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UMAT weighting

hi

I've been practicing for the UMAT using a friends med entry subscription, in the practice tests i get the following scores.
S(1) usually 14 or 13 /15
s(2) highest i got was 5/15
s(3) 19/20

I cant seem to improve section 2, I look at the explanation then I think I understand the cause and effect but next question is completely different. I always get an answer i'm not expecting.

I should also say i'm entitled to special support because I have been diagnosed with developmental disorder called Asperger syndrome. I think section 2 is really discriminating against my disability and stacking the odds up on me.

How much weighting would the aggregate UMAT index/score put on section 2?
 

nira

Regular Member
honestly depend on the uni tbh. i know for uni's such as utas, they tend to weight section 2 highly. wheras jmp uses your section 1 score. and at places such as UQ they use your section 1 score to differentiate between applicants with similar scores
 
honestly depend on the uni tbh. i know for uni's such as utas, they tend to weight section 2 highly. wheras jmp uses your section 1 score. and at places such as UQ they use your section 1 score to differentiate between applicants with similar scores
So I can apply to a uni that considers only S(1) and even if I do poorly in S(2) it wouldn't matter?

S(1) is the easiest for me, even tho i scored higher in S(3) if I write things down, 100% in S(1) seems doable. The score I was getting in S(1) was me rushing through it without writing anything down.
 

nira

Regular Member
So I can apply to a uni that considers only S(1) and even if I do poorly in S(2) it wouldn't matter?

S(1) is the easiest for me, even tho i scored higher in S(3) if I write things down, 100% in S(1) seems doable. The score I was getting in S(1) was me rushing through it without writing anything down.
section 1 is considered the hardest, so you should be grateful for your ability. however in saying that you can't do exactly horrendous in section 2 either. due to the fact that some uni's enforce the 50.50.50 rule. do you know which uni you want to go to
 

nira

Regular Member
well unsw is a really good university, and really competitive. they dont have a particular weighting scale on umat. do you by chance have rurality?
 

pi

Junior doctor
Emeritus Staff
I should also say i'm entitled to special support because I have been diagnosed with developmental disorder called Asperger syndrome.

This might err on controversy, but if you're hindered socially for whatever reason, that might disadvantage you when working as a doctor as well. The UMAT is supposed to reflect a handful of attributes or skills that a medical student or doctor should have, and S2 tests for empathy and understanding people, which is pretty key to being a doctor (whether they test it well is another story). So, honestly I don't believe you should get special support because you won't get any when talking to patients.
 
This might err on controversy, but if you're hindered socially for whatever reason, that might disadvantage you when working as a doctor as well.
That's why I get special funding from the department of education to mitigate and remediate the effect of my disability. Testing me on S(2) is like asking someone that competes in the paralympics to compete in the regular one, it is incredibly unfair.
So, honestly I don't believe you should get special support because you won't get any when talking to patients.
It's not about what you believe, its about the recommendation made by mental health professionals.
 

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LBoG

BMedSci/MD-JMP II UoN
That's why I get special funding from the department of education to mitigate and remediate the effect of my disability. Testing me on S(2) is like asking someone that competes in the paralympics to compete in the regular one, it is incredibly unfair.

It's not about what you believe, its about the recommendation made by mental health professionals.
It's widely accepted that doctors need a certain level of empathy, compassion and social aptitude, as it is a profession that deals primarily with people - sick people, mentally ill people, injured people, intoxicated people, etc. The qualities I've mentioned are necessary to provide a high standard of person-centred care.

S2 of the UMAT attempts to test an applicants aptitude for these qualities, just as S1 attempts to test an applicants logical reasoning and S3 attempts to test an applicants pattern recognition and 'non-verbal reasoning'.

Not everyone can be a doctor. While people with disabilities are entitled to extra supports, there is a limit to how far those supports can go. If your disability prevents you from providing a high standard of empathetic and compassionate person-centred care to patients, then you unfortunately might not be a suitable candidate for the medical degrees that require UMAT results.
 

sht

Member
Discrimination isn't about equality, it is about equal opportunity. You shouldn't be denied an opportunity for reasons that are irrelevant to the requirements of that opportunity. You very much should be denied an opportunity if you lack the requisite skills/experience/aptitude, regardless of why you lack those attributes.

The disabled movement has made a lot of progress by highlighting areas in life that have only been designed with the able-bodied in mind. So you could attempt to argue that the skills tested by S2 are not necessary for medicine and, hence, the UMAT unfairly discriminates against people with Asberger's, but that might be a tough debate.

Also, why medicine? You clearly have an aptitude and interest in electrical engineering. And, I can assure you, scoring poorly in S2 would not hinder you in this field.
 

pi

Junior doctor
Emeritus Staff
It's not about what you believe, its about the recommendation made by mental health professionals.

It's not about what you believe either, it's about the rigours and nature of the job. The fact is that if your social and people skills are deficient for whatever reason (ASD, anxiety, depression, etc) you will struggle to work proficiently as a junior doctor. A significant part of the job is building a strong doctor-patient relationship and that is inherently hindered if you have difficulties understanding people. Now I'm not saying you do or do not fit into my description, I'm not attacking you or casting judgements from an online forum, but what I'm saying is just the nature of the job.

A test that assesses the reality of the job should be put to the same standard as the job, that is, no one gets a leg up. It's not just my opinion, clearly ACER has similar thinking for not giving anyone bonus points or whatever in S2.
 

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