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Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning
2023 ENTRY
MASTER THE
UCAT
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2000+ Practice Questions
100+ Comprehensive Lessons
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DR KUNAL DASANI
DR MOHIL SHAH
DR SHWETA MADHU
DR JOHN ADAM
ARUSHI RAMANI
Copyright © 2022 by Mohil Shah
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First edition
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I Introduction
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3 Preparing for the UCAT
4 How to Use This Book
10 Passage Adjustments 53
11 Correlation and Causation 56
IV Decision Making
18 Introduction 89
19 Logical Puzzles I: An Introduction 92
20 Logical Puzzles II: Mathematical Puzzles 107
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21 Logical Puzzles III: Spatial Equations 112
22 Logical Puzzles IV: Visual Puzzles 121
23 Logical Puzzles V: Cross Hatch vs. Fill In 132
24 Logical Puzzles VI: Ordered Questions 142
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25 Logical Puzzles VII: Conditional Scenarios
26 Syllogisms I: Introduction
27 Syllogisms II: Venn Diagram Approach
28 Syllogisms III: Shorthand Approach
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156
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29 Interpreting Information I: Fictional Text 171
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30 Interpreting Information II: Non-Fiction Text 177
31 Interpreting Information III: Tables 181
32 Interpreting Information IV: Graphs 187
33 Recognising Assumptions 195
34 Venn Diagrams I: Introduction 202
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V Quantitative Reasoning
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45 Introduction 285
46 Estimation vs. Precision 288
47 Interpreting Question Stems 296
48 Units in the UCAT 303
49 Percentages
50 Proportion
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Mean, Median and Mode
52 Ratios I
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319
321
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53 Ratios II 334
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54 Resources in the Quantitative Reasoning Section 341
55 Interest Questions 348
56 Tax Questions 354
57 Geometry I 360
58 Geometry II 366
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VI Abstract Reasoning
63 Introduction 393
64 SPONCS 396
65 Triggers 407
66 Finding the Pattern 417
67 Distractors 430
68 Shape Patterns 440
69 Position Patterns 449
70 Orientation Patterns 457
71 Number Patterns 465
72 Colour Patterns 475
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73 Size Patterns 485
74 Dependent Patterns 494
75 Type 2 Questions 505
76 Type 3 Questions 515
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77 Type 4 Questions
78 AR Timing Strategies
MASTER THE
UCAT
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MEDICINE DENTISTRY
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Verbal Reasoning I: The Basics
Introduction
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Verbal Reasoning in Clinical Practice
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UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
• 21 minutes total
• 11 passages, with 4 questions each
• 44 questions overall
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• 2 minutes per passage
• 30 seconds per question.
Keep in mind that the VR passages tend to err on the lengthy side
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and so, can be quite difficult to thoroughly understand within
the allocated time. This makes it all the more important that
you prepare using the frameworks explored in the following
chapters to help save time whilst improving accuracy.
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There are 5 types of Verbal Reasoning questions. Understanding
these is critical as it saves time and lends confidence. Explore
the common question types below.
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INTRODUCTION
given information.
4. Writer. Here, the question asks about underlying context,
relating to the writer’s strongest views, presumed opin-
ions, and much more. Importantly, the format of these
questions can be any of the first three types.
5. Reverse. These are negative questions, where the main
difficulty lies in tricky semantics.
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Acing the Verbal Reasoning Section
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The key to this section is perfecting a variety of time-saving
techniques in an effort to build a trusty toolkit that can be used
for longer, more complicated passages.
Ultimately, it is also very helpful to indulge in reading for
pleasure prior to the exam, if you do not already, as this will
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build skills in skim and speed-reading. Above all, work hard on
understanding the following approaches and their subsequent
adaptations per question type to score well in Verbal Reasoning.
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THIS PDF IS A FREE SAMPLE
SUMMER WORK
EXPERIENCE 2023
5-day work experience courses for
medical and dentistry students at a
London hospital
MEDICINE: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/medicine-work-
experience/
DENTISTRY: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/dentistry-work-
experience/
MEDICINE DENTISTRY
6
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Prior to 2013, the ‘true, false, cannot tell’ (TFCT) format formed
the bulk of the VR questions in the exam. Today, they only
account for roughly 10%.
Broadly considered the easiest questions in the exam, TFCTs
can be deceptively tricky with subtle distinctions between the
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answer options.
The Questions
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TRUE, FALSE, CANNOT TELL
True
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Passage: ‘Mark Zuckerberg became founder of Facebook
in February 2004 whilst at Harvard University’
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True statement: Facebook was founded in 2004.
25
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
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“can’t tell” statement as opposed to a “true” statement as there
is vital missing information that prevents us from extending
our assumptions that far. While it is implied by the passage that
they are a good firm, we cannot say that they are the best.
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Most importantly, note that this is not a false statement. This
is because there is no direct indication that Altitude is a poor
firm.
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False
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TRUE, FALSE, CANNOT TELL
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set up the following year, in 1694.
Common pitfall!
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The UCAT Consortium is partial to using dates and
timelines to trick applicants in the TFCT questions.
Ensure you read around dates to spot semantics such
as "last year" or "the following month" to consider
the actual timeline relevant to the statement.
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Other statements can be false because they go too far from
the fundamentals discussed in the passage. Have a look at the
following example.
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27
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
This statement goes too far in assuming that Krandon is the only
Amaroo supplier left. We are told in the passage that Krandon is
one of “very few” suppliers, which implies a relative, but not
absolute, shortage.
Importantly, notice how this is a false assumption rather than
a “cannot tell” statement as we can tell from the wording of the
passage that there are other suppliers.
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Common pitfall!
Ensure that you do not use any external knowledge
when answering TFCT questions. Often, they will
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purposefully include information that is either
illogical or historically inaccurate. Only interpret
the statements within the context of the attached
passage.
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Cannot Tell
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TRUE, FALSE, CANNOT TELL
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edge is the use of synonyms or definitions. These are not
considered external knowledge. For example, if the passage
refers to an attorney, you are allowed, and expected, to use your
existing English knowledge to interpret that as a job in Law or
as a lawyer.
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Attempt the following past-paper UCAT Verbal Reasoning ques-
tions to help consolidate the information presented thus far.
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SLIDE 21 keynote VR TFCT question beginning ‘The Olympic
Games…’
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UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
Take-home points
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too far. Remember that to be false, the statement must
be reasonably contradicted by the passage, or it will be a
“cannot tell” statement.
3. Cannot tell. If there is some missing information between
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the statement and the passage, it is likely a “cannot tell”
statement.
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pl
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THIS PDF IS A FREE SAMPLE
SUMMER WORK
EXPERIENCE 2023
5-day work experience courses for
medical and dentistry students at a
London hospital
MEDICINE: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/medicine-work-
experience/
DENTISTRY: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/dentistry-work-
experience/
MEDICINE DENTISTRY
CO-WRITTEN BY DR KUNAL DASANI WHO SCORED 900
MASTER THE
UCAT
100+ comprehensive lessons
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Using Inferences
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An inference is defined as a presumptive conclusion based on
evidence and logical reasoning. The ability to adequately infer
is vital to acing the VR section of the UCAT as direct statements
are uncommon.
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When can we infer
31
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
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popular institutes in the UK. With recent investment in
a new Medical Library and development of the lecture
theatres UCL is becoming a genuine dream medical
school for any UK applicant”
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Statement: UCL is one of the best medical schools in the
UK
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This statement is true. It is a direct match with the passage,
which tells us that UCL is one of the most popular institutes in
the UK.
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This statement is also true. While the passage does not directly
comment on this, the use of the past (“has become”) and present
continuous tense (“is becoming”) indicates an improvement over
time. Notably, the inference here boils down to subtleties in tone
and tense.
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USING INFERENCES
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Statement: The redevelopment of the school has been a
complete success.
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This is also a “cannot tell” statement. It’s important to think
laterally with superlative statements, such as this and the
previous one. Any statement can be true if it is not mentioned
in the passage. Here, we are not told about any negative
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consequences of the redevelopment, however, they may still
be present. Therefore, the lack of information regarding this
makes it a “cannot tell” statement.
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Putting it together
33
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
Here, we are told that the town of Stonehaven invented the deep-
fried Mars Bar and that the Bay is a restaurant in this locality.
Therefore, you may assume that it is reasonable to infer that
the Bay serves this delicacy, but it is not. In the absence of any
further information, we do not know which establishments in
Stonehaven serve the dish. Therefore, the answer is a distinct
“C - Cannot Tell”.
In particular, note how this is not a false statement as we are
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not told that The Bay does not serve deep-fried Mars Bars.
Summary
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34
USING INFERENCES
Take-home points
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consideration of the aforementioned language character-
istics.
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pl
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THIS PDF IS A FREE SAMPLE
SUMMER WORK
EXPERIENCE 2023
5-day work experience courses for
medical and dentistry students at a
London hospital
MEDICINE: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/medicine-work-
experience/
DENTISTRY: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/dentistry-work-
experience/
MEDICINE DENTISTRY
8
Extreme Language
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Using extreme language
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EXTREME LANGUAGE
On the contrary, stating that there are fewer users left playing
PlayStation 2 in the UK leaves more room for numerical error
and so, with less extreme language, is more likely to be true.
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There are many more ways in which less extreme language can
be used to make inferences.
Sample Question
37
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
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UK has removed two hours of PE per week.
Qualifiers pl
A qualifier is defined as any word or phrase that changes the
absolute, certain, or generalised nature of a statement. Spotting
these can be useful to further define extreme language.
For example, let us consider the statement, “The UCAT is a
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hard exam”. Adding qualifiers to this statement will invariably
change its meaning. For instance, “The UCAT is always a hard
exam” and “The UCAT is often a hard exam” have different
meanings to one another and to the original statement. Notably,
it is important to consider qualifiers within their context, as
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explored below.
Qualifiers of Time
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EXTREME LANGUAGE
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make cuts. However, there is no mention of how frequently this
occurs. Therefore, the answer is “C - Cannot Tell”.
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Qualifiers of Quantity
39
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
Qualifiers of Certainty
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The subtle qualifier here is “will be spent” - rather than “might
be” or “could be”. We must, however, be absolutely certain
from the text that this will happen to ensure that this is true.
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The text does not give us this certainty, so the answer is cannot
tell.
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Qualifiers of Necessity
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EXTREME LANGUAGE
either true or false, as the passage does not support any opinions
about the way PE should be practiced in UK-based schools.
Qualifiers of Quality
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common qualifiers found in the UCAT.
Putting it together
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41
UCAT GUIDE FINAL V1.0
Common trap!
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Use extreme language as a guide, not a 100% rule. As
a general rule of thumb, extreme language is often
accepted when it refers to definitions.
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SLIDE 45 keynote EXTREME LANGUAGE question beginning
‘The authors would like…’
Timing Tip!
When perusing answer options, consider those with the
least extreme language first as they are more likely
to be correct.
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EXTREME LANGUAGE
Take-home points
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3. Qualifiers. These can be the difference between true and
false statements, so identify and interpret them carefully.
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CO-WRITTEN BY DR KUNAL DASANI WHO SCORED 900
MASTER THE
UCAT
100+ comprehensive lessons
pl
e
SUMMER WORK
EXPERIENCE 2023
5-day work experience courses for
medical and dentistry students at a
London hospital
MEDICINE: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/medicine-work-
experience/
DENTISTRY: https://www.medicmind.co.uk/dentistry-work-
experience/
MEDICINE DENTISTRY