NMAT 1

NMAT tip #1: Study physics. Caveat: No, physics doesn t get a higher significance in the exam. There are eight subtests in the NMAT: verbal, inductive reasoning, quantitative, perceptual acu ity, biology, physics, social science, and chemistry - and all of them have equa l footing. The reason I recommend this tip on getting a high NMAT score is this: not too ma ny people are very fond of physics and are probably going to score low in this t est. Since NMAT gives out scores based on percentile, it is best to get really h igh scores on exams where majority of exam takers are bound to have really low s cores! You can take extra credits in physics if you wish; it's an extra two months of s tudying. But if you want a good chance of getting into a good medical school, it 's worth it. I remember memorizing all the formulas related to Physics, tacking them to my wa ll so that I see them everyday. Nerdy, I know, but hey, it worked! Since NMAT gives out scores based on percentile, it is best to get really high s cores on exams where majority of examinees are bound to have really low scores. NMAT tip #2: Take an NMAT refresher course. I did this before I took the NMAT, but I didn t go back after the first day of les sons I know, I m not a very patient student! But I still recommend this because mo st NMAT review centers offer a trial NMAT exam right before they start with the lessons. Those trial tests apply the same statistics and demographics as the actual NMAT exam, so you get a glimpse of how you'll fare in the actual exams. (In the trial test, I scored 98, which isn t too far from my actual score.) Three down, two more tips on how to get high NMAT scores to go. Ready? NMAT tip #3: Pay attention to calculus, trigonometry, and other areas of math wh ich you are totally unfamiliar with. You probably hate math. Many do, so I don t blame you! But you better learn how to love this tricky subject if you re aiming for a high NMAT score. Most colleges do not teach calculus and trigonometry to their students, which me ans that acing these will give you an edge. NMAT tip #4: Take a lot of practice tests on inductive reasoning. This part of the test may rely on your testmanship. Although your performance on the entire NMAT can reflect your testmanship skills, it is with inductive reaso ning trial tests and reviewers that you learn about patterns you never even knew existed! Before today, you might never have heard that there rns or that there are different shapes and patterns in series. You will learn many techniques that you igured out without the help of reviewers that teach

are predictable number patte which are supposed to appear otherwise would never have f patterns in particular.

Of course, to ace the NMAT, you are going to have to do great on all subtests. B ut with the above tips on how to pass NMAT, you are on your way there. Before I forget, here s one more tip on how to pass the NMAT: Be a good student! Unfortunately, this suggestion might be too late. If you study hard from grade s chool up to college, you learn the ropes. You get a good background on grammar, math, basic physics, and basic chemistry in your elementary and high school year s while you continue soaking up biology and social science during pre-med school

. After all, NMAT is an IQ test and an achievement test rolled into one. Heads up! Surprised smile There are important updates! NMAT update #1: If you ve already taken the NMAT and you re not too happy with the r esults, you might also want to find out why you re not getting high NMAT scores. I t s time to lay the cards on the table. Be warned: The truth might be hard to swal low. NMAT update #2: If you ve never taken the NMAT before, here s a nice list of NMAT ti ps for first-time takers! Don t take the NMAT when you re not prepared. Read and be in-the-know. NMAT update #3: If you suck at tests, it s time you learned about testmanship skil ls. Be test-smart, starting today! NMAT Scores: What They Mean Subtract your score from 100 - that should indicate your ranking. For instance, if you get a percentile score of 75, subtract 75 from 100 and you get 25. You th en belong to the top 25 percent of all NMAT examinees. Here's another way of looking at it: An NMAT percentile score of 70 means that y ou scored higher than 70 percent of all NMAT exam takers. If you get an NMAT score of, say, 99+, what does that mean? That is actually the highest possible score you can ever get in NMAT. Put simply, an NMAT percentile score of 99+ means you are among the top ten of 1000 examinees. If about five t housand people took the test, then you scored higher than the top 50! http://www.stefdelacruz.com/2012/03/get-high-nmat-scores.html

5 NMAT Review Tips for Aspiring Doctors As you might have already noticed in a previous article I wrote on how to get hi gh NMAT scores, I don t give generic tips. The info I give is based on what I went through when I took the NMAT. To new readers who might be wondering why I m bold enough to dole out NMAT review tips, I was fortunate enough to score a 99+ perce ntile score. It was a humbling and exhilarating experience, one that I wish to s hare to inspire other students who want to go down a medical career path. So, here are Some of them ctor. I hope other) from

five tips. Please go over them carefully and with a grain of salt. are directly related to NMAT; others are more related to being a do you glean some wisdom and knowledge (yes, one is different from the the tips below.

While reviewing for NMAT, ask yourself if you really want to become a doctor. I remember many of my peers studying for the NMAT despite the fact that they never really wanted to become a doctor. Some of my friends had to take the NMAT because their parents wanted them to be doctors. If this is also the case with you, ple ase take the time to think twice. Once you re in, there is very little space to ma ke a U-turn. Please think twice before spending 6 years of your life trying to t rain for a lifetime career that you don t even like. You owe it to yourself! If you really want to be a doctor, do not ever take the NMAT unprepared. I get a lot of queries on this blog post about what happens if a person has to take the NMAT twice, thrice, or many more times. Here s what I always say: aim to take it only when you re ready. Do not rush it. If you take the NMAT more than twice, all your test scores will be revealed anyway. And that s not good news if you scored 3 0 in your first NMAT just because you weren t ready . When reviewing for the NMAT, figure out what your learning style is. Your learni ng style might be different from your friend s, so don t go to Starbucks and review

there with him! Are you the type who prefers to study alone at home, or do you s tudy better when in a group? Do you like listening to lectures, or do you learn faster when you read your books? Do not just jump onto any band wagon. Make your own based on what YOU need. If you have to ask me whether you should take the NMAT or not, then you re not rea dy. Students have been emailing me, asking for advice on whether or not they sho uld take the NMAT. Some say they don t know if they re prepared enough while others are having second thoughts about going into med school. If you have to ask me or other people, then you re not ready! Be emotionally and mentally prepared for any career move, whether it s about taking a simple NMAT test or enrolling in a big s hot medical school. It s your life. Don t ever say it s no biggie and don t let anyone te l you what to do if you have what it takes to make up your own mind. While preparing for the NMAT, do not assume that being an honor student ensures a high NMAT score. Remember that the NMAT will test your comprehension of subjec ts that you might not have taken up before, such as calculus, trigonometry, or c ollege physics. Also remember that the NMAT is partly an IQ test your NMAT score will not necessarily reflect your academic achievement. Before taking the NMAT, find out how it works. Learn about what NMAT scores mean . Learn about the different subjects included in the test. Lean about the statis tical analysis used for the test results. These will help you make your game pla n. http://www.stefdelacruz.com/2012/12/nmat-review-tips.html 5 NMAT Testmanship Skills to Master I didn t get an NMAT percentile rank of 99+ just by reading my books until my nose bled. No; I brushed up on how to answer questions on topics which I had no inkl ing about. Although there are many testmanship skills, I believe these five are so far the most important. Most testmanship skills just end up confusing exam takers instea d of helping them! NMAT Testmanship Tip #1: Read the question before you read the problem. Sometimes, the problem is two paragraphs long! Realize that you have very little time to answer each and every question, so make sure to read the question befor e you read all the details. That way, you know what info to look for. For instance, a problem may provide information on a train s location, the distanc e from its present location to its destination, the number of passengers, the ti me it took to travel to its destination, and the weight of the train. Too much i nfo to digest and you would saved precious time if you knew that the question si mply asks for the train s speed! NMAT Testmanship Skill #2: Scan the answers before attempting to give an answer. I m not saying you won t arrive at the correct answer if you don t. However, it might be quicker for you to come up with the correct answer by eliminating choices whi ch are obviously wrong. For instance, when you re solving a math problem asking for distance and you see t hat two of the four choices are in kilometers per hour , you will know immediately that those choices depict speed, not distance. Remember, NMAT is a race. Your biggest sin is to run out of time! Make sure you answer all the questions as efficiently as possible. To do that, take a peek at the answers before you make your computations. NMAT Testmanship Tip #3:

When unsure, rank your answers according to certainty. I developed a habit of putting a checkmark beside the answer I think is best. If I see two or more correct answers, I rank them accordingly. Additional tip: Write down a short note beside the answers to help you recall wh y you think one is right and the others are wrong. Just as important: Cross out the answer you are sure is wrong. It saves you time when you review your answers the second time around. NMAT Testmanship Tip #4: Save the worst for last. Don t freak out when you see a question that seems alien to you. Skip it; mark it properly. Come back to it later. Answer the easy questions first. Once your mind is in full gear, you will find i t much easier to answer tricky questions later. You will also find it reassuring to see that you have already answered 99 percent of the questions way before ti me is up. NMAT Testmanship Tip #5: Underline important facts. As you read the problem and question, underline the details that you know you wi ll need to give an answer. Aside from giving you a focal point, these underlined facts will make it easier for you to review your answers later. For instance, take a look at this problem: Maria, who just turned 12, likes to help her mom out at home. Her younger brothe r, Daniel, wants to follow in her footsteps. Maria can wash 5 dishes in one minu te. Daniel, who just started learning how to wash dishes at a tender age of 7, c an wash only 2 dishes in 60 seconds.If Maria and Daniel work together to help th eir busy mom, how fast can they finish washing 20 dishes in the upcoming family dinner? There are too many words! Although the problem is simple, it looks difficult at first glance. Now, look at the same problem

but with details underlined:

Maria, who just turned 12, likes to help her mom out at home. Her younger brothe r, Daniel, wants to follow in her footsteps. Maria can wash 5 dishes in one minu te. Daniel, who just started learning how to wash dishes at a tender age of 7, c an wash only 2 dishes in 60 seconds. If Maria and Daniel work together to help their busy mom, how fast can they fini sh washing 20 dishes in the upcoming family dinner? It looks easier to digest, doesn t it? Segregating information makes it easier for your brain to process problems, especially when you re under pressure! If there are five testmanship skills you need to master, I believe it s these five . Knowing how to chew and digest NMAT questions not only gives you better odds; it will help you calm your nerves, too! Testmanship Skills for NMAT: Keep Practicing! When you answer sample test questions, apply the above testmanship skills and se e if it improves your performance. Remember, it won t feel natural at first. You are probably hardwired to answer questions the way you always did. It s time to change that. Efficiency, in answering tests or in anything else, can be learned and mastered.

http://www.stefdelacruz.com/2013/12/nmat-testmanship-skills-you-might-not.html Tips for Medical Students: Life After NMAT Is there a good reason doctors in the Philippines are receiving a bad rap? If th ere is, you shouldn t be part of that reason. As someone used to spoon-feeding in college, you might not be ready for the inde pendent, student-centric, problem-based approach that many post-graduate schools (including a few topnotch medical schools) use. There are many mistakes you can make while wearing the white coat, especially if you re not prepared for what lies ahead. But I m here to help out. After all, I know how it feels to be a newbie! Below are some observations that might prove useful to you as early as now. Learn how to conduct yourself properly online. Even as a private individual, you r actions will be judged according to your professions. Learn about how doctors should conduct themselves online before you start ranting on Twitter about that patient of yours who came in with a vibrator up his butt. You will probably bright-eyed and bushy-tailed during your first day in medical school stay that way. Make sure you never feel jaded, even when reality starts t o creep in and you see patients who can t afford treatments that will save their l ives, or doctors who seem to be overcharging their patients. There is much you (and I) need to learn, whether about life as a doctor or life in general. But I do hope these tips on becoming a doctor can help you in the am azing journey you are about to take. Prepare yourself for your moment in the limelight. When you re training to be a do ctor, you are training for a career and a life. But there will always be those w ho can do nothing better than judge you. For instance, doctors who choose to pur sue general practice suffer a stigma that I believe is due to ignorance and bias . Bad or good, your experiences might come as a surprise and fate always favors the prepared. Find out what your parents haven t told you (or don t know) about life as a doctor. I f your parents are not doctors, they might not know enough to warn you about goi ng on duty every single day for like six years or more, if you re going into a sub -specialty! They might not have told you that even after you ve earned your degree , you will still compete for a niche in a world saturated by doctors who want to b e successful, too. To help you out, here s an article on what your parents didn t te ll you about becoming a doctor. I hope you get enlightened, especially if you re h aving trouble deciding on whether you should go into medicine or not. Do your research on what kind of doctor you want to become early on. There s nothi ng more destructive than going through medical school without any sense of direc tion! Although you might not realize early on what kind of doctor you want to be , you should at least ask yourself that question often. Be pro-active; find out what doctors can do outside of hospital practice. For instance, I m a doctor-blogg er who now maintains a column in a print magazine. How about you, what kind of d octor do you want to be? http://www.stefdelacruz.com/2013/08/tips-for-medical-students.html Tips on Becoming a Doctor: Why I Would Have Needed Them I never thought I would need tips on becoming a doctor. I thought all I needed w as the desire to become a good doctor and the diligence to study hard. But becom ing a doctor in the Philippines means so much more than being smart. I was very naïve when I first applied for medical school. I had just taken my Nati onal Medical Admission Test (NMAT), where I scored 99+. I aced three exams in th e NMAT, garnering the highest possible score overall. I belonged to the top 1% o f everyone who took the exams in the entire Philippines. I thought to myself, if

the NMAT is any indication of how easy medical school was going to be, then it was going to be smooth sailing for me. (Read on to find out how I turned out to be wrong.) Boy, did I stand corrected! The first three years of medical school were relativ ely easy all I had to do was study and listen in class. But clerkship, which was the last year of the curriculum, required more than just smarts. I had to foreg o sleep, friends, family, vacations, weekends, holidays, noche buena with the fa mily, and many other luxuries which I took for granted before I became a medical student. I also made one grave mistake during medical school: I thought nothing of work p olitics. But, as is the case anywhere else, work politics played a major role in how far you got. Skills and brains are definitely not enough; how you fared wit h your peers and bosses also mattered. Tips on Becoming a Doctor (Based on My Humble Experience) So, here are a few tips on becoming a doctor. I hope that my humble mistakes wil l serve as a lesson to everyone who also dreams of practicing this noble profess ion. Make friends with professors and other doctors. They are not only your mentors; they are also your potential signatories for recommendation letters. Of course, you should not follow this tip on becoming a doctor as a way of fooling doctors you don t actually like into liking you; instead, develop a true and lasting teach er-student relationship with them. Study everyday. No, this is not for you to score high in exams. This tip on beco ming a doctor is for long-term learning. After your four years in medical school , you shall soon be dealing with patients and all the stock knowledge you have w ith you will help you, big time. Cramming does not give you knowledge that you w ill remember for a long time. Do not forego your social life. Social skills are a requirement if you do not wa nt to be bossed around or bullied. And if you do get pushed around, you can alwa ys tell your friends about it, so make sure you have time for them. Make sure you can rely on one or two doctors who will tell you what goes on behi nd the scenes. There are many trade secrets that you will not be privy to, unles s you have veteran doctors who tell you about them. For instance, I did not know that I was to go on duty EVERYDAY for the entire year (and for 36 straight hour s every three days), until my very first day on duty. You do not want to be blin dsided; luck favors the prepared. Learn work politics. This is probably one tip on becoming a doctor that I would have loved to have heard early on. Learn how to become both a follower and a lea der and that means learning to get along with all sorts of people, regardless of their character flaws. I shall give more tips on becoming a doctor; check back soon! In the meantime, a sk yourself, do you want to be a private practitioner, a clinician, or a researc her? Remember, the notion that doctors wear white coats and go on hospital round s is a rather foolish and uninformed one. http://www.stefdelacruz.com/2012/03/tips-on-becoming-doctor.html