6th Year Medicine Student I Specialised UCAT tutoring I 97th Percentile UCAT I 99.95 ATAR I Prepared 180+ students over the last 5 years

Find out more about Sarthak

• 1. When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I have been tutoring over the last five years, specifically for UCAT and interview preparation for students aiming to study medicine or dentistry. My interest in tutoring developed from enjoying the process of helping someone understand something that they initially found difficult. Over time, I found that I particularly enjoyed UCAT preparation because there is often a big difference between simply doing lots of questions and actually having a structured approach to each question type.

• 2. Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I mainly teach UCAT preparation, covering all sections but particularly focusing on strategies that students can consistently apply rather than simply completing large numbers of practice questions. I enjoy working through Decision Making problems, Verbal Reasoning and the different approaches to managing time within each section.
  
  I also enjoy discussing interview preparation, particularly helping students structure their thoughts and communicate their ideas clearly. I think one of the most useful parts of UCAT tutoring is identifying exactly where a student is losing marks and then working on that specific area rather than just giving them more questions to complete.

• 3. Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  One of my high school science teachers had a big influence on how I think about teaching. They were very knowledgeable, but what stood out to me was their ability to explain complicated concepts in a very simple way.
  
  That has influenced my own approach to tutoring. I don't think being able to answer a question yourself necessarily means you can teach it well. For me, a good tutor needs to be able to break something down into simple steps and explain it in a way that makes sense to the individual student.

• 4. What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  I think a good tutor needs to be patient, adaptable and able to communicate clearly. Different students can struggle with the same question for completely different reasons, so I try to understand what is causing the difficulty rather than simply showing them the correct answer.
  
  I also think consistency and discipline are particularly important for UCAT preparation. A tutor can provide strategies and guidance, but ultimately students need to keep practising and applying those strategies themselves. My role is to give them a structure that makes that practice more effective.

• 5. Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  One thing I regularly see with UCAT students is that they start by doing hundreds of questions without really having a plan. They might practise whenever they have spare time and move randomly between different question types, but their scores can remain quite inconsistent.
  
  This is something I try to address early with my students. I usually run a pre-lesson test to identify where they are actually struggling, and then we build a plan around those areas. I've found that students often make more progress when they stop thinking about simply doing more questions and instead focus on understanding why they are getting particular questions wrong and developing a consistent strategy for them.

• 6. What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  The most common challenges I see in students are reading skills in Verbal Reasoning, some of the more complex Logical Puzzles in Decision Making, and managing time across the different sections.
  
  These difficulties can be quite frustrating because a student may understand the underlying question but still lose marks because they take too long or approach it inefficiently. This is why I use a pre-lesson test to identify specific weaknesses and then work on those areas rather than treating every student the same. I think improving those particular weaknesses can make a noticeable difference to overall performance.

• 7. Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I think my main passion is helping students become more confident in something they initially find difficult. With UCAT in particular, I enjoy seeing the change from a student feeling like they are simply guessing or rushing through questions to having a clear strategy that they can apply consistently.
  
  I also enjoy teaching more generally. Medicine has taught me a lot about the importance of understanding concepts rather than just memorising information, and I try to bring that same approach into my tutoring.

• 8. What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions)?

  I think my combination of experience as a tutor and experience as a medical student gives me a useful perspective for students who are aiming for medicine or dentistry. I have been through the process myself and have spent the last five years helping students prepare for UCAT and interviews.
  
  For me, UCAT preparation is not just about doing as many questions as possible. It requires discipline, consistency and a structured approach, which are also qualities that students will need when they eventually enter medicine. I enjoy helping students develop those habits while giving them practical strategies they can actually use on the day. Most importantly, I want students to feel that they have a clear plan for their preparation rather than feeling like they are practising without direction.