How to ACE the NMAT (The Not-so-haggard Way) - PART 2

Now that you have grasp of the whole course of the NMAT, then you are now ready to tackle the subject matters inside NMAT one-by-one. If you reach this part of the article without reading the part I, then you can click here to read it. If you already have, then you may continue.

Tips and Tricks - Part I

First and foremost, read the Practice Sets. This will give you a background of what to expect. And they might really practice you. In my case, it did. Also, try to know your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the fields. In Part I, I chose the ones I think I am strong with, and took the ones I dislike last. My rationale? I think that the easiest part is the best to take first because as you get more correct answers, your rank increases. In my case, I took Quantitative then perceptive acuity, then inductive reasoning, and last, verbal.

a. Verbal - actually, I can't think of a trick in taking this exam. You just have to familiarize yourself on words, because you'll greatly need them for the analogy part. In my case, I have answered some correctly, and some, I'm not sure. However, when it comes to the reading comprehension part, you'll have something to read, then you answer the questions. You can read the selection first, but you can also read the question first, then read the selection., for there are questions like "In paragraph 2, what does the word "happy" mean.", which can save you a great deal of time.

b. Inductive Reasoning - in this part of the exam, you are given a lot of figures, letters, and numbers. This is the so-called IQ test, but not the whole IQ test, I guess. This part of the test can really render your brain paralyzed (another exaggeration), and can put stress on your brain. Well, there's no trick on this part. It tests your brain's ability when it comes to analysis. Just relax, and practice. This is where the practice sets come in handy.

c. Quantitative - well, there has been a joke running around the nursing profession that when you take health-related courses, then you are not good in Math. This joke may be applicable to some, but never-ever underestimate your math skills. On the first part of this exam, you will be bombarded with a lot of algebra. Now, run to your previous books and get the ones involved with college algebra. READ and ANALYZE. Mathematics is not that easy but definitely not impossible to answer. The next part is about graphs and data, so, there's a little hint of statistics here.

All you need is your formulas and your how-to's, and you're set to finish this part very well. (I think that in Part I, I got the highest score in Quantitative. Yay!)

d. Perceptual Acuity - while practicing for the NMAT using the reviewers they provided, this one seems to be the easiest of the subject matters on Part I. This will test your eyes, your powers of concentration, as well as observation. You will be presented with lots of pictures in the first part, where you will identify the image most similar to the original one, and the last part, which will have you identify the statement that is most identical.

Tips here: before going to the venue, go to your nearest sari-sari store and buy 2-3 pieces of chocnut. Why? While looking at your choices on this exam, you might want to eliminate those which you have identified are wrong. Blocking the images that are already deemed wrong will lessen the feeling of confusion regarding the choices.

PART II
Yay! Let's say that you have finished your Part I while taking NMAT, I think that you have your brain somewhat drained right now. Yes, drained. I had mine aching the whole lunch break, and adding the anxiety that you must feel for a week already, then your body and brains are already exhausted by this point.

However, you still have the Part II to answer, right? Just think of your dream, your MD dream, and somewhat, your spirit might be uplifted. Haha. Now, time for Part II.

a. Physics - I was really ignorant when it comes to Physics while I was in high school, and more on my NMAT review. I think that Physics is the hardest part of the examination, and because I think that I won't get any of these questions in this exams, I took it for granted. In short, I opened the first four to five pages in the book, and then, closed it totally. I just read my practice sets (which I don't understand, really.)

But what's surprising is I encountered questions that without further reading in Physics, I can answer. These questions are those which are "formula analysis" questions, which makes you analyze and answer those "inversely/directly proportional" type of questions.

For example, A = B/C + D. Then the choices will be like: C is inversely proportional with A/ B is inversely proportional with A., something like that. So if you analyze them carefully, you might get the answers right.

There are health-related courses that tackle physics in their undergrad years, however, it was both lucky and unlucky for me not to have Physics. I was lucky for I won't be subjected to this really hard subject, but unlucky that I was not able to know most of the concepts while taking the NMAT. (And yeah, it's a miracle. I got Physics as my second-highest scored exam in Part II.)

b. Chemistry - I personally thought that Chemistry will be easy. Yes, it was, while in my self-review. But comes NMAT, I was doomed. I have finished (skimming) all topics in Biochemistry while reviewing, and just stopped in Nuclear Chemistry. However, while I was taking the exams, I noticed that almost none of what I've read appeared in the exam. No tips here. Just review. Well, if you took lots of units of Chemistry in your pre-med, then you're good. But if you just had few (like me), then, you need to push harder.

c. Biology - just like Chemistry, BIOLOGY-was-hard. Talking about geotropism and sorts, well, if you don't have background on Biology and don't have time to review, let's depend on our test taking strategies, shall we? Haha

d. Social Sciences - I think that this subject is the best, both in review and in the exams. This talks about Psychology and Psychiatry most of the time (defense mechanisms, Sigmund Freud and other developmental theories), and some points in anthropology (family, society, Karl Marx, etc.) You can search some websites about social sciences in the internet to prepare for this, or you can wait for the reviewer that I wrote while reading for social sciences. (I'll upload it before your exams, I promise!)

To sum it up, READ, ANSWER AND ANALYZE your Practice Sets. They can be acquired after you pay the registration fee. Read them, and if you encounter a question, answered it correctly, and know the concept, then it's good. However, if you encounter a question and do not know the answer, then it's time to look for that topic in your book and analyze. This might also give you pointers on what to expect on the actual exams. These practice sets are not given because they are required to, but it is for you to practice, and pass the NMAT. Again, if you want to get a high NMAT score, READ, ANSWER, AND ANALYZE your NMAT Practice Sets.

In my review, I just used the NMAT practice sets and my old books. No review centers, no special NMAT reviewers. I also heard others that they have read MCAT reviewers, which is quite hard for an average person like me to buy and read. And, not to brag, without these review centers, I got a 92 percentile rank on the exams. Just imagine the cost of reviewing under these centers. It just takes perseverance and those handy test taking strategies to ace the NMAT.

Well, we have finished our per-subject review of NMAT. If you have questions, feel free to ask below. Now, if you're ready to read further, and lessen your anxieties (a bit), then continue.