UMAT training tips

The UMAT® Exam is likely to be quite unlike any other exam you have ever taken, therefore you should have a solid plan in order to prepare for it. This is why training courses designed by professionals can be so helpful. However, to get you started, here are a few tips on how to practice for the UMAT® Exam.


GENERAL TIPS

Practice as frequently as possible, as early as possible

You will perform much better in the UMAT® Exam if you are familiar with the format of the exam, therefore it is essential that you start practicing UMAT® Exam-style MCQs as early as possible in your preparation. Try answering a few questions of each type every day, so you can get as much exposure to test material as possible. Remember that a short study session is better than no study at all: if you are short on time, answering a couple of questions is better than skipping practice altogether.

 

Identify your weaknesses

Identify your weaknesses work on them relentlessly by working on practice questions. This is when doing a UMAT® Exam training course is most valuable, as most good course providers will give you regular feedback or perform an initial skill assessment. If some concepts remain particularly challenging, ask for the help of a tutor.

 

Practice time-management

Most students who have taken the UMAT® Exam find that they could have answered all the questions easily if they had had more time; therefore improving your speed is key to improving your score. Once you are comfortable with most UMAT® Exam questions, practice timing your answers and record your speed to assess you progress over the course of your preparation. Develop time-management strategies that work for you:  identify the questions that you typically solve the fastest and answer these first, before moving on to your weaker points. Allow yourself a maximum of 90 sec per MCQ and if you are stuck on a question for longer, move on and get back to it later.

 

Improve your odds on MCQs

Remember that marks will not be deducted for wrong answers: if you are unsure of the answer for a question, improve your odds by eliminating the obviously incorrect options and make an educated guess on the remaining answers. Also bear in mind that in some MCQs, a process of elimination (POE) strategy is the only way to reach the answer, so carefully read all options as well as the question before attempting to solve a problem. Read questions carefully and pay attention to detail: for instance beware of negatively phrased questions such as “which of these statements is NOT correct”. If you can’t identify the correct answer after going through every option, read the question again, you might have missed some important information.

 

Build strong focusing skills and improve your attention span

One of the main challenge in the UMAT ® Exam is that it requires to maintain a very high level of concentration over several hours of testing. In order to be competitive in the UMAT ® Exam, you must be able to remain focused and efficient for extended periods of times. This can be very challenging for modern-day high-school students who are used to 1 hour lessons, regular breaks and the short attention-span typically required by television or social media. In order to succeed, you must train your concentration as you would train your stamina for a run or a muscle at the gym. Practice taking a full-length test in real-time (in one sitting and within the expected time limits) at least once a fortnight and record your progress.

 

SECTION-SPECIFIC TIPS

Section 1: Logical reasoning and problem solving

Keep your brain sharp, practice doing sums in your head at every opportunity (e.g. at the supermarket, add up the price of your items as you are shopping). If walking, cycling or driving to a new place, try to use maps, rather than GPS to orientate yourself and estimate travelling time. Whether you’re cooking, planning a trip abroad, sewing or doing an art project, do calculations in your head instead of using an online currency/unit converter. Subscribe to a science page on your social media and make a habit of reading posts regularly. Twice a week, read sections of the newspapers that include graphs and charts, like the finance or business section, it will accustom you to comprehend and analyse unfamiliar and technical information in a timely manner.

 

Section 2: Understanding people

For this section, you need to develop both your reading skills, your vocabulary and your understanding of human emotions. Practice reading from varied sources. Favour material that describes human interactions or behaviours: plays, transcript of interviews, screenplays, as well as novels and engaged journalistic pieces. Improving your vocabulary on adjectives and verbs relating to emotions is crucial but recognising the meaning of body language and behaviour implying strong emotional states of mind is also important. Many famous pieces that are commonly studied in Drama classes or English Literature at school or University level are available in annotated editions that include analyses and discussion of the contents. These will allow you to refine your understanding of implicit content and help you recognise figures of style commonly employed to convey emotions. If you normally struggle to predict and interpret people’s behaviour and state of mind, you may benefit from reading up on basic human psychology; for instance, ask to borrow the notes or textbooks of a friend who is taking VCE® Exam psychology.

 

Section 3: Non-verbal reasoning

For this section, regular practice on authentic UMAT® Exam practice material is most crucial, as this style of question is not easily practiced by using every-day skills. These questions can appear daunting at first, but several recurrent strategies can help you crack many of them easily. For instance, if trying to identify a pattern in a logical suite, always start examining the options from the middle, rather than the start. Practice doing brain-teasers and puzzles as often as you can: for instance instead of playing candy-crush on your phone in public transport or under the table at boring family dinners, download section 3 questions from your course provider and practice answering them. You can also visit websites such as http://www.brainbashers.com/, and have a play with some of their puzzles. Remember, this doesn’t have to be a chore, solving puzzles can be an entertaining game you play with friends and family.