UMAT Preparation?

[TheAspiringDoc]

Hi guys,
Hope your exams are going well
I was just wanting to ask about UMAT prep and all that. Here are my two questions:

Would it be a good idea to start section zero UMAT prep in the summer holidays?

And would consistent UMAT prep help with my other subjects (e.g. increase my mathematical reasoning ability or something)?

Thanks!

[JaidynM]

Kudos to you for being super keen and willing to start preparation so early! That being said, I really wouldn't recommend more than a years worth of revision, or two at most. I started in January 2015/December 2014 and sat the exam in July 2015 and found that that was plenty of time to prepare. If you're really set on starting now I'd recommend just reading up on the types of questions you'll get (if you have MedEntry or SectionZero you can read through their notes/guides) so that you're familiar with the layout of the exam. Good luck!

[Botopie]

The type of questions for section 3 has changed completely and the preparation courses for this section are of no use. You should instead seek to hone the skills that may assist you the UMAT; such as: speed reading, critical thinking, etc...

[pi]

I've heard that section three has changed dramatically, and given that this was the only section that was shown to be improved by these prep courses, I'd suggest that there's no point preparing this early on. Wait for prep courses to catch up with the changes and get one in 2017 or 2018.

I don't know anyone in med who started preparing 3 years in advance, it's just not necessary or beneficial. It'd be so awks if the UMAT got removed in 2018 and you've been spending all this money preparing

[chelonianlover]

Holy shit, you make me feel so bad about myself hahahaha

[datfatcat]

To give you an idea, I did my preparation in June and sat the test in July.

[tashhhaaa]

having sat the UMAT this year, I can confirm that the prep course I did (MedEntry) was useless for Section 3... Pretty much all sections really when I think about it...

I got 79th percentile because I started preparing 2 weeks before lol. Imagine what a year could do! That's more than enough.

You would be better off to just improve your general critical thinking skills than spend >$500 on a prep course, but I think Section Zero is cheap.

[Splash-Tackle-Flail]

Yeah definitely try Section Zero. Really it should be all you need plus the ACER papers. If you manage to do all the Section Zero questions (I didn't lol), you should be really set for the UMAT. While I didn't get MedEntry, it is unnecessary imo, and has little/no benefits over cheaper options.

[Shenz0r]

From my experience in the UMAT, longer preparation times =/= good results.

[RedCapsicum]

Having sat the exams this year, it was different to the prep material provided by Medentry, so I reckon you should wait.

And to answer your last question about the UMAT helping your abilities in other subjects, it actually does. It makes you a better thinker, and I remember that this aspect of UMAT was stressed in the two-day Medentry workshop. Overall by doing the UMAT you do increase your skills in certain areas of maths and science especially in regards to how you choose to answer your questions or the logic you use behind getting from A to B.

[Swagadaktal]

So what kind of preparation should I do these holidays? I'm keen to get a good UMAT because i think my ATAR will  be fine, should I just do section zero and ACER? Would MedEntry change their services so that they become more helpful for section 3?