An Introduction to the UMAT

By nickzeff via flickr

The Undergraduate route is the common pathway for highschool students (for others read here) seeking to do medicine.

University's which offer undergraduate places as of 2010 are listed below;

• The University of Adelaide
• Bond University
• Griffith University
• Monash University
• University of Newcastle/New England
• The University of New South Wales
• The University of Queensland
• University of Tasmania
• The University of Western Australia
• University of Western Sydney
• University of Auckland
• University of Otago

As noted earlier, most universities's selection criteria for undergraduate programs are as follows, academic performance (e.g. GPA or highschool results OP, HSC, UAI and so on), interview performance and performance in the Undergraduate Medical & Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT).

UMAT the younger sibling of the GAMSAT is a test devised by ACER used to select students for entrance into medicine, dentistry and other health science degree programs. The chief ''apparent' difference between the two is that the UMAT is designed to be more of an aptitude test whilst the GAMSAT tends to require some prior knowledge. The UMAT is more about your ability to interpret, analyse and visualise, information and patterns.

UMAT: The Basics

• 2 1/2 hr Multiple Choice Question (MCQ ) Test
• Held once every year (usually July)
• Score is valid for two years
• 3 Sections
• Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving (44 Qs; 65mins)
• Understanding People (40 Qs; 50mins)
• Non-verbal Reasoning (38 Qs; 50mins)

UMAT2010 Registration
UMAT2010 will be held on Wednesday 28 July 2010. Registrations for UMAT2010 are now open and will close at 5pm AEST on Friday 4 June 2010. Late registrations will close at 5pm AEST on Friday 18 June 2010. There are test centres both in Australia and Internationally.

Register Here
https://umatreg.acer.edu.au/

Why you should do the UMAT?
If you have even the vaguest idea that you may want to do medicine, I would recommend sitting the UMAT and applying to a number of medical schools. You can always change your mind later at the end of the year, when results are released and you have a better idea of what you might want to do with your life.

More Resources

• UMAT2010 Information Booklet
• UMAT2010 Quick Reference Guide
• UMAT: Preparing For UMAT
• UMAT2009 Information Booklet
• Purchase ACER UMAT Practice Test 1 + 2

So you think you could do medicine series
Introduction | Where to Study | GAMSAT: The Day Before. On the Day.  Tips. | UMAT: An Introduction