Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT)

The Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test or UMAT is an international aptitude test managed and supervised by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to help in the selection of students who want to study health science courses-Medical and Dentistry courses, Physiotherapy and optometry courses at Universities in Australia and New Zealand for admissions to their Undergraduate programmes.

The tests are developed each year to rigorous technical and professional standards by the ACER on behalf of a group of universities (the UMAT Consortium) formed for the objective of collaborating on testing of candidates for bachelor degrees in medicine, dentistry, and health sciences.

The UMAT scores are required to apply for admissions to the undergraduate programmes at the following Universities.- So, if you are interested in pursuing a course in any of the following universities, then get ready to take UMAT test-

The University of Adelaide- Medicine, Dental Surgery
Bond University- Medicine
Charles Darwin University- Clinical Sciences
Flinders University- Clinical Sciences, Medicine, Vision Sciences
La Trobe University- Health Sciences (Dentistry), Oral Health Science
Monash University- Medicine
The University of Newcastle or University of New England- Joint Medical Program
The University of New South Wales- Medicine, Optometry
The University of Queensland- Medicine, Dental Science
University of Tasmania- Medicine
The University of Western Australia- Medicine, Dental Medicine
University of Western Sydney-Medicine
University of Auckland- Medicine
University of Otago- Medicine, Medical Laboratory, Science, Dental Surgery

Eligibility Criteria

Students who have completed their secondary schooling or are in the final or last year of secondary schooling or higher (Year 12 in Australia and Year 13 in New Zealand) are eligible for the UMAT. Any medical student or a qualified health professional can also appear for UMAT, only if he/she takes a prior permission.

Dates and Deadlines

UMAT is taken on a single day in two sessions-morning and afternoon. It is held either during late July or early August.

UMAT Format

The UMAT is a 3-hour test comprising of total 134 questions. It consists of three sections-

Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Understanding People
Non-verbal Reasoning

Section 1- Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Questions are based on a short text or piece of information presented graphically. This section measures the candidate’s ability to understand the information and make rational inferences, arrive at a solution by pinpointing and assessing pertinent information, point out any additional or missing information, and develop and test credible theory.

No. of Questions: 48 questions
Duration: 70 minutes

Section 2- Understanding People
This section measures a candidate’s ability to identify, understand and think about people, understand the thoughts, opinions, or intentions of the individuals represented in a scenario. Questions are based on situations, dialogue or other text representing particular interpersonal scenarios.

No. of Questions: 44 questions
Duration: 55 minutes

Section 3- Non-Verbal Reasoning
Questions are in the diagrammatic or pictorial form. Candidates are required to spot the patterns and shapes. This section measures a candidate’s ability to interpret and examine the information given, identify the similarities or differences between the shapes and patterns presented, and find out the sequences and relationships between the items.

No. of Questions: 42 questions
Duration: 55 minutes

UMAT Registration and Fees

You can register for UMAT online at UMAT website.

Abide by the steps-
Step 1: Create an online account by putting in your name, date of birth, and email ID.
Step 2: Fill in the registration form and submit.
Step 3: Pay the fees. You can pay by credit card- MasterCard, AMEX, Diners Club or Visa.
If you do not possess a credit card-

You live in Australia- You can pay the fees by Australian Post money order, made payable to ‘ACER-UMAT’.
You live abroad- You can pay the fees by bank draft, drawn on an Australian bank, and made payable to’ ACER-UMAT’.

** The fees (in Australia or abroad) must be made in Australian dollars. An international fee is also charged if appearing for the UMAT outside Australia or New Zealand.

** Please mention your name on the back of your payment.

Reduced Registration Fees- Candidates who possess a valid Health Care Card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), or who are registered as dependants on the current HCC or PCC of a parent or guardian are given a reduction in the registration fees.

Step 4: After successful registration, you will receive a confirmation email and checklist. You are required to send your payment and a photocopy of your concession card within 2 weeks of registration to the address mentioned below-

UMAT Office
ACER Private Bag 55
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia

Results and Scoring

All the questions carry equal marks and no marks are deducted for a wrong answer.

The candidates receive an online Statement of Results in late September.

Statement of Results : The Statement of Results includes individual scores, i.e. scores of all the three parts as well an overall score. Along with this, a percentile rank is also given to the candidates.

Cut-off: Every University determines their UMAT cut-off scores each year. These vary from one university to another.
The UMAT score is valid for one year.

Test Day Essentials

Identification document: A valid passport, or current driver’s license or learner’s permit, keypass or 18 Card.
Admission Ticket: You can login to your account at Login and download your ticket.
Stationery: Grey-lead pencils (medium soft hB) and eraser

Special Arrangements

Candidates having any kind of impairment can get special arrangements. To get this facility, you are required to apply for special testing conditions online via your account after completing the registration process. Besides, you are required to send an explanatory letter from a registered health practitioner to the UMAT office.