Chris Chopdar - UKCAT for Dummies

Dr Chris Chopdar MA(Oxon), BMBCh (Oxon), MRCPsych is co-founder of Get into Medical School Ltd, which has a strong track record of getting prospective medical students into the university of their choice. He enjoys teaching courses both in Oxford and at schools and colleges across the UK. Chris got his medical degree from Oxford University, and also has a Masters degree in Physiological Sciences from his time there.

He returned to Oxford as a psychiatrist after brief stints working in other parts of the country. Chris continues in clinical practice, combining this work with interests in interview technique and the psychological motifs inherent in clothing.

Dr Neel Burton BSc, MBBS, MRCPsych, MA(Phil), AKC is co-founder of Get into Medical School Ltd. He designed its UKCAT course and also coaches individual UKCAT candidates.

He qualified in medicine from the University of London and is now a psychiatrist, philosopher and writer. He is the recipient of Society of Authors Richard Asher Prize, the British Medical Associations Young Authors Award, and the Medical Journalists Association Open Book Award. He is happy to talk at charities, schools, universities, and other public gatherings.

We would like to dedicate this book to the many students weve taught over the years. Their intellectual curiosity makes teaching a pleasure, and through the teaching, we ourselves continue to learn.

The Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca once said, A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. Your authors have been fortunate indeed in the intentions of those around them.

Chris would particularly like to thank his father for his ongoing encouragement and support, and his late mother for instilling in him a sense of curiosity about the world.

Chris and Neel extend their joint gratitude to the entire For Dummies team at Wiley. Creating this second edition was in some respects a more complicated process than the first edition. The UKCAT exam changed significantly and we wanted to expand the text and questions to reflect that change. Doing that while keeping the book accessible and useful was challenging, and were grateful to everyone at Wiley for their support during this process. Special thanks go to commissioning editor Mike Baker and development editors Jo Jones (first edition) and Simon Bell (second edition) for their shared ability to balance attention to detail with overall vision. Thanks also to the illustrators, who must have sometimes felt like pulling their hair out with frustration when faced with the task of neatly reproducing the complicated diagrams used in the practice tests. Finally, we must acknowledge the patience and diligence of our copy and technical editors. We certainly appreciate their efforts, and are confident that so will all those students who successfully use this book to prepare for the UKCAT.

Publishers Acknowledgments

Were proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com . For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at (001) 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites

Project Editor: Simon Bell (Previous Edition: Jo Jones)

Commissioning Editor: Mike Baker

Assistant Editor: Ben Kemble

Development Editor: Simon Bell

Copy Editor: Mary White

Technical Editors: Sam Harrison, Amy Nicklin, Alix Godfrey

Proofreader: Kim Vernon

Production Manager: Daniel Mersey

Publisher: Miles Kendall

Vertical Websites: Rich Graves

Cover Photos: uchar/iStockphoto.com

Project Coordinator: Melissa Cossell

Chapter 1

In This Chapter

Understanding medicine and dentistry as careers

Getting into medical or dental school

Understanding the role of UKCAT in the application process

You can easily drift into a career without really thinking about whether its right for you. This chapter explains what medicine and dentistry are like as careers, and what role the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) plays in the application process for these courses.