MedStart is a UMAT Preparation College that is committed to ensuring students have their best possible opportunity of excelling in the UMAT exam, and ultimately entering their chosen profession in health.

Our mission is two fold. Firstly, we are here to help students determine whether a career in Medicine and the Health Sciences is appropriate. Our Careers Guide helps students understand on a practical level what life is like for doctors, dentists, optometrists and pharmacists.

Secondly, for those students who are certain of their ambitions, our courses provide a comprehensive, methodical and results-focused approach to succeeding in the UMAT exams and interviews

MedStart has a unique learning system that helps students excel in UMAT through a four-stage process.

1. Theory - We comprehensively breakdown each of the sections of the UMAT exams. Since the exam is skills-based, we teach students the appropriate frameworks with which to tackle the questions. We have exhaustively categorised and analysed each of the question types that can be asked, and developed comprehensive and proven strategies to answer these correctly. This strong foundation in the theory forms the basis of success. It allow students to identify the question type, develop a framework to think about it, and to arrive at the correct answer

2. Application – After explaining a framework, we show students how to apply it to the unique demands of the question.

3. Practice – Our advanced online learning systems gives students abundant structured practice to prepare for their UMAT exams. Theory guides help students recap the key frameworks. Drills give students the chance to develop speed and competence in answering questions. Practice Exams give students the opportunity to integrate their learning in a timed setting, and to condition them to the style, structure and “stress” of the real exam.

4. Mastery – Overall, our systematic and results-focused approach give students complete preparation and ensure they have the best possible opportunity to ace the UMAT exam.

MedStart is unique in its comprehensive, personal and results-focused courses that it offers. Our unique learning system helps student master the UMAT program by courses help students excel in the UMAT exam by teaching them theory, showing how to apply it properly, and ensuring adequate practice.

Our courses are different to many other offerings in that they combine:

1. Personal and Comprehensive Teaching in small groups. Our classes are taught in groups of up to 15 students. The programs systematically breakdown each section of the UMAT exam, identifying the typical question types, and strategies to tackle them. At the same, instruction in small groups allows teachers to get to know their students and to respond to individual’s different learning styles.

2. Excellent Question Quality and Academic Standards. We provide an abundance of high quality questions in a variety of formats that will help you prepare thoroughly and comprehensively for your UMAT exams. Our advanced online system lets you learn at your own pace. Our practice drills allow you to train for the specific demands of each section and question types, whilst our set of 10 practice exams allows you to condition yourself to the style, structure and difficulty of the “real thing”.

3. Exceptional Support and follow-up services. One of the best features of our course is the exceptional follow up and support that we give our students after they learn. We provide weekly tutorials for a period of up to 10 weeks after your classes, so that you can consolidate your understanding. Our weekly tutorials give you the opportunity to receive personalised tuition on a regular basis so that you can tackle the difficult questions, overcome conceptual roadblocks, refine your exam strategy.

Most importantly, MedStart is distinguished by the quality of our instructors. Our team consists of a group of dedicated, results-focused tutors, who have not only mastered the UMAT exams themselves, but have excellent communication skills, and approach their work with a positive, engaging and infectious attitude.

In deciding which course to go to, you need to be mindful of three main concerns

1. Quality of Teaching

In selecting a UMAT course, you should be confident of the quality of the course instructors, and the way in which they deliver their courses. At MedStart, we believe in our instructors, our methods, and our learning format.

Our instructors have extensive experience with the UMAT program, and are effective and approachable communicators.

Through meticulous research, we have also developed a systemic and methodical approach to the UMAT exam that shows students how to decompose the typical questions in each section with simple and easy-to-apply frameworks. This helps students to breakdown and solve a question quickly and accurately – an essential process in succeeding in the UMAT exam.

Most importantly, our classes are taught in a small-group format. This ensures that our teaching is responsive, personalised and effective. Teaching in small groups ensures that each student is given adequate attention and that our teaching can be customised to your needs. In contrast, many courses are taught in large group lecture/seminar with 80+ people. Whilst these presentations may be good in “rallying” support and pump-up motivation, they are less effective in training the specific skills needed to master the UMAT exam, and catering for the individual needs of each student.

2. Quality of Questions

It is important that the course you select has a comprehensive selection of questions with the right level of difficulty. Doing practice questions is the best to develop proficiency in the UMAT exam, allowing you to apply, practice and master the frameworks you have learnt in class.

You should be careful that the course you select has questions designed specifically for the UMAT exam. There are many forms of psychometric testing, including exams such as GAMSAT, GMAT, LSAT, and whilst these may offer limited helping in training general technique, to score the best UMAT marks you need specific and focused practice. That’s why we’ve made sure that all our questions are completely in line with the style, format and difficult of the ACER examinations.

Secondly, practice questions should be reflective of the standards of difficulty in the UMAT exam. Some courses offer questions that are excessively difficult in an attempt to ‘showcase’ the quality of their course. However it is better to train with practice questions that are of equal or slightly harder difficulty than the ACER exam. At MedStart, we rigorously calibrate our course so questions are reflective of the standards demanded in the UMAT exam.

3. Quality of follow up support

Finally, you need to be aware of the follow-up support you will receive as part of your course. As you practice for the UMAT, you will invariably encounter roadblocks in understanding or applying techniques to solve questions. Whilst we provide worked solutions and email support to our questions, we understand that you may need personalised and directed feedback to help you overcome any difficulties quickly and effectively.

That’s why we offer personalised follow up support every week to our students through our UMAT Care program. Each week, you may book in for up to an hour a week, and you will receive help in a group of no more than four students.

Seminar learning is severely limited because of its size. When you have 80 people crammed into a lecture hall, it is impossible to tailor the course to each particular student. By its very nature, it caters for the general UMAT student, without offering anything specific to the individual’s level or learning ability.

To be fair, the seminars are usually effective in “pump-up motivation”, as you will meet many like-minded people eager to enter Medicine or the Health Sciences. However, if you are short on time, and looking for results, small group tuition is much more effective since the teacher can explain concepts on a more personal level, tailor instruction to meet the needs of the class, and respond to each individual’s unique differences.

MedStart, in it's commitment to setting the standard of excellence for UMAT Preparation, is the only UMAT Preparation Centre that includes 2 Mock Exam and Reviews as part of their Comprehensive and UMAT Care packages.

We hold the first Mock Exam straight after the course to uncover weaknesses and consolidate the frameworks learnt in class. The second Mock Exam is held in the week before your UMAT, to ensure maximum preparation for the real thing.

Definitely.

Preparing for UMAT in Year 11 is an excellent idea, because it will free up your time in Year 12 to study for your school leaving exams. Moreover, since UMAT is a skills-based exam, you aren't likely to forget the techniques even after a year is passed.

Remember entry for most health science courses in University require three main criteria for admission. (ATARs, UMAT Scores and Interviews). In your final year, you will be under a lot of time pressure in preparing for up to five subjects, school and the UMAT. Furthermore, the UMAT is usually just before your school trial exams (that usually count for 40% of your Assessment Mark), which makes this situation even worse. Many students end up facing a trade-off between preparing for the UMAT and preparing for their school-leaving exams. Failure to achieve high marks in either can cost you your place in Medicine.

Hence, preparing for UMAT early is not only possible, it is extremely beneficial.

At MedStart, we encourage students to start preparing for their UMAT early (because it will free up your time in Year 12 to study for your school leaving exams. Also, since UMAT is a skills-based exam, you aren't likely to forget the techniques even after a year is passed).

As such, if you are in Year 10 or 11 and you enrol into any of our in-class learning courses, we will give you an EXTRA years access to our MedStart Online Learning System. Unfortunately this offer does not apply for Year 10 and 11 students who enrol in the Online Resources package only.

For HSC tuition, we recommend Talent 100's HSC tuition. Talent 100 provides the same personalised and results-focused approach, which we are known for and our students have come to expect, to HSC tuition. Learn more about Talent 100's HSC Coaching and Tutoring programs

If you'd like to join the our personalised and results-focused UMAT Preparation and Tuition courses, simply enrol here. Alternatively, you can contact us on 1300 99 UMAT (1300 998 628) to let our Service Team know which program you wish to join.