Study Tips
Preparing For The Medical Admission Exams
In general, the more time you spend studying for the entrance exam, the higher your score will be. However, the link between preparation time and predicted scores is asymptotic rather than linear. This indicates that after a given period of preparation time, further preparation time does not significantly improve the score. In this section, we will discuss some key steps to preparing for the exams as well as maximizing efficiency.
There are five important steps to preparing for the medical admission exams that may be summarized as follows:
1. Acknowledge the role of the exam.
Most universities do not take your academic performance into account when choosing whether or not you will be accepted into their medical program; instead, they look at your IMAT/HUMAT/UCAT scores. Unfortunately, most students are unaware of this information, and do not even prepare, resulting in them missing out on their dream of becoming a doctor.
We recommend approaching the admissions exam as a separate topic and allocating time appropriately. If you are in grade 12, you should allocate around 10% of your study time to IMAT/HUMAT/UCAT preparation, with the possibility of increasing this as the test date approaches.
2. Familiarize yourself with the style of questions.
Understanding the sorts of questions you’ll be asked is the first step in studying for the IMAT/HUMAT/UCAT. The exams for medical admissions are not a knowledge exam; rather, they are a measure of your cognitive intelligence. As a result, the questions will be significantly different from anything you’ve learned in school or at university.
3. Learn strategies for tackling each type of question.
Each type of question necessitates a different strategy, and you may discover methods to help you answer difficult questions swiftly and accurately. We discuss several methods in both the Studymed blog as well as our IMAT/HUMAT/UCAT courses.
4. Complete full-length practice tests in a timed environment.
The most efficient way to prepare for the entrace exam is to take full-length practice tests under timed settings. This will prepare you for the time constraints you will experience, as well as provide you the opportunity to practice concentrating for 100 minutes to 2 hours. Full-length tests will also expose you to the many sorts of problems you’ll see on the IMAT/HUMAT/UCAT, and reading the solutions will help you figure out where it went wrong. Through our quizz platform, all users will have access to hunders of practice questions as well as the possibily to enroll for a mock exam that accurately reflects the style and complexity of the IMAT/HUMAT/UCAT every month.
5. Work on your weaknesses.
After you’ve taken a few full-length practice exams, you’ll be able to see where your weaknesses are. Determine the sort of question you find the most challenging, as well as, if possible, which subtype of question. Then, by reading the materials, thoroughly reviewing the solutions and attempting as many practice questions of this type as possible, you will be able to improve.
What Do I Need To Study?
You may have attended schools that gave a strong foundation in scientific topics or other programs that focused various areas. Another possibility is that you’re embarking on a whole new academic path. As a result, the first step is to assess your initial knowledge of the syllabus of the IMAT, HUMAT or UCAT.
1. Scientific Theory.
The IMAT is the only exam that tests scientific knowledge. It evaluated your knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, as well as mathematics.
1.1 Maths & Physics.
We recommend that you master the fundamental concepts that appear most frequently in past papers rather than diving into entire textbooks. Maths and Physics may appear to be the most difficult areas for many students, some may even opt not to study them at all because they only account for 8 questions. However, the topics rarely change over time, meaning that by learning the key concepts, you can obtain some easy points on the IMAT exam.
1.2 Chemistry.
Chemistry is not too different from Maths & Physics, we recommend reviewing summarized Chemistry topics that you can find in A Level/Grade 12 text books if you have extensive prior understanding of the concepts in the syllabus. We advise a more thorough review of the syllabus through more comprehensive materials for those who have not taken Chemistry in school.
1.3 Biology.
While Maths, Physics, and Chemistry demand a solid grasp of concepts that don’t change much from year to year, Biology necessitates a more detailed and diverse understanding. As a result, we recommend using a combination of in-depth Biology books to gain a well-rounded and full understanding as well as practice questions.
2. General Knowledge and Logics.
2.1 General Knowledge.
The IMAT is the only exam that assesses candidates in this area. However, unlike the scientific section, it’s practically impossible to predict exactly what will be asked on the general knowledge part of the exam, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be better prepared for these kind of questions. Cambridge states “In the event that the candidate was not already familiar with the literary work in question, it is still possible to try to respond through a process of logical elimination“. The best approach to prepare for this portion is to read widely on a variety of topics and to remain informed with current events. While it is almost an impossible task to guarantee correct answers on all 12 questions every time, it is not impossible to get over 60% almost every time.
2.2 Logical Reasoning.
On the IMAT, there are only 10 questions on logical reasoning; however, the HUMAT & UCAT exams are based on Logical Reasoning. The purpose of the questions in this section is to assess candidates’ reasoning and analytic abilities, particularly their ability to follow logical steps in various settings, recognize argument flaws, solve issues, and distinguish relevant from irrelevant material. You can learn more on the subtests of the HUMAT & UCAT on our Entrance Exam page.