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[Undergrad] Pre-UMAT 2017 Discussion Thread

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DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
oh okay, and just asking for opinions, do you think ME questions increase in difficulty as you move towards the end? Is this the same with the real UMAT? because I'm thinking of starting the questions from the back (if harder questions are here)

No, I can't say I've ever noticed this. Nor did I notice it with the real UMAT last year. Not saying it's definitely not the case, but I definitely have never noticed it.

There are several 'versions' of the UMAT test booklet, so not everyone has the questions in the same order, anyway.

If you're doing the exam straight through from 1-134 and find the questions towards the end more difficult, my guess would be it's an artifact of cognitive fatigue more than anything built into the test questions themselves.

Happy to hear other opinions on this, as I don't think it's a topic that has been raised previously.
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
because I'm thinking of starting the questions from the back (if harder questions are here)

I think ACER would place them randomly. They dont even predefine which ones are harder. But starting from the back does have an advantage in that if more students guess them, fewer correct answers and we suspect higher weights.
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
I think ACER would place them randomly. They dont even predefine which ones are harder. But starting from the back does have an advantage in that if more students guess them, fewer correct answers and we suspect higher weights.

I'd have to weigh that (only possible*) slight advantage up against doing the exam in sections, which I think, for me at least, provides a definite advantage.

*Only 'possible' because we don't know for sure that all exam booklets are in the same order anyway, and tbh, I suspect they're not given you have to transcribe the number of your test booklet onto your answer sheet so that it's marked against the correct scoring protocol at the end.

Doing it in sections AND from the back is probably possible, but I don't think I want to add that confusion into the mix and risk turning pages the wrong way and wasting time when I'm freaking out!

In sections from the front will do me just fine :)
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
*Only 'possible' because we don't know for sure that all exam booklets are in the same order anyway, and tbh, I suspect they're not given you have to transcribe the number of your test booklet onto your answer sheet

That's a good point. I was thinking a small number of booklet versions, but ACER can be more clever than we give them credit for :)
 

Concon

Member
90ish minutes on S1 actually isn't too unreasonable, but that's dependent on your ability to do the other sections quite quickly.

I've set myself the following goal: time-wise.

S2: 30 minutes (plus reading time)
S1: 80 minutes
S3: 60 minutes

10 minutes spare (this is probably a pipe dream and will be used up in 3 minute increments in the above plan!!).

84-86 on ME exams is pretty decent. If you consider it's widely agreed you'll get a few more correct in the actual exam as the ME ones are slightly more difficult, we can work on the idea you might be looking at around 90 questions correct, which will get you ~90th%ile (assuming no disasters on the day :))

Given S2 is a relative strength for you, what's your reasoning for doing it last? I'd be doing the sections in order of:

1. Strongest section, 2. Important section (if it's not your strongest section. Eg: S1 for JMP, S2 for UTAS), 3. Whatever else.

But obviously that's ultimately for you to decide! And if you're wanting to do S2 last, you definitely need to set yourself time limits on the other two so that you've got adequate time left to do a section you're pretty strong in.

Thanks so much!! Your time allocation makes way more sense, I'll definately have a go with that. I think the reason I did it last was so that I assumed I could just ace it if I ran out of time, which was was not the case.
 

Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Day Minus 9.

Mothers and fathers are stocking up supplies for their young. Unlike elsewhere on Earth, however, this is happening right in the middle of winter, where resources are scarce. They know that to give their young the best chance at their coming trials, they need sustenance, rest, and training. Many seek the help of others, who have passed such trials before, at great cost. A few young are without such support, and make their own preparations, although of these only a small number are able to shore up as generously.

Fate, however, has other plans - those few who must scavenge for themselves in fact become among the strongest of the next generation; they are fully fledged birds of prey where the others are mere hatchlings; and competition is strong.

In the background others are onto the next stage of their trials. Much like those before, a single tiger has found a new habitat, one in which he will face further competition for the best dens, and the best breeding females. This population is rather advantageous for the male - there are many females in this new habitat, many of whom will be vying for his attention, as a mate, or if not, perhaps for protection. And yet he cannot help but cast a glimpse at the younglings whom he knows will scarce make it past this winter. For this is a special winter, one that is survived by fighting, rather than by hiding.

He is one of the lucky ones - others before him have been forced into the desolate wastelands, where food, water, and shelter are scarce, let alone any potential mates. Some of the unfortunate ones have left their relative safety of their known habitat and find themselves starving. And yet, this is not by choice - the natural order demands that these few take up territory in the wastelands. A few will stay and thrive, but many will try to return to a more plentiful habitat; unfortunately, all the desirable territory will have been long gone.

























3. The tiger in the aforementioned passage is:
a. A year 12 student
b. A first year medical student
c. @pi
d. A first year doctor

4. What is implied by 'Fate, however, has other plans'?
a. Parents buying UMAT prep for their children is to no avail
b. Students who are motivated to prepare for the UMAT will do better than those who are directed to do so by their parents
c. Most of the applicants to UMAT will not succeed in obtaining a good score
d. The students have no control over how well they do in the UMAT

5. The desolate wastelands are:
a. Tasmania
b. Rural internships
c. Psychiatry and rehabilitation medicine rotations
d. Medical Science degrees

This is the second in the series of 'Mana pretends to be David Attenborough'. You can read the first post here.
 
Last edited:

Sherlock

Emeritus Staff
Emeritus Staff
Day Minus 9.

Mothers and fathers are stocking up supplies for their young. Unlike elsewhere on Earth, however, this is happening right in the middle of winter, where resources are scarce. They know that to give their young the best chance at their coming trials, they need sustenance, rest, and training. Many seek the help of others, who have passed such trials before, at great cost. A few young are without such support, and make their own preparations, although of these only a small number are able to shore up as generously.

Fate, however, has other plans - those few who must scavenge for themselves in fact become among the strongest of the next generation; they are fully fledged birds of prey where the others are mere hatchlings; and competition is strong.

In the background others are onto the next stage of their trials. Much like those before, a single tiger has found a new habitat, one in which he will face further competition for the best dens, and the best breeding females. This population is rather advantageous for the male - there are many females in this new habitat, many of whom will be vying for his attention, as a mate, or if not, perhaps for protection. And yet he cannot help but cast a glimpse at the younglings whom he knows will scarce make it past this winter. For this is a special winter, one that is survived by fighting, rather than by hiding.

He is one of the lucky ones - others before him have been forced into the desolate wastelands, where food, water, and shelter are scarce, let alone any potential mates. Some of the unfortunate ones have left their relative safety of their known habitat and find themselves starving. And yet, this is not by choice - the natural order demands that these few take up territory in the wastelands. A few will stay and thrive, but many will try to return to a more plentiful habitat; unfortunately, all the desirable territory will have been long gone.

























3. The tiger in the aforementioned passage is:
a. A year 12 student
b. A first year medical student
c. @pi
d. A first year doctor

4. What is implied by 'Fate, however, has other plans'?
a. Parents buying UMAT prep for their children is to no avail
b. Students who are motivated to prepare for the UMAT will do better than those who are directed to do so by their parents
c. Most of the applicants to UMAT will not succeed in obtaining a good score
d. The students have no control over how well they do in the UMAT

5. The desolate wastelands are:
a. Tasmania
b. Rural internships
c. Psychiatry and rehabilitation medicine rotations
d. Medical Science degrees

This is the second in the series of 'Mana pretends to be David Attenborough'. You can read the first post here.

3. C
4. C
5. B
 

FlyingAce

Member
Exam 9:
87/134 = 69 percentile
Section 1: 29/48 = 60 percentile
Section 2: 29/44 = 73 percentile
Section 3: 29/42 = 67 percentile

Pretty poor performance. Wasted too much time, had to guess about 10-12 near the end. Probably shouldn't have been doing it at 1 am, but still poor. Hopefully next exam is better :)
 

sammy04

Member
feeling positive after reading the supportive blog discussions !!!

just 9 days more and medentry says "stop doing full length practise exams" I still hve like 4 more to go...guess i am just gonna continuueeee..
 

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DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
feeling positive after reading the supportive blog discussions !!!

just 9 days more and medentry says "stop doing full length practise exams" I still hve like 4 more to go...guess i am just gonna continuueeee..

I still have ME exam 10 and ACER exam 1 to go. I'm definitely planning on doing both of those.

I did the ACER 'extra questions' today in my lunch break :). 61 questions that were pretty straightforward for the most part. I got 54/61.
 

Sherlock

Emeritus Staff
Emeritus Staff
Day 19:

I did the final ME exam today. Results, 70/110. I did the exam in less than ideal conditions and also I rushed through the exam a little bit - had to go somewhere right after. I finished with 10 minutes remaining (2 hours and 20 minutes in total) and didn't give myself any reading time.

Section 1 was as usual, a little disappointing - 25/44 (1hr and 10 mins). Section 2 was okay, 23/36 (40 minutes) and I was quite pleased with section 3, 22/30 (30 minutes). I really need a constant reminder to calm down a little bit and slow down and take more time, particularly for section 1.

Overall, an alright score, I'd be happy if I could get around 29/30 questions correct for section 1. I'll be doing ACER practice paper 3 in a few days and that will be my last full exam. After that, I'll just be reviewing my written notes and maybe do a few additional questions.
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Congrats @LMG looking very promising, although I'm envious of your 2-hour lunch breaks haha.

Definitely didn't take me 2 hours to do 61 (fairly easy) questions! I had 1 hour and ate a muesli bar and a pear at the same time :)
 
Hey Guys
How do you guys pace yourself while doing a practice paper? Is 45 minutes an hour a good enough rate for the actual umat. I find this achievable but the downside is i dont get much time to review questions that i might have guessed.
 

Lantern

Member
Hey Guys
How do you guys pace yourself while doing a practice paper? Is 45 minutes an hour a good enough rate for the actual umat. I find this achievable but the downside is i dont get much time to review questions that i might have guessed.

I always do the practice papers (with 134 questions) in exactly 3 hours. I think you mean 45 questions in 1 hour, which I actually aimed for when I did the exam in question order from 1-134. This is probably ideal but sometimes its really hard to follow since you may get longer stemmed questions on the latter half of the exam. But as an estimate, its pretty good.

However, I now do practice exams in section order (which worked far better for me), usually giving 40 minutes + 10 reading for S2, 50-60 minutes for section 3, and then finally the rest to section 1 (ideally 70-80 minutes).

I usually never get any time to review questions, which I don't think is necessarily bad. It mostly depends how many "time consuming" questions I really skip.
 

FlyingAce

Member
Exam 10:
Overall: 94/134 = 78 percentile
Section 1: 33/48 = 54 percentile
Section 2: 29/44 = 80 percentile
Section 3: 32/42 = 86 percentile

saddddddddddd. think I need a break from s1
 

sammy04

Member
I still have ME exam 10 and ACER exam 1 to go. I'm definitely planning on doing both of those.

I did the ACER 'extra questions' today in my lunch break :). 61 questions that were pretty straightforward for the most part. I got 54/61.
damn, realised too late about ACER additional questions. Dont think I should buy them now, right?! ahah
 

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DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
damn, realised too late about ACER additional questions. Dont think I should buy them now, right?! ahah

Don't buy them. I bought them last year (when I didn't buy ME access) and they were still on my ACER account so I did them again, but they're not worth it. They're quite easy and of no more real benefit than doing a few ME drills, I'd say.
 
I always do the practice papers (with 134 questions) in exactly 3 hours. I think you mean 45 questions in 1 hour, which I actually aimed for when I did the exam in question order from 1-134. This is probably ideal but sometimes its really hard to follow since you may get longer stemmed questions on the latter half of the exam. But as an estimate, its pretty good.

However, I now do practice exams in section order (which worked far better for me), usually giving 40 minutes + 10 reading for S2, 50-60 minutes for section 3, and then finally the rest to section 1 (ideally 70-80 minutes).

I usually never get any time to review questions, which I don't think is necessarily bad. It mostly depends how many "time consuming" questions I really skip.
Thanks a lot man! Glad to know that approach isn't too rare as a lot of my friends tend to go faster than 45 minutes per question which i struggle to do. In regards to the section by section approach, how much of an improvement have you seen when you started doing the papers section by section compared to doing q1 to q134?
 
Do you guys think F2F papers are a good indication of the umat? I found section 3 to be quite different compared to other umat courses and the acer papers.
 
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