The below information has been put together from a number of sources, including official ACER information (bell curves and statements of results), and data collated over a number of years here at MSO. While it does not purport to be the Exact Explanation of how UMAT scoring works, it is the best extrapolation of this information that we can realistically come up with, and actually paints a pretty accurate picture, particularly given ACER's repeated reports that their scoring is impossible to recreate. We believe them, and the below information is a close approximation only.
What is the total possible score for UMAT?
300
Is it possible to get a 'perfect score' of 300/300?
Theoretically, yes. Has anyone actually done this? Not that we are aware of. The highest score reported here to MSO is ~260, and this was some years ago. The highest score reported to MSO in 2016 was ~229. The highest score we are aware of from any source is 285/300, again this was several years ago.
What is the total possible score for each UMAT section?
100
Is it possible to get a 'perfect score' of 100/100?
Yes. And we have had several MSO members report that they have achieved this in a single section. An example would be 100/60/65.
Are all UMAT questions worth the same amount of 'points'?
No, it is understood that all questions are scaled after the exam has been sat for the year. Questions that more people answer correctly end up being worth slightly less than questions that more people answer incorrectly. There is NO WAY of knowing which questions will be worth more or less when you are sitting the exam, so approach each question without consideration of this fact.
How do percentile ranks work?
A percentile rank is a number that tells you where you sit compared to everyone else. A percentile rank of 90 means your score is above 90% of other exam takers, and below 10%. This score will appear on your statement of results.
What are raw scores?
Your raw score is the score you achieve out of 300.
How is my raw score calculated?
This is the total of all the points you achieved for each section. This score will appear on your statement of results. Given there are 134 questions and the exam is out of 300, it can be assumed that each question is, on average, worth just over 2.0 points (approximately).
Can I predict a UMAT score from a practice exam?
Yes, very roughly. Most practice exams will give you an end score out of 134 (or you can hand-calculate this yourself). Your UMAT statement of results will give you a score out of 300.
Given we know each UMAT question is worth just over 2.0 points, and that we are (by virtue of the scaling process) more likely to get the questions that are worth more incorrect, and because it simplifies things nicely, we can fairly reliably use a score of 2.0 to represent each question. If you do a practice exam and get 88/134, you can reasonably translate this to a score of 176/300. If you get 122/134, then you can probably reasonably assume that you've gotten a lot of the scaled up questions correct, so you can be a little more generous when doing the conversion, maybe 250/300 would be a decent rough guide. Though, to be honest, if you're getting scores like this, don't worry about doing conversions, just know that you're killing it
What is the 50/50/50 rule?
Some Universities advertise that they require students meet a 50/50/50 threshold for UMAT before their applications can progress. This means that a raw score of 50 for each section is required (which, using our 2.0 method from above, equates to approximately 25 questions answered correctly).
JMP, UTAS, and Curtin quite explicitly require this. However, it's important to note that reaching the 50/50/50 threshold just means your application can progress, not that it will progress. It does not mean that your score is guaranteed to get you a place, or even an interview. In reality, many students will score well above 50 in each section. If you're a non-rural student applying to JMP, for example, you will more than likely need scores above 60/50/50 for your application to be competitive, for UTAS, it's more like 50/60/50.
Other Universities may state you need to get a score over 150/300 for your application to progress, and if you have a score in the 40s for one section, it won't matter, as long as your total is over 150. That said, again, non-rural, non-indigenous applications, while 150 may be an advertised figure, successful applicants will typically have scores higher than this.
What score should I aim for?
This is a deceptively simple question to answer. The score you should aim for is the highest score you can achieve. Nothing more or less than that.
Do not get caught up in cut-offs and thresholds, they are useful post-UMAT, but not particularly pre (except in cases where it can be useful to know some Universities preference a particular section). Understand them, even discuss them if you like, but do not focus on them unnecessarily. Just aim to do your best.
My question about UMAT scoring wasn't answered above, where can I ask it?
This is not a complete list of possible scoring questions, and is definitely a work in progress. If your question doesn't appear above, please feel free to reply to this thread. Your question will be added to this post, and an answer provided where possible.
Where can I get more information?
[Undergrad] - UMAT 2017 Discussion Thread <-- This is also where all the cool kids hang out! Please come join us!
Frequently Asked Questions About UMAT Scoring
What is the total possible score for UMAT?
300
Is it possible to get a 'perfect score' of 300/300?
Theoretically, yes. Has anyone actually done this? Not that we are aware of. The highest score reported here to MSO is ~260, and this was some years ago. The highest score reported to MSO in 2016 was ~229. The highest score we are aware of from any source is 285/300, again this was several years ago.
What is the total possible score for each UMAT section?
100
Is it possible to get a 'perfect score' of 100/100?
Yes. And we have had several MSO members report that they have achieved this in a single section. An example would be 100/60/65.
Are all UMAT questions worth the same amount of 'points'?
No, it is understood that all questions are scaled after the exam has been sat for the year. Questions that more people answer correctly end up being worth slightly less than questions that more people answer incorrectly. There is NO WAY of knowing which questions will be worth more or less when you are sitting the exam, so approach each question without consideration of this fact.
How do percentile ranks work?
A percentile rank is a number that tells you where you sit compared to everyone else. A percentile rank of 90 means your score is above 90% of other exam takers, and below 10%. This score will appear on your statement of results.
What are raw scores?
Your raw score is the score you achieve out of 300.
How is my raw score calculated?
This is the total of all the points you achieved for each section. This score will appear on your statement of results. Given there are 134 questions and the exam is out of 300, it can be assumed that each question is, on average, worth just over 2.0 points (approximately).
Can I predict a UMAT score from a practice exam?
Yes, very roughly. Most practice exams will give you an end score out of 134 (or you can hand-calculate this yourself). Your UMAT statement of results will give you a score out of 300.
Given we know each UMAT question is worth just over 2.0 points, and that we are (by virtue of the scaling process) more likely to get the questions that are worth more incorrect, and because it simplifies things nicely, we can fairly reliably use a score of 2.0 to represent each question. If you do a practice exam and get 88/134, you can reasonably translate this to a score of 176/300. If you get 122/134, then you can probably reasonably assume that you've gotten a lot of the scaled up questions correct, so you can be a little more generous when doing the conversion, maybe 250/300 would be a decent rough guide. Though, to be honest, if you're getting scores like this, don't worry about doing conversions, just know that you're killing it
What is the 50/50/50 rule?
Some Universities advertise that they require students meet a 50/50/50 threshold for UMAT before their applications can progress. This means that a raw score of 50 for each section is required (which, using our 2.0 method from above, equates to approximately 25 questions answered correctly).
JMP, UTAS, and Curtin quite explicitly require this. However, it's important to note that reaching the 50/50/50 threshold just means your application can progress, not that it will progress. It does not mean that your score is guaranteed to get you a place, or even an interview. In reality, many students will score well above 50 in each section. If you're a non-rural student applying to JMP, for example, you will more than likely need scores above 60/50/50 for your application to be competitive, for UTAS, it's more like 50/60/50.
Other Universities may state you need to get a score over 150/300 for your application to progress, and if you have a score in the 40s for one section, it won't matter, as long as your total is over 150. That said, again, non-rural, non-indigenous applications, while 150 may be an advertised figure, successful applicants will typically have scores higher than this.
What score should I aim for?
This is a deceptively simple question to answer. The score you should aim for is the highest score you can achieve. Nothing more or less than that.
Do not get caught up in cut-offs and thresholds, they are useful post-UMAT, but not particularly pre (except in cases where it can be useful to know some Universities preference a particular section). Understand them, even discuss them if you like, but do not focus on them unnecessarily. Just aim to do your best.
My question about UMAT scoring wasn't answered above, where can I ask it?
This is not a complete list of possible scoring questions, and is definitely a work in progress. If your question doesn't appear above, please feel free to reply to this thread. Your question will be added to this post, and an answer provided where possible.
Where can I get more information?
[Undergrad] - UMAT 2017 Discussion Thread <-- This is also where all the cool kids hang out! Please come join us!
Last edited: