1. UMAT

2. My moment of egotism

3. Can you study for UMAT??? YES!

4. ACER themselves say: “Intensive preparation is not advisable or necessary, although wide and critical reading may provide helpful preparation for Sections 1 and 2. However, as with any test, some practice in answering questions of a similar type, and under similar time constraints as those found in the real test, is helpful and reassuring to most candidates. It is also helpful to practise using a machine-readable answer sheet similar to the one in the actual test.”

5. They also say: “UMAT is designed to assess general attributes and abilities gained through prior experience and learning; specifically, the acquisition of skills in critical thinking and problem solving, understanding people and abstract non-verbal reasoning.”

6. Say what? They are testing SKILLS, not INFORMATION you know or understand. Although you can’t study for it like a normal test…you can improve the skills they test through practice!

7. So… Although no-one ever knows what will be in UMAT, EVERYONE knows what SKILLS they need to do well in it!! The skills they list are divided up as follows: Critical Thinking + Problem Solving = Section 1 Understanding people = Section 2 Abstract non-verbal reasoning = Section 3

8. Preparation There’s pretty much 2 ways to prepare for UMAT—by practicing the types of questions and mimicking the exam conditions Also, being prepared on the day itself will help

9. Section 1 Overview 44 Questions in 65 minutes, so less than 90s.question-1…(and you can’t go back) Written information and/or graphs and tables (the “stimulus”) will be given to you, and you will be required to answer questions based on this information Speed as well as skill is of the essence.

10. Basic Skills you should have Problem Solving Logical Reasoning Critical Thinking …and an ability to do these reasonably quickly!

11. Other Skills Fast identification of RELEVANT info General Knowledge? Concentration and focus

12. 1. Problem Solving What is the question asking me, and what do I have to do or find to get the answer? Find the information you need and use it to reach the answer.

13. Logical Reasoning “Following the rules” Base your answer on the information THEY give you, not what you think!! e.g. if they say “smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer” then this had to be “true” for the question

14. If John earns more than Keith, and Leo earns more than Monty, Norman will earn the most. If Keith earns more than John, or Ollie earns more than Pat, Quentin will earn the most. If Monty earns more than Leo, Ollie will earn the most. If Leo earned more than Monty but Norman did not earn the most, which of the following is true? Choose one answer. A.Keith did not earn as much as Ollie B.Pat earned the most C.Ollie earned more than Pat D.John did not earn as much as Keith

15. Answer: D WHY? The first “rule” says if Leo earns more than Monty and John earns more than Keith, then Norman will have earned the most. However, we know Norman did NOT earn the most. We can therefore infer that John did not earn more thank Keith. Thus Option D is the right answer.

16. Another way to do it— elimination Option A is false because the information provides we can’t be SURE about how the earnings of Keith and Ollie compare Option B is false; there’s no information that supports that Pat earned the most. With the information we have, other people COULD have earned more than him. Option C is false pretty much for the same reason. So Option D is correct!

17. There are three animals, a cat, a dog and an antelope. One of them has a tracking device. The animal which has the tracking device is determined by the following rules: 1.If the cat doesn’t have it, the dog has it. 2.If the dog doesn’t have it, the antelope has it.

18. Which animal has the tracking device? A.The cat B.The dog C.The antelope D.None of the above

19. Identifying the rules There are actually THREE rules. 1.Only one animal can have it 2.If the cat doesn’t have it, the dog has it 3.If the dog doesn’t have it, the antelope has it So you have to find an answer that satisfies all three, and a situation that avoids more than one animal having the egg.

20. Answer: B Either you look at which answer satisfies/doesn’t violate the rules, or do it by elimination So…if the cat has it, this means the dog DOESN’T have it, which means the antelope has to have it, but this can’t be true because only one animal can have the tracking device at a time. If the dog has the tracking device, the cat doesn’t have it which means the dog has to have it. This satisfies all the rules and so it’s the correct answer. If the antelope has the tracking device, the cat doesn’t have it which means the dog has to have it. This can’t be true for reasons above. If none of the answers is correct, this violates the rule that one of the animals has to have the tracking device.

21. Elimination shouldn’t be the first way you solve a problem, but it’s ok as a last resort.

22. Critical thinking What is this? Evaluation, analysis, understanding, drawing conclusions…. From the information you are given! i.e. don’t just read it and think “oh, that’s nice” Think: what does this mean? How relevant is it? How valid is it? What would invalidate it?

23. Don’t assume, or give an answer based on your own ideas!

24. Identifying information quickly Why? So you have more time to figure out harder questions So you finish Section 1 Because it’s a good skill to have!

25. Sometimes reading the question first will help save time You identify the information you need faster

26. Identifying Information Quickly How? No one way for everyone Underline information so you can find it more easily Look for key words and phrases Speed reading (but don’t sacrifice comprehension) Read the question first!

27. Researchers at Otago Medical School found that taller males may be at increased risk for stroke. The study analysed height and stroke incidence among 10,071 men aged between 35 and 79 years, and followed them over a 9 year period. Compared to the men below average height (1.7m), men over average height had a 32% increased risk of stroke. It was found that those men above 1.95m had an increased risk of 39% compared to men below average height, and a plot of height against incidence of stroke showed a strong correlation between height and stroke incidence. The increased risk was found in all age groups. The researchers recommended that taller men take steps to avoid the increased risk of stroke.

28. That’s a LOT of random waffling… …but look at the question!

29. Which of the following, if true, indicates a flaw in the reasoning of the researchers? Choose one answer. A.The study was performed only on men from a single province. B.Additional genetics studies have been unable to demonstrate conclusively that height is determined solely by genetics C.The data for the study was collected only through questionnaires D.Stroke in men is shown to have a cause unrelated to their height.

30. NOTHING to do with the numbers …and everything to do with the researchers’ conclusions! So what is the study saying?

31. Researchers at Otago Medical School found that taller males may be at increased risk for stroke. The study analysed height and stroke incidence among 10,071 men aged between 35 and 79 years, and followed them over a 9 year period. Compared to the men below average height (1.7m), men over average height had a 32% increased risk of stroke. It was found that those men above 1.95m had an increased risk of 39% compared to men below average height, and a plot of height against incidence of stroke showed a strong correlation between height and stroke incidence. The increased risk was found in all age groups. The researchers recommended that taller men take steps to avoid the increased risk of stroke.

32. The really relevant bit… Taller males may be at increased risk for stroke …which means they think there is a RELATIONSHIP between height and stroke incidence… …which is the statement the question asks us to find a flaw in…

33. Answer: D Obviously, A has hardly anything to do with the relationship. B mentions nothing about stroke, only height, and the fact that it may not be genetic would not impact the relationship between them. C mentions nothing about this relationship also, and even if it was true most men would know their height and if they had had a stroke! D however mentions that they may have different causes, so if that is true this is the statement which would make this reasoning false.

34. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE MOST PEOPLE DON’T FINISH SECTION ONE

35. General Knowledge Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t (personal thing again) Knowing about studies, experimental methods, and how to interpret tables and graphs is helpful, as this may gain you time when you sit UMAT (you don’t have to figure out what words mean or take as much time to figure out what the table shows) This is a bit like the “wide and critical reading” ACER recommends

36. Concentration This is obvious, but sometimes people forget about the obvious things. You have to concentrate very hard during UMAT, so doing similar questions under similar conditions can help you prepare.

37. So what can you do to improve? PRACTICE as many questions as you can (some of the “brainteaser” questions are like the “rule” questions) IDENTIFY what your weak points are (a certain type of question, reading slowly, unable to understand some words, etc.) IMPROVE what you know you can’t do PREPARE for the test itself

38. Section 2 36 questions, 45 minutes A test of “emotional intelligence” Dialogues/other texts provided, and you will be answer questions about people’s FEELINGS based on those

39. Skills Understanding people Emotional Vocabulary

40. Understanding… Behaviours, intentions, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and motives What is someone thinking or feeling? What is the intention behind what they say or do? What is the reason for their behaviour and attitude? This is something we do every day to interact with people…but some are better at it than others

41. This extract is taken from a patient’s experience with a brain tumour on www.dipex.org I was getting headaches and pain in my neck as well. I went to the doctor who said there was nothing wrong with me. Again in about three, four weeks I still had these headaches and these neck aches. I was finding it hard to sleep and again I was told that there was nothing wrong with me. I went to see him again when it got worse. Again I was told there was nothing wrong with me. This went on for six months and I went to see my doctor eight times and he actually said there was nothing wrong with me. So I began to think that I was just imagining this pain even as it was getting worse and worse. And again I had the headaches as well so it was, it was quite horrendous.

42. How would you describe this patient’s overall attitude towards their doctor during this time? A.Suspicious B.Trusting C.Angry D.Frustrated

43. Answer: B Although in a situation like this, all these emotions could have occurred it seems that the patient was probably most likely to be overall quite trusting of the GP, as “I began to think I was imagining this pain even as it was getting worse and worse”. This indicates that the patient trusts the GP and the GP’s diagnosis, that there is nothing wrong.

44. Practice: everyday situations Why did someone react like that and how did they feel? How would this person react if a different event happened and why? Why do I feel like this? Why am I doing this? Increase your awareness of other people’s emotions and your own.

45. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes How would I react if I was in that position? Wide reading: movies, TV (think: how do people feel? Why are they doing/saying something? How would I react if I was them, and why would it be similar or different?) Write this down; commit what you’re feeling or thinking to paper

46. Mrs. Jones’ husband has a terminal illness and they have had a live-in nurse at their home for the last six weeks. Mrs. Jones: I want that nurse out of my house, doctor. I’m not paying for someone that useless! Doctor: Hold on just a minute…I don’t think our nurse is useless. She’s very experienced. Mrs. Jones: I don’t care how much experience she has! She knows NOTHING about my husband. I’ve lived with him my whole life—she’s only been there two weeks! Doctor: I’m sorry to hear that—can you tell me more? Mrs. Jones: She doesn’t understand what’s best for my husband. You said yourself the treatment didn’t work— he’s going to die, and she can’t do anything about it.

47. What is the main cause of Mrs. Jones’ outburst? Choose one answer. A. She is upset that her husband is dying and that the nurse doesn’t understand him B. She thinks it’s too expensive for the service she is getting C. The nurse is too inexperienced to take care of her husband D. The nurse has no knowledge of her husband’s medical condition.

48. Answer: A The main cause of her outburst is that her husband is dying. Although she says the nurse is “useless” and “doesn’t know anything” (D), this is not the main reason why she has reacted this way. The passage does not indicate that the nurse is inexperienced or has a lack of knowledge about the medical condition (C). Although she talks about money, (B) this quickly vanishes when she starts addressing the lack of understanding of her husband and his inevitable death. (D)

49. SOMETIMES, ALL THE ANSWERS COULD BE PARTLY CORRECT BUT YOU MUST CHOOSE THE MOST CORRECT ONE!

50. Emotional vocabulary What do words mean? How “forceful” are these words? (e.g. annoyance<anger<rage, dislike<loathing)

51. Use a thesaurus (DUH) Look for synonyms for words used to describe emotion See if you can identify the ones used to describe strong and weak emotion, and how their definitions may vary slightly

52. Table of emotion strength MildModerateExtreme EnvyJealousySpite AnnoyanceAngerRage AversionDisgustLoathing PensivenessSadnessGrief DistractionSurpriseAmazement ApprehensionFearTerror AcceptanceLikingAdoration SerenityJoyEcstasy

53. When Tom left home I felt like I didn’t have anything to do—all the routines and strategies I’d worked out were no longer needed. For 23 years, I had not just been his mother but also his carer. Even though I still saw him every week, I wasn’t his main carer any more, and it was quite hard to adjust. Everyone kept saying “Oh, now you can do what you always wanted,” but I didn’t even know what I wanted, I couldn’t remember what I’d wanted before. Although I felt like it should be liberating for me, it scared me.

54. The person speaking in this passage is “scared” about Tom leaving mainly because: A.She worries about Tom B.There is nothing to do any more C.She feels like she is losing her identity D.She thinks she should be feeling differently

55. Answer: C There is no evidence in the passage to suggest that she is worried (A) about Tom. Although she has “nothing to do” (B), this is because what she did was tied to her role and identity as a carer for Tom. Although she does think she should be feeling differently (D), this isn’t the reason she is scared. So C is the best answer.

56. “Honest people see honesty” How you feel on the day of UMAT will influence the answers you write Try to avoid “negative” emotions like depression, anger, and frustration, or your answers will reflect your mood Be calm

57. During the UMAT Stay calm (don’t panic) Take your watch in and check how much time you have left Check you coloured in the dots correctly! If you don’t know the answer or are spending ages on a question, guess an answer and ONLY go back if you have time to

58. Good luck and best wishes!