nie.edu.au the UMAT Facts and Figures, Myths and Lies

Please send any questions you may have to enquiries@nie.edu.au or phone (03) 8300 0277.

Q: I would like to register for UMAT preparation this year and so I wish to enquire as to the date at which applications & payments must be made by?

A: We don't really have any deadlines, it is simply up to you when you choose to start. That said, our advice is to always start as soon as possible as there is a lot to get through. We have already sent out many course books this year, so the students already booked in are hard at work and as others enroll, their material will be sent straight out. When it does come down to the wire though, if we have any spots left, we do allow students to pay on the day to attend the workshop and receive their material. But if you have a choice it is always far better to start as early as possible.

Q: I would like to order a DLP but how do i make a money order payable to NIE? I could not find it on the site - do i have to print out a form?

A: Australia Post Money Orders may be purchased at any of over 3,800 Australia Post outlets nation-wide. Just ask for a money order and they will sort it out. As soon as we get the payment we will post out your books and you are away.

Q: Just wondering whether there are limited places in the workshops as well as the approximate number of students at each workshop? Also, is there a closing date for applications?

A: We average 20 to 40 students at our workshops and just stop taking enrollments when they are full. At this stage there are places still available. It is better though to enroll asap, as we post the books out as soon as we receive the applications which means that you can start straight away and do more study before the workshop. At the workshop we are really assessing and fine tuning your prep, so the more you do before the workshop the better off you will be.

Q: I am planning to apply for a group discount and i need some clarification. On the application form, I wish to do the "09 Course" for $425. However, do i and my group just send $375 ($50 discount) along with the forms in one envelope?

A: Yes thats exactly right, just tick the $425 box and pay the $375. We look forward to working with you this year...

Q: I was wondering what the cost of a UMAT workshop is and how I can apply for one?

If you are one of our Platinum, Premium or Concession students then the workshop is free, if you are one of our DLP students, it is just $40 to upgrade and if you are none of the above it is $495.

If on the other hand you would like to partake in our full course for 2009, you can pay just $425 and get the workshop, the 8 books and the ongoing support from our teachers for the whole year.

Q: I completed my nursing degree in 2004. I am wishing to apply for Medicine. I am wanting to sit the 2010 GAMSAT or UMAT test. I am unsure of which test to sit right at this moment. I have been reading about all of the preparation I need to complete. I was told by a friend that you run a pre-course to help with this test. I was wondering if you could help me with this?

A: There are many options open to you and it may well pay to just give me a call and discuss what you are looking at but I will try to give you some of the basics.

UMAT is for undergrads whilst GAMSAT is for grads. U will get you into a 6 year med course whilst G will allow you to only do 4 years (4.5 for some unis). Every uni has different selection requirements/protocol but there is some merit to sitting both UMAT and GAMSAT to broaden your chances.

Basically 90% of students fail the U and around 80% fail the G. So covering your bases, making the most of it, being prepared and understanding what you are up against will all help. With U you will be limited somewhat as you already have a degree. So unis like Tas and Newc will still let you enter via the undergrad pathway but others won't.

If it is no drama to study interstate then I would consider sitting U this year and G next year (and possibly U again in 2010) to give you the best shot at both options.

The U and G tests are complete opposites of each other and are only similar in the fact that they are highly speeded multiple choice formats. The U is a non knowledge based exam (personality/IQ/phsychometric) whilst the G is directly knowledge based (chem, biol, phys, essay writing, etc). U is 2.5 hours and G is 5.5 hours. Around 19000 will sit U this year and around 8000 for G.

Q: I am emailing regarding the packages that you provide. Which do you feel is the best value? For example the platinum package has far more questions, does it have better questions? When were your pacakges available for this year's UMAT- did people purchase them late last year? I haven't heard of NIE before. How does it rank with other institutions that offer UMAT packages?

A: Here at NIE we do things very differently to any of the others.

NIE is the only provider that employs teachers and especially full time teachers for each individual section. All of the others have just one person who presents at the seminars and having sat UMAT many times I can comfortably say that you should never rely on one person to be an expert in each area of the UMAT. The sections are so vastly different that you need a specialist teacher for each and that is exactly what we have done since 1999 for UMAT.

We also offer 24 hr support. No one else can match this because they don't have the staff (or don't choose to spend the money to employ them). Some of the others are run by med school students...how much support will you get from them?

We also rewrite all of our curriculums every year plus we author all new practice questions. We do this for many reasons.

The UMAT changes a little each year (sometimes a lot) and our course improves a little each year. We have staff sit the UMAT every year and we do extensive research and student feedback to keep ahead every year. This ensures that students who do our program over a number of years always have fresh, up to date and relevant materials to work with plus we are always ahead of the changes to the test. An example of this was 2006 when the UMAT went through drastic changes. Most providers sent their students hundreds of questions (they had been using for years) that were not on the UMAT at all. Only one provider had the staff, the know how and the ability to publish 100% relevant books and questions - NIE!

We also publish our books as hard copy (two are emailed as printable PDFs whilst 6 are supplied as printed hardcopy books). This has huge advantages over the on line courses. With books you can underline, highlight, make notes and you can study any where at any time. You can take the books to bed, to school, on holiday, read in the car, etc...when you want/need to study you have access. With online courses you actually own nothing, you just rent access to the materials. Come the UMAT date you are locked out of the system and have to pay to get access again. Let alone that you need access to a computer, a secure connection, good broadband, etc... and of course the fact that UMAT is a paper test sat flat on a desk with a pencil. Not an online document approached on a screen with a mouse.

The reason that you may not have heard of us is because we don't do a lot of advertising. Most of our students are word of mouth referrals based on our success. Think about it this way: We pay for 3 full time staff, why don't the others? We pay for printing, packaging, research and development every year. The online courses that use the same questions don't have any of these costs. We fly, feed and accommodate 3 staff all over the country, the others send one person only.

And yet our course fees are some of the lowest...

OK...so in regard to packages: the Platinum package is exquisite and contains 3 different editions of our practice questions. We can do this because we write new ones every year. If you are desperate for med, have the time and the budget, then you can't beat the Platinum for value and prep diversity. That said the Premium course is still excellent value with around 1500 questions, the workshop with 3 teachers and the ongoing 24 hr support.

Our 2009 materials have been published already and we have had students working on them for weeks but we have also had students preparing for this year with us for over two years. Our programs are basically ongoing.

Q: I would like to know more about the DLP: Will I be receiving all the material as hard copy (printed paper), or are there some items that are limited to online access via the internet?

A: There are 8 books in our set for each year. Two are supplied as printable PDF documents and the remaining 6 are supplied as hardcopy books.

Whilst we could save tens of thousands in printing and postage costs by going online, we refuse to as we don't believe it is the most efficient way to prepare for UMAT. So none of our materials are limited by access, servers, location or bandwidth. You can utilise the resources anywhere any time, underline, highlight and jot notes in the margins and enjoy the benefits of reading in any position.

All of our material is based on sound distance education principles and all students receive the starter pack as soon as they apply and the hard-copy materials within a few days of applying. The only difference with the courses is that some will attend the workshop and those doing the DLP only will not.

Q: If I choose the DLP option at this stage will this mean I may not attend the workshops subsequently. I would like to go through the books now and then have the option to continue with the workshops - by paying the difference, or a bit more, but not having to pay a second set of complete fees.

A: Yes we will be able to upgrade you to the workshop for a small fee.

We highly recommend the workshop (it's not really that much more in cost). it's a chance to have the three teachers there in front of you for questions and a completely different perspective on each section than what we present in the books. The teachers make themselves available on an individual level to answer all questions during the breaks and after class and you also get the full feedback and comparison on the trial test. Even just for that it is invaluable let alone everything else we squeeze into the day. Seeing how your peers are coping with the exam, being put to the test yourself and experiencing the UMAT test conditions are all very worthwhile.

Q: I am a New Zealand student interested in purchasing the NIE UMAT preparation course. Is it possible to pay for it by a cheque from ASB (of New Zealand)?

A: There is no drama with paying by any cheque but you will be charged an extra fee when your bank changes the amount from NZ$ to AUD$. The simplest way is to either have your bank deposit the funds directly into our NZ account or for you to do it yourself via electronic (online) banking. This would be the quickest and save you on any fees.

Q: I purchased the distant learning package in 2005 and thought it was a useful resource in helping me prepare for UMAT. After taking 4 years off, I ve decided to try out for UMAT in 2009 (for the second time) but I noticed the stimulus for UMAT has drastically changed in the 4 years and feel the package I purchased in 2005 from NIE is quite different to the "real" UMAT.

Therefore, I am willing to purchase the premium package this year and hope the package is alot different to what i purchased 4 years ago. Just to make sure before i make a purchase, whether significantly different changes have been made.

A: We go to great lengths to ensure that our material is not only 100% up to date but also 100% new. We have many students who train with us over a number of years and the main reason is because we do write all new questions and tests every single year.

2005 was the last time we saw the scenario type Qs in SII as well as the shapes type Qs in SIII. There has also been a change in SI from true logical reasoning to more problem solving type Qs but most students would not have recognised this subtle shift.

All of our materials reflect these changes and the 2009 books are definitely the way to go. What we normally say is that the 09 material is 100% relevant for 09. The 08 would be 80%, the 07 60%, the 06 50% and the 05 to 03 around 40%.

You will also find the Premium package superior over the DLP as it includes the workshop which offers direct contact and feedback with our three highly experienced teachers.