HOW TO CREATE YOUR UMAT STUDY PLANNER
Why do we ask that you create a UMAT Study Planner?
A study plan will help you approach UMAT in a systematic and organised way. It will ensure
you avoid missing out on important resources, will enable you to obtain the most from your
study, and will also help motivate you.
Preparing a personalised plan which takes into account your own personal circumstances will
help you commit yourself to UMAT study schedule. Breaking down your UMAT study into
manageable parts will also make your UMAT study seem less overwhelming and more
achievable. An hour or so of planning now will save you many hours (as well as avoid stress
and cramming) in the weeks leading up to the UMAT.
As famous people have once said:
- ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’ – Alan Lakein (Time Management Expert)
- ‘No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one’ –
Dwight Eisenhower (34th President of the United States)
Elements of an effective Study Plan
An effective study plan is:
1. Personalised
Everyone is different, with various strengths/weaknesses, time available for study, and other
commitments. Your study plan should be tailored to your particular situation to be most
effective.
2. Achievable
It is important that you set realistic goals. For example, it is simply not possible to complete
all practice exams in one week. Ensure you allocate sufficient time for each task. To help
you, MedEntry has created a table [link] which approximates the time necessary to complete
each resource.
3. Targeted
The LMS contains a wealth of resources. Unless you are studying for UMAT full time, it is
impossible to cover everything and this is not required in order to achieve an excellent score.
You should focus on the important parts of the LMS (priority 1 resources) as well as the
sections you find most difficult.
4. Detailed and precise
When it comes to planning your study, everyone is different. Some people prefer a detailed
daily plan, some a week-to-week schedule, and some an even more general overview. More
detailed plans are generally more effective.
5. Flexible
Your study plan is not set in stone, it is a working document. You will inevitably need to
make changes to your study plan – perhaps you underestimated how long it would take to
read a guide, or maybe you realised you are strong in the Understanding People questions, so
you don't need to do all of those drills. Maybe your school or co-curricular activities
interfered with your plan. Allow for ‘Just-In-Case’ time in case the unexpected happens. Be
prepared to change your plan over time if necessary.
Guidelines for completing your Study Plan
Step 1: Set your goals
Start by deciding what resources you are going to complete. We recommend that all students
try to complete the priority 1 resources.
If you have additional time, you can consider completing priority 2 resources, either in total
or in parts. For example, if you find Non-Verbal Reasoning questions most difficult, you can
aim to complete the priority 2 resources relevant to this type of question.
If you have significant time (for example you are starting in year 11), you can plan to
complete some priority 3 resources as well.
Step 2: Allocate time to complete each goal
Spend some time browsing through the resources that are available to you and estimate how
long it will take for you to complete each of the goals set in Step 1. You can use the table
provided by MedEntry for additional guidance, but remember, everyone is different and
works at their own individual pace – you may require more or less time than that which is
suggested. You may need to amend your plan as you go depending on how long completing
the resources takes you.
Step 3: Take note of important dates
Make note in of important dates in your study plan. These include:
- The date of the UMAT (obviously!)
- The date of your two day UMAT Workshop (for all Platinum and Diamond students)
- School / university holidays
- Other important periods of time when you will not be able to dedicate time for UMAT
preparation (for example, other exams, personal commitments, co-curricular
activities, school / university study periods)
You can then plan your study around these dates.
Step 4: Plan your study
Use the calendar to plan when you will complete each task.
You can start by having weekly or monthly targets then planning each day or week with
activities to enable the targets to be achieved.
For example, your target for week 1 may be to familiarise yourself with the LMS and form a
study group for the UMAT (this may involve talking to other students at your school
interested in Medicine, informing students of your UMAT Study Group, and calling for
expressions of interest). [link to poster- see below, advertising study group]
--------------UMAT Study Group
Interested in applying for Medicine at Uni? Intending to sit UMAT?
I am looking for a UMAT study group so we can help each other in tackling MedEntry practice questions. If
you are interested, please contact me on ___________
--------------Your plan for the last week before the UMAT may be as follows:
Target: complete the last two ACER exams and look over notes / reflections
Plan:
- Saturday: complete ACER practice exam 2 and go over solutions
- Sunday: complete ACER practice exam 3 and go over solutions
- Monday: look through your notes / reflections
- Tuesday: take the day off / relax
- Wednesday: UMAT day
We suggest the following:

Start with the Guides. The Guides provide an overview of the UMAT and help you
develop key skills which are important for the other resources.

Prior to your UMAT Workshop, aim to read (or at least skim) through the priority 1
guides and complete at least one (preferably two or three) full-length practice exams.
This will give you a good idea of what the UMAT involves, and enable you to gain
the most from the Course.

Allow for ‘just in case time’: give yourself a week or two in case you fall behind in
your study plan or if something unexpected happens.

Do not leave all your practice exams until the last few weeks before UMAT. Try to
space out your exams between the start of your study and the UMAT. This will allow
you to learn from your mistakes, hone important skills, work on your weaknesses and
obtain most from the exams. Remember that UMAT is not a knowledge based test but
a test of your thinking skills which is best be developed over a period of time.

Set aside sometime every week (say about 1hpw) making notes in your reflective
journal on what you have learnt through discussions with your UMAT Study Group &
reflection, progress against your UMAT study plan, intended plan of action for
following week etc.

Allocate the last weekend prior to the UMAT to attempt ACER Trial Exams and to go
over the solutions in detail.

Allow breaks from UMAT preparation to reduce stress and burnout.
You can find examples of calendars here.
Step 5: Send your UMAT Study Planner to MedEntry
Please scan and email your plan to info@medentry.edu.au or post to PO Box 445, Fawkner,
Victoria, 3060. Amendments may be suggested by a member of the MedEntry team, if
required.
Step 6: Follow your Plan
Try to follow the plan you have created. You may find that you are not following the plan
you created closely – this does not mean that the plan is worthless. Plans are useful because
they motivate you. Furthermore, the act of creating a plan helps you understand the resources
available on the LMS, time requirements, in what order to complete resources, more
thoroughly than when you started. The value of a plan is in mental simulation: the thought
process required to create the plan itself.
If you have any questions or queries relating to creating your plan, please contact us.