Hey people, so if you have been reading this blog and enjoyed its contents, I've created an eBook that I may be selling depending on demand. It consist of everything that I have posted on this blog but a whole lot more, with approximately 400 pages of content. Like I mentioned previously about the content and prices of premium UMAT preparation packages, the content given are quite pricey and overall it's generally giving you questions and providing explanations. It doesn't really teach you the proper techniques to succeed in UMAT. Before I get into this in a little bit more detail, I'd like you all to preview a sampler of my eBook content. There you can see snippets of my UMAT content, nothing too hard to understand yet in extensive detail. This is my UMATSUCCESS Guidebook. If you like the content and the tests that is freely available on my blog, then I guarantee you will enjoy my guidebook. It contains technique, tricks and approaches in solving questions. I also include a large number of tests for different sections and thorough explanations. I'm not here to compete with the UMAT prep courses available online. They specialize in giving you a multitude of questions and answers but I explain the how it works, how the UMAT authors create their questions and the thought processes behind required to come up with the correct answer!
How much for this guidebook? A low cost of $50 and a guaranteed improvement in UMAT question taking. It's very extensive, a lot of knowledge and tricks for a very low price. The content is beyond simple questions, but in depth study of Section 1 and 2. Email umatsuccess[at]gmail.com for interest.
Let's say you're this lady. A beginner cook who knows how to make, let's say spaghetti. In fact her spaghetti may be delicious and nice! However, for her to perform in a real restaurant, she would need to know more than just spaghetti. Had she only memorized the techniques involved in making spaghetti and nothing more pertaining to cooking, she would be at a great disadvantage in the real world!
I want you to be like this person - Chef Gordon Ramsay! An outstanding chef recognized internationally. He makes many dishes and creates modern variations of classic dishes!
Okay okay..... by now I realized this was a poor example!! What I was trying to tell you is that it's more important to know how to answer questions than memorizing the answers to questions. If you solidify yourself in technique and train your thought process around this area, the questions you face you can overcome in confidence.
For me and many of my fellow friends who have either sat the UMAT more than once, or even those who have failed UMAT and became doctors through the GAMSAT pathway.. one thing that we all agreed on is the quality and content of these UMAT resources available online - overpriced materials! There's too many preparation available and some websites are dodgy enough to make you stay clear, but they all tempt us with 'premium written content' or 'accreditation'. The best of these preparations can only construct or develop questions that will never be in the UMAT test. Never be (with an exception of one but I'll talk about that later).
Questions help prepare you mentally, to give you a "test feel", replicating the UMAT test environment in your home. The common student will fall for the trap that signing up to an online prep automagically improves their chances in scoring a high UMAT score. They tend to memorize the meaning of words, or simply do more repeated questions provided by the prep. These are helpful goals to attain but the mental approach is definitely wrong! Sadly, the repeated method works better with subjects such as Maths, Physics, Chemistry and so on. The more you exercise in these subjects the more you improve, as well as the faster you are in response! UMAT is not assessed in the same way. Your prep questions aren't going to be similar to the actual UMAT assessment. So when you arrive on the test day itself, you will be seeing many new questions! And if you're not confident, despite the relentless amount of time spent on online preps you may crumble under the pressure of the test and it's time limitations!
There's one UMAT prep course that somehow has ACER UMAT questions in its practice question pool. Students that have done this prep have recognized one or two questions in the actual ACER UMAT test. The reason for this is solely because the prep course has sent people to sit the actual UMAT test with no intention to pass it, but to memorize the questions. And if you are lucky enough, ACER may repeat it's questions. The probability of this however, is quite low but it has happened one or two times around 2006-2008. I would strongly advise you not to rely on this. The chances of getting a repeated test is extremely low. ACER knows students who have been unsuccessful are likely to try the assessment once again.
Let's compare UMAT materials. The ACER booklets cost around $AUD20-$AUD30 per booklet, and the questions are way easier than the actual UMAT assessment. The booklet is there to give you an actual feel of the test and how it's presented. I purchased all the books and found it different to the actual test. If you would like to consider this option, I suggest going to eBay to purchase a second-hand copy of the book. It's more affordable. ACER revises the UMAT practice booklets yearly, this is marketing strategy. If it is the same every year, then they will not be able to generate money - consumers would rather go second-third hand options! Furthermore, a new practice booklet that has a big stamp "2012", "2013" attracts consumer attention to the extent that repeat students would re-purchase it once again! Remember, the actual ACER UMAT test is revised yearly, so the questions are also different every year.
Here's an example of an online prep course. This one's a popular prep choice by default but let's look at its pricing. It ranges from $395 to $1890. This can get very expensive. If you fail, you can take the package again for $295. Online UMAT prep courses re-use questions. They don't update their question pool so much that every test becomes different each year. So to pay another $295 to do the same questions again I personally feel is a huge waste of money. Looking at the pricing above, it cost $790 for a platinum package that has a 2 day workshop. Doing the Math, the 2 day workshop costs $790-$395=$395 which is equivalent to a standard package. So what is the workshop?
I attended one in the past that lasted for only 3 hours or so from memory. It wasn't very helpful as we go at a class pace (slow, felt like I could have done more productive revision at home by myself). What is obvious from the above image is "Invaluable questions and tips". The one thing that excels a student in UMAT - I had to highlight this because this is what my guidebook is all about. My guidebook shows lots of techniques and tests with explanations - 300 pages of it listed in the content page. Students have to pay large amounts of money for a UMAT workshop in order to obtain such knowledge.. Furthermore, of the limited workshop time, they give you a practice UMAT exam. This exam is not a full exam, its a mini-exam designed to give students a "feel" of a UMAT test and provide a collective performance report relative to other prep course peers within the workshop. At the end of the workshop, they let you keep the question and answer booklets. And that's where most of your $395 money is spent within the 3 hours! So is the mini UMAT exam supplied at the workshop worth $395? I don't think so. It's very costly. In fact it could very well cost more than the ACER UMAT registration. I can't stress this enough, students fall for the trap that obtaining the questions immediately improves the probability of doing well in UMAT. This is a false. Once again, it's the techniques is what counts!
Going quickly through the list, students are already expose to Section 1, 2 and 3 in detail when they sign up to an online prep course. There is absolutely no need to spend extra attending a workshop. The online prep course will also provide full length practice exam questions leading up to the ACER UMAT test. We have already talked about the 'invaluable questions and tips' - that this is definitely very important but unfortunately not provided in extensive detail. The Q&A can be asked on online forums such as MedStudentsOnline for free. Strategies that maximise your performance are just common approaches in preparation to an exam such as healthy eating, effective time management, sleeping patterns etc. Finally, this last one is not really useful. You do not need to know how you are performing in relation to others. Let's say you perform well - should that affect you? It shouldn't. You should continue improving your techniques regardless. Now let's say you perform not too well.. you would strive to improve at your utmost ability! So what I'm saying is, don't get distracted by this... only ACER knows the nationwide UMAT cohort score and so they scale the scores accordingly. The representation group of those doing an online prep course is vastly different to the actual UMAT cohort, with online prep courses claiming their content is more difficult and therefore customer's performances will always be better that the actual UMAT cohort. This is false, misleading and definitely rubbish talk.. Unless the questions are constant and equal between ACER and online prep courses then yes, we may be able to deduce a thing or two. There are so many variables that affect comparing raw scores, and as a student, our job is to focus on performing well in exam. Let ACER handle the scores. Don't try to understand something that will not come up in the test for it may just confuse you!
Hey friends,
I'm going to prepare myself for this wedding that's happening Saturday in - clothes, speech, relatives over and the works. You know how it is! So I will be going offline this whole weekend for celebration and festivity. The feelings are quite unspeakable, kind of like this little child here! >>
On a separate note, thanks for returning feedback in regards to having a forum online for UMAT students - active and alive version. I'll see to it that it'll come to works. Keep the comments/suggestions coming for what you'd like to see happening there in that post! Until after Monday, have a great weekend!
Hey people, it's been on my mind now but I'd like to ask you all something and hear something back from you all - the UMAT students. So far, personally it's been quite a journey - we've always had this one-way relationship where I do all the work and talk and you people rest on the couch and all. But now, let's work on our relationships.
I'd like your input on this because I don't want to start it and it just dies and collapse. It's the community of people that make a place awesome and with your talent and knowledge I'd like to ask what you all think about us starting a UMAT forum together. Pure, down to earth UMAT forum open to the public? There's some materials in my possessions that could do good with you all and likewise I'm sure you all have things that I don't have as well. This is going to be all exciting and everyone gets to contribute more regularly as the more active posts will remain active unlike here, the more I write the more digging we have to go.
Since there's number of YOUs struggling with the logic games when I compare answers and check the emails, I thought I'd try schooling you people about this particular department and walk you through the park to teach you how to handle them.
Personally consider you're all lucky, that I'm taking time out to actually do this for you! .....I know, I know I'm awesome.. Now I mentioned in my INTRODUCTION that I've done preps so to my understanding even for those spending money doing packages you don't have detailed guidelines like this but just solution explanations, correct me if I'm wrong. Here we go children.
The test makers know that if you could spend hours methodically trying out every choice in every question, you'd probably get everything right. But what does that prove? Nothing.
First Principle: To Go Faster, Slow Down
To gain time in Logic Games, you must spend a lot of time thinking through and analysing the setup and the rules. This is not only the most important principle for logic games success, it's also the one that's most often ignored, probably because it just doesn't seem right intuitively; people having timing difficulties tend to speed up, not slow down. But by spending a little extra time up front thinking through the stimulus, the "action" of the game, and the rules, you'll be able to recognise the game's key issues and make important deductions that will actually save you time in the long run.
Here are the last part answers to the LOGIC GAME TEST-RUN #2. Two more attempted the questions which was real good! Now let's look at chairs + who seats where.
PART 4 of the LOGIC GAME: The Nine Chair Circle
The Action
Arranging seven people and two empty chairs in a circle. The key issues on which the questions will be based are:
- Who can sit next to whom?
- Who must sit next to whom?
- How far away are some entities from other entities?
- Where are the entities with respect to the empty chairs?
The Initial Setup
Anytime you have an odd number of entities to place, you can’t imagine a standard circle sectioned off like pieces of a pie, because this will always come out even. So instead, try drawing nine dots spaced out in a circle, and number the seats #1 through #9, making #1 at the top and working clockwise for #2-9.
(Note: Assigning actual seat numbers is, in fact, a step beyond what you would normally do in this type of game-they’re included solely as convenient reference points for the following explanations.)
Since this game specifies how people will be seated in terms of being to the left or right of one another, we must also take into account which way is left and right. In circle sequence games, people always sit facing the centre of the circle; those sitting at the top of the circle, therefore, will have their left and right reversed from those on the bottom, who perceive left and right as you do. (Try to picture yourself sitting at the top of the circle, facing the centre, and again at the bottom; you’ll see how left and right reverse themselves.) Make a mental note that left always points clockwise and right always points counterclockwise.
Here are the 3rd part answers to the LOGIC GAME TEST-RUN #2. Above all I'd like to thank nisharg for actually attempting the questions. For the next upcoming test-runs I will email the answers to those who actually post a discussion to these questions in the comment section. Now, let's walk through the approach of attacking these questions!
Part 3 of LOGIC GAME: Four Pictures
This game centers around matching four pictures with the colour medium in which each picture will be created. The key issues here are fairly straight forward:
- What colour is used for each picture?
- What medium is used for each picture?
The Initial Setup
For matching games like this, a grid or a list that places the entities on one line and their properties underneath will generally be most helpful.
Here's a UMAT Section 2 Test-Run! ACER suggests 40 questions done in 50 minutes - about 1.25 minutes per question. Remember, treat this like the real UMAT. Chances are you may finish on time. Set your timer to 15 minutes.
Answers won't be provided for this test. Feel free to leave comments on what you think the answer is. Once again, please discuss you're answers in the comment section of THIS POST! That's probably the only way to get the answers. It should be simple enough anyways!
Finished reading? Okay, get ready. Here we go! READ MORE to START THE TEST.
SURPRISE!! Another UMAT Section 1 Logic Games Test-Run! Remember, about 1.48 minutes per question. Remember, treat this like the real UMAT because you may struggle to finish on time. Set your timer to 18 minutes.
Rules are exactly the same with the 1st Logic Games Test-Run. Answers will be provided several days after this test to force you all to think. Once again, please discuss you're answers in the comment section of THIS POST! By discussing it you allow people to see how you think around a question.
Finished reading? Okay, get ready. Here we go! READ MORE to START THE TEST.
PART 2 OF LOGIC GAME: Chimp Testing
** Highly recommend reading the SOLUTIONS provided by 'Guest2' in the comment section of LOGIC GAMEST TEST-RUN. **
Scheduling six chimps for language testing into ten time slots during a five-day week. The key issues for this sequencing game are:
- Which chimps are tested on which days, and in which time slot (morning or afternoon)?
- Which chimps are tested before and after which other chimps?
- Which chimps are tested on the same day?
- Which time slots are free?
The Initial Setup
In a sequence game with a calendar aspect, a days-of-the-week visualisation may come in handy, as it does in everyday life when we need to keep track of a week’s events:
1) Put an “A” in the Thursday morning slot.
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