Getting started in QR
On this page
Quantitative Reasoning is the third UCAT section. You must select relevant data and use it in quick, accurate calculations.
You will find charts, graphs and tables in almost all sets, often with textual notes that may include additional data along with background context. Thus, you must develop your ability to pick out the right numbers at the right time from the extensive data provided.
Unlike other maths exams, speed is paramount. You must set up and solve quickly and accurately, with efficient calculator use.
You must also sharpen your mental maths skills so you can find the shortest approach to reaching the correct answer. It may be challenging at first to learn to minimise maths, but this method will become second nature with practice.
The Quantitative Reasoning section includes 36 questions, each with 5 answer choices.
36 questions in total
2 minutes to read the instructions
26 minutes to answer the questions
43.3 seconds to answer each question
Try to answer each item in 30 seconds or less.
This pacing will be demanding at first, but it’s necessary to ensure you minimise maths and use the shortest approach wherever possible. You should also skip and flag for review any time a question seems very difficult or time-consuming at first glance. With good pacing, you will have several minutes left over to return to these questions after locking in the marks on the shorter, simpler questions.
Great QR pacing = higher marks.
Almost all Quantitative questions are in sets of 4 questions that share the same data. The questions appear one at a time underneath the data.
There is usually one group of 4 standalone questions, each with its own data.
Almost all questions will require you to use visual data in a range of formats. Most commonly, the data will be a table, chart or graph, but you may see a map, diagram or unusual format.
Some questions may have textual notes without visual data, though these are relatively rare.
Sometimes, the visual data will look intimidating or difficult to understand at first glance. Remember that this makes the UCAT harder for everyone.
As you practise, try different approaches to manage test stress and keep working through it. It may help to read the question first before you look at the visual data.
This way, you can target your efforts as you will know exactly what you need to find in the challenging data format.
Work smarter, stay focused and keep moving through the QR section.
Quantitative Reasoning is unlike other maths exams you have experienced.
- The correct answer is provided. You must simply click it.
- You do not need to show any rough working.
- You may use whatever steps you like to set up and solve.
- It is in your interest to take the shortest path to the correct answer.
- Think before you go to the calculator.
- Watch out for wrong answer traps due to common maths errors (e.g. inverting a fraction) or skipping the final step.
- If you are running out of time, you may need to guess. Guessing based on partial work is better than leaving a question blank.
- In the worst case, a blind guess is better than leaving a question blank. With practice, you can improve your pacing and avoid this situation on Test Day.
Walkthrough question
Quantitative question with visual data
Let's see what a Quantitative Reasoning question looks like.
Unlike other UCAT sections, Quantitative Reasoning does not have distinctive question formats. However, you can categorise QR questions a few different ways:
- Data formats are quickly apparent and used across a multi-question set.
- Maths concepts help you unlock the steps required to work out the correct answers.
- The amount of maths indicates the time required to find the correct answers.
Let’s consider the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to your QR practice and to improving QR performance on Test Day.
The same data formats will appear again and again in your QR practice. You can expect to see many of these data formats on Test Day:
- Tables, with important details in the row and column headers
- Graphs, with data points measured against one or more axes
- Charts, with the area of each segment corresponding to its relative size in the data
- Maps, indicating distances and spatial relationships
- Diagrams, such as flowcharts, indicating sequences or relative relationships
In the official UCAT practice materials, tables and graphs are by far the most common. The UCAT often refers to charts – even some pie charts – as graphs. Maps and diagrams are relatively rare.
The data format is immediately apparent, but it will not clarify the complexity of the individual questions.
Simple data could have lengthy, time-consuming questions.
Complex data may seem intimidating at first – especially if the format is unusual or unfamiliar – but will likely include one or more quick, straightforward questions.
Most QR sets will include textual information alongside the visual data format. This text may include:
- Additional numbers or percentages
- One or more formulae required to solve the questions
- Background details essential for using the visual data properly
Less commonly, you may find a QR set with text instead of visual data. Look carefully for any definitions, rules or limits you may need to answer individual questions.
Some Quantitative Reasoning sets consist solely of text or have a lot of written text alongside tables, graphs or other visual data formats. The data in the visual formats can be challenging to interpret.
Remember: you only need a few pieces of data for each question. Thus, you do not necessarily need to understand or interpret the overall, real-world context of the data.
You simply need to pick out the relevant numbers and use them in the required calculations in order to select the correct answer. Nothing more, nothing less.
You must apply the same basic maths concepts extensively in your QR practice and will likely do so again on Test Day. These concepts include:
- The four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
- Percentages and percentage change
- Fractions, ratios and proportions
- Mean, median, mode and range
- Converting between units, often with the conversion factor provided
- Time, money and temperature
- Geometry of common shapes
In addition, you may need to use algebra in order to set up and solve efficiently, though it is unlikely you will see a QR question that explicitly tests your algebra skills.
Notice that this maths is not advanced. It corresponds to what most students will have learned from the ages of 11 to 14.
It is always good to make a quick mental note of the maths concept involved. This can focus your work as you set up and solve.
But these maths concepts will likely be well familiar to you as you begin your UCAT revision, so recognising the maths concepts will not on its own help you to drive revision or improve test performance.
It is learning to apply maths concepts with increased speed but also without compromising accuracy that will help you build a higher QR score.
You may find it most useful to assess QR questions by the amount of maths needed to find the correct answer. Specifically, this means how many calculations you must do.
- Some questions require no maths – you simply read the data to answer.
- Most questions are simple calculation questions – you can solve in a few steps.
- You may see a few complex calculation questions – you would need four or more steps to solve, or the data or question is difficult to understand.
Note that you should not count the exact number of calculations – instead, use a rough estimate. It’s a sense of how much maths you must do to find the answer:
- Nothing to calculate = no maths questions
- A small or moderate amount of maths = simple calculation question
- A huge or unwieldy amount of maths = complex calculation question
You can manage your pacing by developing your skill at quickly and initially estimating whether a QR question is no maths, simple calculation or complex calculation.
- Try to answer no maths questions briskly – in well under 30 seconds each.
- Train yourself to solve simple calculation questions in 30 seconds.
- This will leave more time for complex calculation questions, but you should skip and flag for review on your first pass through the section.
With practice, the amount of maths approach can help you improve pacing as you practise and has the potential to deliver consistent results in timed mocks.
Walkthrough question
Simple or complex calculation?
Let's try estimating the amount of maths used in this question.
As you revise, you may find that you prefer not to calculate when the numbers are very simple.
It’s often faster to add or subtract in your head instead of typing numbers into the calculator. You may do the same to multiply or divide. Generally, this works well when there is one calculation with numbers that are extremely simple.
There’s nothing wrong with using the calculator for the simplest calculations. But if you are comfortable and accurate doing them very quickly in your head, it will likely help you to bank several seconds over the course of the QR section.
Thus, we will tend not to count very simple calculations as a separate step when assessing the amount of maths in a QR question.
Every QR question is vulnerable to error, and most questions will include wrong answer traps ready and waiting for anyone who makes a common, expected mistake.
Some common mistakes in QR questions include:
- Using the wrong numbers from the data
- Skipping the final step and selecting the value from the next-to-last step
- Inverting the values in a fraction
- Using the right formula but with one or more wrong values
- Omitting a factor or unit conversion
- Spending too much time on a question or a set
As you practise, watch out for wrong answer traps.
If you find you fell for one, take time to review the explanation and think about the steps you used to solve the question.
Remember: mistakes in your revision are good! Every mistake you make in your revision is one you can avoid on Test Day.
