title: Students' perceptions of the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admissions Test (UMAT).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Medical schools are still evaluating the place of general cognitive tests in medical student selection. This study explored medical student perceptions of UMAT, and how they prepared for taking the test.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical students at The University of Auckland and University of Otago in New Zealand were invited to complete a mixed-modality survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students had reservations, with 56% reporting UMAT is not an important test for medical students' selection and 67% that it is not a fair test. Eighty-one percent believe it is a stressful or very stressful test. The degree of importance or stress related to the weighting of UMAT in selection decisions. More than half of students spent more than $100 on books and $400 on courses to prepare for UMAT, in addition to the costs of sitting the test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At present, the majority of medical students in New Zealand who responded to the survey do not see UMAT as an acceptable test of non-cognitive attributes. It is costly to students and also stressful.
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. divya@nzmsa.org.nz
authors.forename: Divya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dhar
authors.forename: William R G
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Phillippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poole
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003099:College Admission Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D010465:Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult