Reaching for the Stars: Self-studying NMAT and a 90+ PR
Reaching for the Stars: Self-studying NMAT and a 90+ PR
I chose to self-study merely
because of financial reasons. Review centers cost around P8,000-P13,000, if I’m
not mistaken, which is a big sum of money and is not easily available to me. I
also chose this because I had a lot of time in my hands since I just graduated
from college then. Some may say that NMAT is not really helpful in med school,
but in my case, my PR will be the deciding factor if I will still pursue
medicine. Looking back, it was a big risk for me to self-study because I’m not
sure if I would excel in NMAT through this review method. I actually took NMAT twice. First was when I was
on my third year. I also self-studied then, but there was a huge difference in
terms of the quality of studying and preparing because my focus and time was
divided to reviewing for NMAT and accomplishing my academic requirements;
honestly, I prioritized the latter more.
"What's the plan?"
I
had a plan. After graduation, I gave myself time to rest and relax, for one
month. I went on a vacation, attended some birthday parties, spent time with
friends and family, watched a lot of Korean drama and TV series, and much more.
I asked for reviewers from my friends who attended review centers for their
NMAT before. Luckily, there was a Facebook group for NMAT Takers. I had a lot
of helpful reviewers and practice tests that I got from there. It was also a fun
community since everyone is willing to help. If you are interested here’s the
link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1958287741081523/.
I
started studying in July; so that gave me at least 4 months to prepare. I set a
timetable for each subject. I tried to maximize my time so that I can cover all
the subtests. I started with the subtests that I have little to no background
when I was in college, which were Bio, Quanti, and Physics. I spent at least a
month for Bio, then proceeded with Quanti for at least 2 weeks, then Physics,
which I had the hardest time grasping. Alongside, I answered drills for Part 1
(Verbal, IR, PA) almost every day so that I can be familiar with the test and I
can monitor my time answering. While reviewing for these subjects, I also tried
to write some notes by summarizing the reviewers I’ve gathered, which surprisingly
is an effective style for me and helped me recall some concepts. Reviewing for
Social Science was the easiest since I was a Psychology major. I allotted a
short time studying it, and mostly focused on the Sociology part since I was
already familiar with the topics under Psychology. I had a hard time recalling
and studying Chemistry even though I had three Chem subjects when I was in
college, the good thing was I had a friend who majored in Chem, so I asked him
to tutor me for a short time, but I reaaaaaaally did not retain so much from it
aside from the basic concepts from inorganic chem (I’m sorry Roie). A very useful tip: keep it in mind to always take
short quizzes after studying a certain topic so that you can evaluate
whether you’ve learned something, or you need to review the topic again.
"Faith and Action"
Aside
from studying, I made it a habit to visit St. Jude every Thursday to ask for
his guidance during my entire review period and to help me achieve my target
PR. If you don’t know, St. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless causes and his
shrine in Mendiola is visited by a lot of students and test takers during
licensure examination period. I was super lucky to have a buddy (hi Ciara!) who
was willing to attend the mass and novena with me. I think it really helped me
a lot in having a peaceful mind after spending so much time studying.
"A Place for Me"
I
think it’s a very important factor that I had a conducive place to study. For
me, studying at home is very different from studying outside. From my
experience, I was only productive during the wee hours of night because I had
things to do in the morning (i.e., chores, errands) and I was prone to a lot of
distractions. Luckily, UST offers the library to its alumni during their review
period (mainly for licensure exams), you just have to present your certificate
of graduation, bring 1x1 picture then pay a fee of P500.00 to get a library
card that is good for one whole semester! Studying in the library really helped
me focus because it is quiet, air-conditioned, well-lit, and I have no access
to the internet (so I had lesser distraction!). I would usually stay there from
one in the afternoon until it closes (para sulit bayad and no traffic
when I go home!)
Other places that I recommend for studying are:
·
933 Creatives or any study
hubs- I was lucky because there was an on-going promo for 933 back then, 120
for 5 hours if you check in from 8am-12nn, then additional 50 per proceeding
hours. What I like about this is it offers free snacks and beverages and the
area is good for studying.
·
Tim Horton’s SM San Lazaro-
Who doesn’t like the smell of coffee while studying? Not me! I don’t know why
but the overall ambiance of coffee shops increases my productivity, plus good
coffee always puts me in the mood to do well! But it’s a game of luck when it
comes to finding an empty table here, so ready your eyes in spying an untaken
seat and may the odds be ever in your favor.
·
Dakasi Banawe- 10/10 for this
place. The drinks and food are good, the staff are nice, plus the place is not
overcrowded. Although the music may be too loud, just put your earphones in,
and you’re ready to study (if listening to music helps you)!
·
QC Library- if you are near Quezon
City Hall, or it’s accessible to you, I also recommend this. It’s free and it’s
open from 8 am to 5pm. It also has its own canteen and café, but if you don’t
feel the food there, Maginhawa is only a few minutes away.
Self-studying is sure hard but I’m lucky that I
have a handful of people who were willing to study with me when I get tired of
studying alone. Asking friends to have study dates with me has become my love
language during my review period, it was a subtle hint of me wanting to spend
time with them, productively of course. I’m really grateful for friends who gave
tips and additional information from their review centers and lent me some of
their review materials (big thanks to Kate, Cams, Camille & Aira! <3). It
was also a huge help to have a supportive family because they were aware of how
badly I want to ace my NMAT. My parents, especially my dad, was always willing
to help me achieve this dream of mine, so even though I’ve already graduated,
he would still give me money whenever I go to UST to study. My mom, on the
other hand, would prepare my lunch or baon. As for my brother, he would
sometimes accompany me to study or eat outside, whenever I crave for some
company. And of course, my dog, Shadow, who may be clueless of what he can do
for me but is always filling my heart with a lot of love and happiness.
When self-studying took its toll...
Even
though I enjoyed studying, there were a lot of moments when I stopped doing it
for a long time. There were times that I don’t feel like reviewing anymore.
That I wasn’t learning anything (*cough* CHEM *cough*). Burnout and other
mental-related feelings (mainly anxiety and helplessness) was slowly
becoming taxing on my part. It came to a point where I am doing everything just
to avoid reviewing. I remember slacking for almost one whole month. In my
defense, it was my birth month. Since my birthday landed on the middle of the
month, I was taking my time to look forward to it and I would choose watching
TV series or reading manga instead of studying and answering drills. My
birthday came, I was so happy because I celebrated it with my family in my
favorite Kbbq place, but unfortunately, me and my mom had a petty fight. The fight lasted for a week and it
really affected my review. I couldn’t focus because I was so consumed by our
fight. Good thing, we were able to make amends and I was back on my grind. Then
one week before NMAT, my mom was confined for mild pneumonia. Of course, I had
to stop reviewing because I need to watch my mom, and as much as I tried
studying in her room, I just couldn’t focus, due to the amount of worry that
I’m feeling.
Another
factor that held me back was whenever someone would question my decision to
self-study. One reason why is, I feel like they’re looking down on my
capabilities to do so. A friend even said something discouraging and it goes a
little something like this:
“’Di ko talaga gets bakit
‘di ka nagreview center. Yung mga friends ko ngang nakakuha ng 99+ sa NMAT, ‘di
natanggap sa *bleep*, mga nagreview center pa yun ha.”
It
really pained me after she said that because I feel like she’s implying that I
won’t be able to get my target PR and I won’t be successful in applying to any
med school. But these words and doubts somehow helped me to work harder and be
more determined in getting my target PR so that I could slap it in their faces.
(rar ang aggressive cams HAHAHAH)
I
don’t know if this was a pro, but during self-studying, I realized that I
really liked learning and I value it a lot. I felt it
after finishing a topic that I’m not very familiar with but ended up knowing
and understanding it fully. It was a huge ‘aha’ and ‘eureka’ moment for me,
because it all suddenly made sense. I remember telling Camille this realization
then she reaffirmed it by saying “Kaya feel ko para sa atin ang med,” which
really inspired me.
One
great pro is we’ve saved a lot of money from self-studying because the only
expense that we had are my baon and the library card. Aside from this,
another pro for self-studying is that you manage your own time. So if you have
unexpected plans, you can just adjust your study time a day before or after so
that you can make up for the “loss” review time, plus you wouldn’t feel too
guilty for missing a session because you did not shell out money for it.
What I gained from self-studying...
I
honestly feel that self-studying helped me improve my study habits because
everything is up to me, and the pressure of the thought that if I don’t excel
in my NMAT, I have no one to blame, except for myself. I also think I really
got better at self-regulating. When I was in college, I would usually allot
more time doing non-academic related activities and just cram preparing for an
upcoming exam or report, and that would result to either average performance or
not satisfactory for me. It really takes a lot of patience and will to
push through and give your best in studying especially if you’re only depending
on yourself. I think it also gave me a glimpse of what a normal day for a med
student looks like.
My challenge to you:
Can
you manage your time properly and maximize it to study? Are you willing to
exert extra effort in order for you to learn and understand complicated
concepts? Do you have enough will to fight the urge to slack off? Can you study
without the help of an instructor? If your answer to these questions are mostly
yes, you may survive self-studying. If not, I’m sorry, you might have a hard a
time doing it. But fret not, even though these are some of the cons of
self-studying, there are a lot of ways to make up for these (that worked for
me).
I
am not the greatest when it comes to juggling my time, but I really find it
very helpful to plan and finalize your schedule for studying a certain subject.
Like what I’ve said a while ago, I made a timetable that I tried
to stick to. Even though I wasn’t able to follow it strictly, I was able to
track if I was badly behind my schedule and how much time and topics are
left for me to study.
|
MONTH |
WHAT
TO ACCOMPLISH |
|
JULY |
1st week- Gen Bio
(Cellular Bio, Ecology, Taxonomy) 2nd week- Botany
(Plant Physiology), Genetics 3rd week- Anatomy
4th week-
Fundamental Operations, Graphs & diagrams |
|
AUGUST |
1st week- Problem
Solving 2nd week- Kinematics 3rd week- Thermodynamics
4th week- Waves,
Optics, Nuclear Physics |
|
SEPTEMBER |
1st week- Sociology 2nd week- Psychology,
Inorganic Chem 3rd week- Inorganic
Chem 4th week- Organic
Chem, Biochem |
|
OCTOBER |
1st week- Review
Bio + Social Science; Answer drills for part 1 & part 2 (bio & social
science) 2nd week- Review
Chem + Physics; Answer drills for part 1 & part 2 (chem & physics) 3rd week- ANSWER
LOTS OF PRACTICE SETS & TIME YOURSELF |
Disadvantages of self-studying
One huge downside of self-studying is the lack of review materials. Most of my reviewers came from my best friend (shout out again to you, Kate). Some are from twitter threads, and from the NMAT group. The volume of the materials may be overwhelming at first but compiling and comparing it are very helpful because each handout contains information that may only be present to that certain handout. Another downside is you won’t have an instructor to teach you the concepts and rationalize the answers to the practice tests. Given this, I had to search for videos explaining the concepts I am unfamiliar with, look for additional material that may answer my question, and ask friends who might be able to help me understand a topic.
Monitoring
and regulating yourself to study can be a difficult responsibility. There were
a lot of times when slacking off was very tempting, and I tried to justify it
because I deserve to rest after all the time spent for studying. I mean,
there’s nothing wrong with pausing and taking a break, right? Because these are
also essential for the mind to continue processing and working. It’s just that
it came to a point where I became stagnant and didn’t review for
almost two weeks because I was so hooked with reading a manga. I became too
confident that I have a lot of time left to study and a few topics to cover,
but boy, I was wrong. So wrong! There were still a handful of topics I haven’t
started reviewing and concepts I haven’t re-reviewed. After this, I’ve always
tried to fight the urge to slack off because it won’t do me and my PR any good.
Whenever this urge would come around, I always go back to the reason why
I’m working super hard to study. And that is to become a great physician.
Detailed Tips for Each Subtest!
Since I didn’t actually ~review~ for the
subtests in Part 1 (except for Quanti), I will just share tips I got from
friends who attended review centers and that have helped me.
·
Verbal
o Analogies:
Don’t even try to memorize the dictionary! I don’t know if there are people who
do this, but please don’t. It won’t be helpful. Just try to answer and practice
a lot of exercises so that you’ll be familiar with the some of the analogies.
Usually the analogies are either synonym, antonym, classification,
characteristic, measurements/units.
o Reading
Comprehension: One trick that worked best for me is to
familiarize yourself with the questions first before reading the passage, so
that when you’re reading the passage, you can easily spot the possible answers
for the question.
·
Inductive Reasoning
o Figure
Series: I hated answering this because there are some
items that I can’t really figure out the pattern and seem senseless??? Luckily,
I received tips on what to look for. The orientation of the
shapes in the figure, the direction and placement of the figure,
the quantity of the lines/shapes/divisions formed. For figures
that looks like it’s balancing the figures, I find it easier to assign values
for the figures.
o Figure
Grouping: to put it simply, odd-one-out. Be keen with
identifying the figure that does not belong. Sometimes it seems like there’s
nothing to eliminate, but there is, if you look closely. This is why it’s
important to answer a lot of practice exercises, so that you’ll get used to
analyzing even the small details that doesn’t seem to matter.
o Number
and Letter Series: writing the alphabet is your
friend here; it will be your guide for the “patterns” so that you can identify
the right answer. Take note that this part might be tricky because sometimes
you think you’ve already figured out the pattern but ended up not having your
answer in the choices, so be careful and really analyze it. When the given
sequence has groups or pairs in it, look for a recurring pattern within the
sequence. A great time-saving technique during this time is to eliminate
choices that don’t have the first part of your decoded pattern, so on and so
forth.
·
Quantitative Reasoning
o I
used a very useful and effective reviewer which was from UPLink (if you have
access to this reviewer, grab it! It’s really helpful if you’re having a hard
time with this area). It contains an outline for important aspects to study,
step by step and easy to understand solutions for the Problem Solving part.
While studying for this, writing down the equations and solutions for some
problems helped me with retaining and recalling the information needed.
o I
remember having a hard time answering the Data Interpretation part for most of
the practice tests, but in the actual NMAT, this part was the easiest to
answer.
·
Perceptual Acuity
o
Hidden Figure: Super
hate this part because I’m so bad with finding the figure. Honestly, this looks
easy but the items during the actual NMAT were super hard to find. One great
tip according to a friend is to remember a significant part of the figure then
from that, try to locate the rest of the figure (if it’s there).
o
Mirror Image and
Identical Information: Don’t ever compare the choices to the given!!!
Always compare the choices with each other then find the odd-one-out and
eliminate it until you narrow it down to either two or one, that’s the only
time you’ll compare the choice to the given. It’s also helpful if you have a
lot of pencils and eraser to cover the eliminated choices. By doing this, your
brain and eyes won’t be too overwhelmed and distracted with the removed
choices.
For
Part I, I made it a habit to answer practice sets then score it after so that I
know which area I should practice more. That would really be my general tip for
Part I, practice, practice, practice!!!
Since I don’t super remember how I
reviewed for these subjects, I would just give tips and share the reviewers
that helped me the most.
·
Biology
o Watching
videos on YouTube has been my life savior for understanding the concepts for
Gen Bio. The most useful channel were Amoeba Sisters (https://www.youtube.com/user/AmoebaSisters)
and Crash Course (https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse)
o The
modules from Learnfast were also of big help, so if you have a friend who
enrolled here, try to study with them!
o Doc MD’s unrolled Twitter threads (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1knpP6gyoarw4iJC20K6bWJdLKukCItJH?usp=sharing)
o MSA
NMAT Reviewer & Questionnaire
· Physics
o Doc
MD’s compiled Physics reviewer (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/183lrUnjUBHr71EyXe2qOYBlUoq5ju7UW?usp=sharing)
o For
waves and optics, the module from UPPMHS Review was helpful
o MSA
NMAT Reviewer & Questionnaire
· Chemistry
o MSA
NMAT Reviewer & Questionnaire
· Social Science
o UPPMHS
module has the best content for this subject; the concepts are organized and
are easy to understand
Here
are other reviewers I found helpful that covers all of the 4 subjects:
·
If you are looking for a study
guide (this can also help you keep track of the topics you’ve already covered):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yrY-vtPKLm94KJ08OKzS7khRAu38Glal/view?usp=sharing
·
MCAT Quicksheets by Kaplan (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bm12UB3OsUyqkv4b4mTSiAOfaBuq7DMA/view?usp=sharing)
·
G.G. Alvaro NMAT Practice Set Rationalization
(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZMqAFtBeXgt2-tZCjmBBQmlpcvDHy3kl/view?usp=sharing)
· Scanned UPLINK module (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-3R4NCH2KbQTukazZq530vrbmNzAygMg?usp=sharing)
Easiest Subject:
The easiest would be Social Science, since
I had a lot of knowledge of the concepts under Psychology and I allotted time
to familiarize and remember important topics in Sociology. The hardest would be
Physics, because even though I reviewed it for a long time, I had a hard time
recalling some concepts and there were items that I’m not really familiar with.
There were even times when I caught myself just staring at the questions and no
answers coming out of my mind. I even remember telling my friend after taking
the test that even though I haven’t reviewed Chem that much, I found it much
easier to answer than Physics.
Things I Wish I Knew Before NMAT:
To be honest, there’s nothing I wish I knew
before taking the NMAT, because I think I already know a lot about it (still
thankful for friends who showered me with a lot of tips that I was able to
share with others as well). Though I have some tips that I want to share for
the testing day itself.
·
Your NMAT Test Permit,
Identification Form, TOR, and other essential things (pencils, eraser,
sharpener, snacks) should be placed in a clear plastic envelope. Make sure to
bring these, because the Identification Form and TOR will be passed. If you
lack requirements, your result might be put on hold. So, don’t forget these!!!
·
Bags and mobile phones are not
allowed inside the building. If it’s possible, have someone to look out for
your things, or do not bring these at all.
·
It’s better to pack your lunch
since a lot of test takers are in the area, so there will be long queues
everywhere, plus the lunch break is only one and a half hour.
· Make sure to have a watch with
you, but it should not digital, because it’s prohibited.
·
Don’t spend too much time in
one question. If you don’t know, skip to the next question but make sure to get
back to the question because every items count!!!
What's the most essential characteristic one should possess for self-studying to work?
I think it’s very important to have a lot
of determination for self-studying to work. If you’re determined enough, you
will be able to prioritize studying above other things. I have always kept in
mind the reason why I’m studying and trying super hard to ace this test—my
future. So, whenever I’m feeling discouraged to continue, I always try to
remember my end goal and remind myself that better PR means better chances to
enter med school and to qualify for scholarships. Another essential trait is you
must be resilient. Like what I’ve said earlier, there will be a lot of doubts
and disheartening moments during your review. It’s a great help if you will be
able to bounce back stronger and more motivated to do better.
My message to all of you:
For those who are planning to self-study, I wish you luck and I hope you also see the beauty of learning during your review period. I know it can be tough at times so don’t forget to rest and take a break. Allot at least one day to breathe, may it be hanging out with friends, bonding with your family, or doing your hobby; anything that would relax you and bring your mind peace. It’s also important to have a something to hold on to, a very solid reminder of why you’re doing this in the first place. This will be your rock, and a very good motivator to give your best in studying. [As for my case, it has always been to make myself proud; and that excelling with my NMAT may open a lot of opportunities (scholarships and admissions) for me.]
For
those who are currently self-studying, I hope you stay motivated and determined
to keep going! I know all your efforts will fruit into great results. Trust me,
it will be a super great feeling when you receive your results after knowing
that you gave your all. I hope you get your target PR! <3
Why you should always reach for the stars...
To
be honest, while reviewing, I was aiming for 99+ percentile HAHAHA which seem
impossible because competition is tight, but there’s
nothing wrong with trying to reach for the stars, right? A little backstory,
when I took my first NMAT, I got a PR of 74, which may not be bad for a first
time taker because I haven’t exerted too much effort preparing for it. So, after I
took the exam, my expectations changed. I’m pretty confident that will get a PR
that is not lower than 80 but not higher than 87, because unlike before, I
prepared a lot for this one.
I cried and jumped out of joy when I saw my PR! I remember being nervous before opening the softcopy of the results. After seeing it, I ran to my mom saying that I got 92 for my NMAT and I immediately called my dad sharing this news. It was really a proud moment for me because after all the time I spent studying and preparing for this, I got a very good PR. I can’t shake off the thought that I did it by myself, with my own efforts (of course with the help of some friends, which I’ll be forever grateful for), and my hard work really paid off. All I can say is it is possible to achieve something that may seem impossible at first, just do it wholeheartedly and give your all!
Read the other features on the medical school series:
Disclaimer:
Medical School Series claims no credit for any images from the medical institution and management except those of the authors and writer's personal images featured on this site unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyright to its respectful owners.
Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies; we do not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site’s content. If you own rights to any of the images, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact me via e-mail, and they will be promptly removed.
The views expressed here are solely those of the authors in his/her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the medical institution and its management.
Furthermore, the assumptions, views, and opinions made by the writer of this blog does not reflect those of the medical institution and its management nor does it intend to degrade and offend the medical institution or medical student. It is only used for educational and recreational purposes.
Medical School Series claims no credit for any images from the medical institution and management except those of the authors and writer's personal images featured on this site unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyright to its respectful owners.
Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies; we do not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site’s content. If you own rights to any of the images, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact me via e-mail, and they will be promptly removed.
The views expressed here are solely those of the authors in his/her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the medical institution and its management.
Furthermore, the assumptions, views, and opinions made by the writer of this blog does not reflect those of the medical institution and its management nor does it intend to degrade and offend the medical institution or medical student. It is only used for educational and recreational purposes.
Comments
Post a Comment