UCAT Decision Making 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A ward has 4 nurses covering 3 shifts (morning, afternoon, night) over a 7-day week. Each nurse works 5 shifts per week. How many total nurse-shifts are available per week?
- 12
- 20 (Correct answer)
- 21
- 28
Correct answer: 20
4 nurses × 5 shifts each = 20 nurse-shifts available per week.
Question 2: If all of the following are true, which conclusion is logically valid? (1) Every student who passes the UCAT gets an interview. (2) Sam did not get an interview.
- Sam passed the UCAT
- Sam did not pass the UCAT (Correct answer)
- Sam is not a student
- Sam will retake the UCAT
Correct answer: Sam did not pass the UCAT
By modus tollens, if passing UCAT guarantees an interview and Sam has no interview, Sam did not pass the UCAT.
Question 3: A clinical trial reports a relative risk reduction of 50% for Drug Y vs placebo. The absolute risk in the placebo group was 4%. What is the absolute risk reduction?
- 1%
- 2% (Correct answer)
- 4%
- 50%
Correct answer: 2%
Absolute risk reduction = 50% of 4% = 2%; the drug reduces absolute risk from 4% to 2%.
Question 4: A doctor discovers a colleague is practising while impaired by alcohol. The doctor confronts the colleague who promises to stop. The most appropriate next step is to:
- Trust the colleague's promise and monitor informally
- Report immediately to the hospital's medical director or appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Inform patients who were treated while the colleague was impaired
- Take no action unless patients were harmed
Correct answer: Report immediately to the hospital's medical director or appropriate authority
Patient safety requires reporting impaired colleagues to the appropriate authority regardless of personal assurances.
Question 5: In a group of 60 people: 35 drink coffee, 25 drink tea, and 10 drink both. How many drink neither?
- 5
- 10 (Correct answer)
- 15
- 20
Correct answer: 10
Using inclusion-exclusion: 35 + 25 − 10 = 50 drink at least one; 60 − 50 = 10 drink neither.
Question 6: A graph shows hospital readmission rates across 5 wards. Ward C has twice the readmission rate of Ward A but half the rate of Ward E. If Ward A's rate is 6%, what is Ward E's rate?
- 12%
- 18%
- 24% (Correct answer)
- 30%
Correct answer: 24%
Ward C = 2 × 6% = 12%; Ward E = 2 × Ward C = 2 × 12% = 24%.
Question 7: Some athletes are vegetarian. All vegetarians consume plant-based protein. Which conclusion must follow?
- All athletes consume plant-based protein
- Some athletes consume plant-based protein (Correct answer)
- No athletes consume plant-based protein
- All who consume plant-based protein are athletes
Correct answer: Some athletes consume plant-based protein
Since some athletes are vegetarian and all vegetarians consume plant-based protein, those particular athletes must consume it.
UCAT Decision Making 4
A ward has 4 nurses covering 3 shifts (morning, afternoon, night) over a 7-day week.
Each nurse works 5 shifts per week.
How many total nurse-shifts are available per week?