takes warfarin

A laboratory is creating a vaccination against flu in advance of the winter season.
A professor has predicted that the vaccination is likely to be effective in 480 per 500 cases of flu X and will be ineffective in 4% of cases of flu Z. She predicts that the chance of flu X affecting the general population is 96% and the chance that flu Z will not affect the general population is 98%.
Considering only the professor’s predictions, is it better to create vaccinations for flu X?

A) No, the possibility of affecting the general population is 2% higher for flu Z compared to flu X
B) No, there is a higher likelihood that the vaccination for flu Z will be effective
C) Yes, the chance of affecting the general population is higher for flu X
D) Yes, flu X is likely to be effective in 98% of cases compared with 96% for flu Z