UMAT without a prep course

I don't want to do a prep course for UMAT cos they are so expensive. Do you think my chances are low to get a high score at UMAT?

Then don't. You dont need a course to do good preparation. But you need to weight up the costs for the benefits (provides good resources etc). Simple answer is, well if you don't want to, don't.

In many ways, it's too hard to tell!

• There are people who will tell you the only 'prep' they did was the ACER papers, and they achieved a high UMAT.
• There are people who will tell you they did two (or more!) prep courses and did poorly in UMAT
• There seem to be people who do UMAT a second time (possibly with prep, possibly without), some improve, some don't
• There are people who feel the one prep course they did was of significant value
• There are people who do the ACER exams and then search online for 'similar' prep materials that are free but similar in nature
• There are people who believe in fairies at the bottom of the garden.

You could be any one of those people (or someone different again), it's just hard to know who you'll be (and one of the above 'people' is me, for the record). If it were me, I'd start with the ACER papers and anything you can find free online, and then see if you think you'll need more.

I got into a serious debate the last time I said this - but I truly believe it: IF med is a big enough goal for you (5+ years of study is a big commitment - way bigger than the dollars for a prep course), and IF a prep course is the difference between success and failure (it may or may not be the case), THEN you'll find a way to save up the dollars and do one, even if it's not in your first year of UMAT.

I have closed this thread as I believe the answers given are sufficient enough. If you want some more info on how to prep for UMAT check out this thread:
http://www.medstudentsonline.com.au/...nded-Materials

Cheers,

muse.