Throughout the ages and in most countries medicine has been a profession with special privileges, hence demand to study medicine is high. In fact the demand to supply ratio is higher for medicine than for any other course in Australia, which is one reason for the use of criteria other than ATAR (high school) scores for entry.
Since medical knowledge is growing at an exponential rate, it is essential that future doctors have critical thinking, abstract reasoning, problem solving and interpersonal skills. Far from making the system sick, the selection process ensures that doctors are able, affable and adaptable.
It is to be expected that ACER would claim that the UMAT is a test that is not susceptible to coaching in an attempt to enhance its reliability and validity. However, in my 25 years of university teaching and research, I have yet to find a test that cannot be coached for. Coaching helps lift an individual’s performance in all competitions: sporting or intellectual. MedEntry provides focussed training for medical entrance in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.