Welcome to Medical Entrance via UMAT

Q: What does Section II of the UMAT examine?
A: Section II of the UMAT examines the UMAT candidate’s ability to understand people and his or her interpersonal skills.

Q: How are questions in Section II of the UMAT structured?
A: All the questions in the UMAT are in multiple choice format.

Q: How should I approach questions from Section II of the UMAT?
A: The UMAT candidate should read the stimuli and be able to identify and understand thoughts, emotions and behaviours of the individuals in the stimulus.

Q: How many questions are there in Section II of the UMAT?
A: There are 36 questions in Section II of the UMAT.

Q: How long will I be given to complete Section II of the UMAT?
A: You will have 45 minutes to complete Section II of the UMAT.

Q: How long should I spend per question in Section II of the UMAT?
A: You should spend just over a minute per question in Section II of the UMAT.

Q: Are all of the questions in UMAT Section II of equal value?
A: Yes. All the questions in each section of the UMAT are of equal value.

Q: How will the stimuli in Section II of the UMAT be presented?
A: The stimuli in Section II of the UMAT will be presented in dialogues or scenarios.

Q: Why is it important for health professionals to have sound interpersonal skills?
A: Health professionals need to be able to address the needs of their patients. These needs may include physical, as well as emotional and mental care. It is thus very important for the health professional to be able to communicate and empathise with the patient.

Q: How can interpersonal skills be developed?
A: Interpersonal skills can be developed by extensive reading emotive texts and identifying the emotions presented. These skills can also be developed by talking to people about the experiences which have had an impact in their lives and by identifying their emotions and thoughts.

Q: Why is it important to have well-developed interpersonal skills for success in UMAT Section II?
A: The UMAT candidate will be required to answer a number of questions which will require a friend-friend response and a doctor-patient response. Sound interpersonal skills will ensure that the UMAT candidate answers these questions appropriately.

Q: What will the questions in Section II of the UMAT be about?
A: Questions in Section II of the UMAT will mainly be about interpreting the emotions that are presented in the stimulus, responding appropriately to a patient, a family member or a friend or asking appropriate questions to encourage communication.

Q: What key points should I look for when interpreting emotions in UMAT Section II questions?
A:

• Examine the tone of the stimulus
• Look for key words, such as “feeling low”, “sad”, “helpless”
• Try to put yourself in the person’s shoes and ask yourself how you would be feeling

Q: What key points should I keep in mind when asked to respond appropriately to a person?s emotions?
A:

• Acknowledge their emotions
• Show understanding for their emotions
• Encourage them to further say what they are thinking and feeling
• Offer support

Q: What key points should I keep in mind when I need to choose an appropriate answer option that will encourage the patient to open up?
A:

• Show understanding for their situation and emotions
• Validate their emotions
• Ask them if they would like to talk about it some more

Q: Why is it important to choose the answer option that does not have a closed-ended question in Section II of the UMAT?
A: Closed-Ended questions should be avoided when the doctor wants to elicit an answer that is more detailed than a simple “Yes” or “No”. Closed-ended questions rarely require an answer that is longer than a short phrase.

Q: Why is it important to choose open-ended answer options in Section II of the UMAT?
A: This is important because an open-ended question will encourage the person to talk about their situation in greater detail than a closed-ended question.

Q: What should I do if more than one answer option seems correct in Section II of the UMAT?
A: If the question asks you to choose the answer option that seems most correct, ensure that you have read carefully through the stimulus and that the answer option that you choose answers the question stem directly.

Q: What should I do if none of the answer options seem correct in a Section II UMAT question?
A: You need to choose the answer option that is most correct and more relevant to the question than the other answer options.

Q: How can I stop myself from over-thinking in Section II of the UMAT?
A: You should ensure that the answer option you choose in any Section II UMAT question is within the scope of the argument that is presented in the stimulus. Do not make assumptions which are not presented within the stimulus itself.

Q: How should I answer questions in Section II of the UMAT?
A: You should try and answer the questions which are least time-consuming first and leave the difficult questions until the end.

Q: How do I approach questions which ask me to respond to a distressed patient in Section II of the UMAT?
A: Reflect on this emotion, show understanding for it, assure the patient that most people feel uncomfortable with this topic and show appreciation to the patient for his or her willingness to discuss the topic.

Q: Will any school subject be of benefit for Section II of the UMAT?
A: English might be of use as this subject requires reading a variety of texts and interpreting them.

Q: Will extensive reading be of benefit for Section II of the UMAT?
A: Extensive reading will be of benefit for Section II of the UMAT as this will allow the UMAT candidate to gain practice in interpreting text.

Q: Which qualities will be of benefit when answering questions in Section II of the UMAT?
A: The qualities that will be of benefit when answering questions in Section II of the UMAT are empathy, objectivity, sound listening skills and sound communication skills. A rich vocabulary may also be of use.

Q: What should I do if I do not know the meaning of some of the words in the answer options?
A: If the UMAT candidate is unsure of the meaning of a word in one of the answer options, he or she should try and eliminate the other answer options first.

Q: How may I develop my empathy skills?
A: Be open to experiencing emotions and do not ignore them or turn to substance abuse to become desensitised to them. Acknowledge that you are experiencing a certain emotion and try to identify it. Accept the emotion and your mental and physical response to it.  Once you have experienced the emotion and are aware of its implication on your state of mind and on your daily life and functioning, you will be able to understand others who are or have been in a similar situation.

Q: How should I approach doctor-patient type questions in the UMAT?
A: Ensure that your response to the patient is empathic, encouraging, non-judgmental and not controlling.

Q: How should I approach friend-friend type questions in the UMAT?
A: Ensure that the answer option you choose is empathic, does not give advice, and offers support.