NMAT: OWN IT WITH THESE TIPS

WHAT IS NMAT?

Please check this link if your concern includes registration, schedules, fees, etc. I also advise you to read this carefully.

NMAT consists of two parts. Let’s start with PART I:

• Verbal. Well, being a bookworm this part was pretty a-okay for me. There were analogies and reading comprehension tests in this one. I did not review much for this and rather focused on harder sub tests like Physics and Quantitative. If you’re a bookworm or a writer, you’re good to go.

• Inductive Reasoning. Okay, listen carefully. Inductive reasoning. You need to ace this part. This is one of the subtests that you can really ace if you practice. The other one is Perceptual Acuity. My technique was to assign numbers to the alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, …) If you opt to enroll in a review center, my friend told me they teach you different techniques in answering number patterns. Anyway, just practice hard for this subtest, ok? I’ve attached some practice sets below. Do check it out and google more if you need to!

• Quantitative. I practiced so much in Inductive Reasoning and Perceptual Acuity that I forgot to review for the Quantitative part. I scored lowest in this subtest. I could have gotten a higher percentile if not for Quantitative, oh well! If you’re good in Algebra, this part may be your forte. Practice your problem solving skills in the NMAT reviewer I will be showing below. Don’t forget FRACTIONS! Practice adding, subtracting, dividing fractions. This saved my life.

• Perceptual Acuity. My favorite subtest! I think I scored highest in this one. The most effective technique here is elimination! Compare the original image with the first, second, third choice and leave a small mark to cross it out from your options. I would strike out the letter and erase it later because writing on the questionnaire was not allowed. BUT I read it somewhere that they won’t use the same questionnaires again. Still, better safe than sorry. TAKE NOTE of punctuation and easily misspelled words like necessary, Mississippi, you know, those words with tricky spellings. DON’T SCAN. Seriously, just focus in finding the wrong word to save time rather than scanning the whole choices.

Now for PART II:

• Biology. Well, because of my premed, this part was okay! Study genetics, ecology, and basic biology info! You could try answering General Science questions from college entrance exams.

• Physics. Physics was not my forte. I barely passed my Physics subject on my third year but I think I did fairly well in this sub test. Thanks to my brother who is an Electrical Engineer! Study power, current, voltage, parallel or series circuits. STUDY mirrors!

• Social Science. I have only taken few units of Psychology so I was pretty surprised to see I scored highest in Social Science. STUDY the Social Science part in the reviewer I posted below! Seriously, I only studied using that reviewer for this sub test. That reviewer was useful!

• Chemistry. I have observed that every year NMAT would focus either on Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry. I got Organic Chemistry. My classmates who took NMAT last April 2014 said theirs focused on Biochem and they aced it because we just finished with Biochem that semester. During my review for NMAT, I was expecting a lot of Biochem questions so reviewed my notes. BUT TA DAH,  there were only 2-3 Biochem questions and the rest were GenChem and OrganicChem. Fortunately, our prof in Microbial Metabolites reviewed us on basic Organic Chem and thank you, Sir __ because I was able to answer those questions!

And now for the useful tips that I wish someone could have told me too:

1. Take the NMAT early. You can start taking the NMAT during your Junior Year. SERIOUSLY, TAKE IT. If you’re decided on pursuing medicine, take NMAT early. If you don’t get your goal score then you can take it again! You can use your NMAT result up to 2 years. Another thing, some medicine schools only accept NMATs taken in certain dates for example, for S.Y. 2015 – 2016, they would only accept NMAT taken during 2013 and 2014.
2. No need to enroll in a review center. But if you have the cash and time, then go. But if you’re like me who is very kuripot and nagtitipid, then remember to stick to your review schedule. I would review after school, answering sample sets of Inductive Reasoning before I go to sleep, etc. Make use of your free time by reviewing and answering sample tests.
3. PART I somehow decides your fate in NMAT. If you ace Part I, then there is a high chance for you to get 90+ percentile. In PART II, you’ll do great here if you took your subjects in premed seriously.

PART I = Nadadaan sa practice!

PART II = Stock knowledge from premed (but be sure to review din ha)

I know someone who’s a bit “tamad” during our premed days but practiced really hard for PART I and did not even review for PART II. I got higher scores than him in every subtest in PART II but he aced everything in PART I and got a 99+! Amazing, right?

Reviewers used:

• NMAT Reviewer.  I just happened to pass by PRC Office in Paredes Street in Espana, Manila and I saw a lot of reviewers being sold there. I asked an ate if they have an NMAT Reviewer and she said yes, ran across the street to get it, and told me it’s Php300. I said I only have Php200 on me and she said ok. Yes, for my tawad powers! I wished I could have reviewed more using this! I only bought it just a week before NMAT.

• Reviewers from CEM. These are really really useful. Some people only use these to review and nothing else. TIP: In a question, google the other choices and know why they are not the correct answer.

• Practice Sets Download Link (Mediafire)
  • CLICK HERE. Password:  verdandiwings
  • Part II of NMAT Review. I got this from medschooltodaydoktorbukas.

• Practice Sets Alternative Download Link (Dropbox)
  • CLICK HERE.

And yay I got 91. Could have done better if I practiced more in Quantitative but hey not bad, I can apply to SLCM now! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section!

Good luck on your NMAT!