UMAT preparation workshop

1. UMAT

2.  Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences
Admission Test
 A test used specifically to assist with the
selection of students into the medicine,
dentistry and health science degree programs
at an undergraduate level

3.  The test results can only be used for the year
following the test
 Written to assess the general skills and
abilities developed over the course of a
persons education and life experience that are
considered to be important to the study and
practice of medicine and the health sciences

4.  The test looks for:
 Flexibility in thinking (critical and analytical)
 Ability to respond quickly to new situations and
problems
 A well developed ability to understand and
respond to patients needs and individual
situations.
 Not based on learned academic curriculum or
study of particular subjects, but to test of your
response to stimulus that will not necessarily
be familiar.

5. Universities that accept UMAT
entrance
 NSW
 The University of New South Wales
 The University of Newcastle/University of New
England
 University of Western Sydney
 NT
 Charles Darwin University
 QLD
 Bond University
 The University of Queensland

6.  SA
 Flinders University
 The University of Adelaide
 TAS
 University of Tasmania
 VIC
 La Trobe University
 Monash University
 WA
 The University of Western Australia

7.  3 hours of testing
 Allow 4 – 5 hours for test to cover all
administrative requirements
 All questions multiple-choice with 4 or 5
possible answers
 Questions are both based on written and
visual material
 Marks out of 300

8. Eligibility
 Anyone whose educational level at the time of
sitting the test is their final year of secondary
schooling or higher
 Desired subjects:
 English
 Chemistry
 Biology

9. Cost
 2014 registration fee is $240.00

10. The dates
 Registrations open early December 2013
 Registrations close 6th June 2014
 TEST DATE- 30th July 2014
 Results released in late September 2014

11. Results
 Accessible only online
 Only valid for one year
 Acer will send the results directly to the
universities that you applied too (if accepts
UMAT)
 Every University has different selection criteria

12. Preparation
 Test does not test any particular body of
knowledge
 Assess a wide range of skills and personal
qualities
 Ability to reason
 Make logical deductions
 Form a judgment

13. Question type
 The UMAT has been designed to measure:
 Logical reasoning and Problem solving ability
 Conceders process of reasoning and ability to
identify problems and relevant information. Then the
ability to them comprehend, analyse, select,
transform, synthesize, and evaluate data
 Common general knowledge (non-medical)
 Text-based and text-free reasoning

14.  Understanding people
 Interpersonal skills and ability to interact in different
settings. Question based on text or scenarios and
require personal reflections.
 Non-verbal reasoning
 Questions consist of a sequence or a pattern
comprising a number of „frames‟ composed of a
number of elements.

15.  Previously the exam consisted of:
 Section 1 (Logical Reasoning & Problem Solving), 48
questions, 70 minutes
 Section 2 (Understanding People), 44 questions, 55
minutes
 Section 3 (Non-verbal Reasoning), 42 questions, 55
minutes
 Now the exam no longer has separate timed
divisions for each of Sections 1, 2 and 3.

16.  A ten minute reading only time is given at the
start of the test to check for printing accuracy
etc. The three test “constructs” as ACER now
terms them, are mixed up throughout the three
hour exam.

17.  ACER advises not to do any intensive
preparation course (knowledge-based)
 ACER does advise a wide amount of reading
and to practice answering questions in a
similar setting for a similar amount of time

18. Exam hints
 Process of elimination
 Most people look for the best answer and, in the
process, end up falling for answer choices that
are designed to look appealing but actually
contain artfully concealed flaws.
 The part that looks good looks really good, and
the little bit that‟s wrong blends right into the
background if you‟re not reading carefully and
critically.
 The “best” answer on a tricky question won‟t
necessarily sound very good at all.

19.  Timing
 To be successful in the UMAT, timing is just as
important as anything else
 You should aim to pace yourself throughout each
section so that you finish the last question just
before time runs out.

20.  Prepare
 Make sure you prepare appropriately for the test
by exposing yourself to UMAT style questions that
you are likely to receive on the day
 Practice answering questions
 Read and gain as much exposure to current
events as possible and reflect on these subjects

21.  UMAT Prep Courses – beware of the scams!
 There are many websites that claim to be UMAT
prep organisations when they are actually scam
websites.

22.  Speed Reading
 Practice speed reading
 It may be beneficial take a speed reading course
as part of your UMAT preparation
 You want to waste as little time as possible
reading but you do not want to rush through it as
you will not understand very much and you may
have to go back over what you have already read

23.  Utilise your nervous energy
 On the day of the UMAT it is healthy to be a little
bit nervous. (Psychological studies have shown
that people perform poorly when they are not
aroused or when they are too aroused)
 If you have a little bit of nervous energy and you
are able to harness it, your performance will be
heightened and it will allow you too perform at
your best level- practice this!

24.  Have confidence in your abilities
 If you go into the test with a negative mindset,
expecting to perform poorly, this will be the case.
 You should go into the UMAT confident in all of
your preparation with a „can do‟ attitude in order
to make the most of the UMAT and score as high
as possible!
 A positive mindset may be a small factor, but it
does contribute significantly to a person‟s
performance in any test

25.  Good Luck!