How to Register and Prepare for the NMAT in the United States

I just finished paying for the NMAT registration and testing fees for me and my husband. Here are some FAQs that I put together for those (foreigners) who are interested in studying med school in the Philippines:

What is the NMAT?
The NMAT, or National Medical Achievement Test, is the Philippines' version of the United States' MCAT, an admission test for prospective medical students. This is not to be confused with the NMAT for one of India's MBA Schools.

Photo by 401(K) 2012 on Flickr

How much do the NMAT registration and testing fees cost (for foreigners)?
While the registration payment procedures page says that it only costs PHP1,900.00 (roughly 50.00USD) for both the registration and testing fees, it actually costs 30.00USD for the registration and 350.00USD for the testing fees, if you are a foreigner, bringing the total up to 380.00USD. You will only discover this huge price difference after you have completed the registration form and have been prompted to enter your payment information.

Can I complete the NMAT registration online?
Yes. From my experience today, I was able to complete the online application (using a laptop for my registration and an Android Tablet for my husband's), pay in USD using a major credit card, and have my NMAT ID (attachment--needs to be downloaded, printed, and presented at the testing site) and NMAT Application number instantly emailed to me after submitting my online payment.

Will I experience any technical glitches while completing the online NMAT registration?
There was one technical glitch. When filling out the registration form, make sure you first scroll down to the very bottom left and indicate how you would like the NMAT results to be sent to you--in my case, I chose "postal mail" (vs. "pick up in person") since I do not live in the Philippines (you can provide an international address). Somehow, this field magically disappears when you start filling out the rest of the registration form. If you do not address this field first before completing the rest of your registration, you will not be able to proceed to the next step (and you won't be able to find this field again, either). If you do end up encountering this (or, if you get kicked out of the site while in the middle of the registration process), you can always go back and request for another verification link to be sent to the same email address that you originally used.

How can I make sure that I have been properly registered to take the NMAT?
According to the Notice of Admission section on the NMAT Registration Website, check the website two weeks before the test date, click the link for "Room Assignment", then download your Notice of Admission. If you discover that your NMAT Application Number is not on the list, call the NMAT Secretariat immediately at (02) 813-3686 or 813-3694 to 95 (loc/ext. 108).

Are there any NMAT testing centers in the United States?
Yes. I had read that there are NMAT testing centers in Los Angeles and New York. We registered for the NMAT scheduled for December 1, 2012, and it will be administered in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hacienda Hotel at LAX. The instructions on the NMAT Registration Website indicate that we must report to the testing site by 7:00AM local time.

How often are NMATs administered?
Only twice a year, in April and December (from what I understand). It is important to be mindful of the NMAT registration deadline that is posted on the NMAT Registration Website.

How long are the NMAT results good for?
From what I gather, it depends on the school. As with the Philippine medical school of our choice, we inquired with their Admission's Office and learned that it is good for a year (or in some special cases, a year and a half).

Can I retake the NMAT?
From what it looks like on the online NMAT registration form, I believe so. I haven't done any additional research specifically with regards to how soon you can retake it; and I certainly hope that I wouldn't have to do so!

How can I prepare for the NMAT while living in the United States?
Unlike in the Philippines, I have not found any NMAT Review Centers in the United States. This means, it's all about self-study. In addition, the major U.S. bookstore chains do not carry the MSA NMAT Reviewers in store--or in the case of Barnes and Noble, it's not available on their Nook eReader, either. If you visit the MSA Online Market, you will find that they currently do not ship to the United States. The alternative would be to download and/or purchase the few NMAT Reviewers that are available online (see below) and scour the Internet for some articles, forums/discussions, and blogposts regarding the NMAT. Certain discussion threads mention contacting the nearest Philippine Consulate for information on where to obtain such reviewers, starting with the one in Los Angeles.

What kind of NMAT Reviewers can be downloaded and/or purchased online?

• You can download the NMAT Practice Set (Test and Answer/Explanation Key) from the NMAT Registration Website as soon as you complete your online registration.
• You can purchase a Kindle / e-book version of the MSA NMAT Practice Test 1 in Biology via Amazon.com for 4.99USD. E-books can be viewed using any web browser; all you need is to register for a free Amazon.com account and access their Cloud Reader (or, you can download the free Kindle app and view the e-book on your iPad or Android Tablet). Unless you already own a Kindle, you really don't need to buy one.

Unfortunately, the two other MSA Reviewers (the red book, priced at PHP648.00, is the Reviewer Set for Verbal, Inductive Reasoning, Qualitative, Perceptual Acuity, Biology, Physics, Social Science, and Chemistry, while the yellow book, priced at PHP150.00 is for Chemistry) are not available on the Kindle, yet, and MSA currently does not ship to the United States, either.

What do I need to bring on the day of the test?
According to the instructions and requirements sections on the NMAT Registration Website, the important documents to bring on the day of the exam are as follows:

• NMAT Identification Form (this will be emailed to you immediately after you successfully complete the online NMAT Registration)
• Valid ID, i.e. passport, drivers license, etc.
• Photocopy of Transcript of Records
• One copy of a recent 2"x2" colored photo with white background

How will I know my NMAT results?
According to the NMAT Results section on the NMAT Registration Website, examinees can view and/or download their NMAT results after 5 working days. However, the electronic copy is not valid for admission purposes. The hard copy will be mailed 6 weeks after the December test date (4 weeks after the April test date). You may request a duplicate copy in case you did not receive the original copy one week after the official mailing date.

Photo by 401(K) 2012 on Flickr

What are the next steps after passing the NMAT?
Follow the Admission Procedures for Foreign Students on the NMAT Registration Website as well as the Admissions Procedures for Foreign Students listed on the website of your selected Philippine medical school. For the Philippine medical school of our choice, foreign students typically pay higher fees, i.e. 5,000.00USD foreigner fee and 150.00USD (compared to 15.00USD for Filipino citizens) admissions processing fee, on top of the annual tuition of approximately 2,500.00USD (factor in an estimated tuition increase at 10-20% per year). Still, this is certainly a lot more cost-effective compared to studying in the United States; however, these fees can be quite significant if you plan on solely using your own savings to fund the medical education of two people (this will probably be discussed in more depth via a future blogpost) while supporting a family of five (with both parents in medical school and not at work).

I hope you found this post to be useful. Aloha!

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Disclaimer:
I am not in any way connected with the Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM) which administers the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) in the Philippines. The information found on this blog post is mainly gleaned from personal research and experience. For the most updated information re: the NMAT, visit the CEM-NMAT Online Registration Website directly at: http://www.cem-inc.org.ph/nmat