At NIE, we are quite often asked the following few questions, when it comes to preparing for the UMAT using our material:
- So where do I start and how much time do I need to get ready for UMAT?
- How much time should I spend each week OR on each section?
- Which section should I be spending more time on?
The answer to all of these questions is quite simple really. You need to look at what being prepared for UMAT really means!
Being prepared for the UMAT means that, on average, you are able to solve any of the questions within about 80 seconds. Yet, based on our experience, it also means that you can get about 85% of the 134 questions correct on any of the NIE trial test papers, within the given 3 hours, in order to be considered highly competitive. And that means actually having the skills and knowing the question-solving strategies, rather than having guessed a large portion of the questions.
Therefore, there is no set timeframe for preparation. It is merely an exercise of repetition, discipline and persistence. For most people, when attempting UMAT-style questions for the first time, one can only go through 4-6 question in a span of an hour. The target should be about 44 questions per hour. Hence, you need to allocate ample time for practice, as gaining the required technique, speed and confidence will not happen overnight. Every person will be better in one of the UMAT constructs and will find that they are able to complete more and more questions in that particular section much faster. However, seldom have we met anyone that is perfect in all three constructs.
So, we guess the short answer to the above questions would be, that, everyone will start slow, but each person will attain the required level of competence at different timeframes. The key is to start early and even more importantly to never give up. You need to remember that no one really fails the UMAT. There is simply a chance that you may not make the cut, because you are competing against the BEST OF THE BEST!
