NMAT TIPS AND TRICKS
Part I: Mental Ability
1. Verbal Ability
A. Word Analogies:
For word analogies, your task is to find what kind of relationship exists between
the first two words and then use this information to guess the missing word in
the second pair.
To unravel these types of questions, it will help if you know the different types of analogies
that the test-makers might use:
Opposites Analogies (e.g., fire and ice, tired and energetic, crying and laughing, etc.).
Object and Classification Analogies (e.g., red and color, knife and kitchenware, truck and
vehicle, etc.).
Object and Related Object Analogies (e.g., dog and puppy, kangaroo and joey, plant and
seed, etc.).
Object and Group Analogies (e.g., wolf and pack, trees and forest, fish and school, seagull
and flock, etc.).
Degree of Characteristics Analogies (e.g., cold and freezing, warm and hot, tired and
exhausted, etc.).
Cause and Effect Analogies (e.g., read and learn, work and earn, spin and dizzy, fire and
burn, etc.).
Effort and Result Analogies (e.g., write and letter, sculpt and monument, build and house,
paint and painting, etc.).
Problem and Solution Analogies (e.g., tired and sleep, unemployment and job application,
itch and scratch, etc.).
Verb Tenses Analogies (e.g., sent and send, run and ran, eat and ate, walk and walked, etc.).
Performer and Action Analogies (doctor and heal, scientist and research, soldier and fight,
etc.).
Object and Part of the Whole Analogies (e.g., page and book, glass and window, brick and
wall, etc.).
Object and Function Analogies (e.g., paintbrush and paint, keyboard and type, telephone and
call, etc.).
Object and Location Analogies (e.g., plane and airport, dog and doghouse, tree and forest,
etc.).
Things That Go Together Analogies (e.g., salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, bread and
butter, ham and cheese, spoon and fork, etc.).
Synonym Analogies (e.g., obese and fat, slender and thin, sad and depressed, etc.).
Antonym Analogies (e.g., poverty and wealth, timid and outgoing, frail and strong, inflation
and deflation, etc.).
Rhyme Analogies (e.g., whey and away, glasses and mosses, deer and steer, etc.).
Geography Analogies (e.g., Boston and Massachusetts, Tucson and Arizona, Chicago and
Illinois, Denver and Colorado, etc.).
Measurement Analogies (e.g., feet and meter, pound and kilogram, quart and liter, etc.).
Time Analogies (e.g., September and fall, December and winter, March and spring, etc.).
B. Reading Comprehension:
Understand the main idea without reading the whole text. Use skimming and
scanning to find key phrases and transitional words like “because,” “instead of,”
and “in addition” that facilitate comprehension.
2. Inductive Reasoning
A. Figure Series:
The best strategy, therefore, is to identify a pattern in the first two or three
figures and validate your theory by checking if the same pattern continues in the
next figures.
When answering inductive reasoning questions, look for a movement pattern
first. One or more elements of the figure may move either clockwise or
counterclockwise. If you see this pattern, eliminate the answers that don’t show
the movement pattern’s continuity.
Next, spot element/s in the figure series that are either growing or shrinking in
number/size. Again, cross out all the answers that don’t exhibit the sa me
pattern.
Note that one, two, or all of these patterns may appear in a single question. If
you can’t spot a type of pattern, move on to the next until you figure out what
the figures share in common.
B. Figure Grouping:
To avoid wasting valuable time when answering figure grouping questions, focus
on one detail at a time and see how it changes throughout the sequence.
Another technique is to avoid comparing all the figures in the group at the same
time. Instead, try to compare two figures at a time (i.e., A to B, A to C, and so
forth) and choose the one that doesn’t share similarities with the rest.
C. Number and Letter Series:
To help you save time, write all the letters of the alphabet and their
corresponding numbers on scratch paper at the start of the exam.
More often than not, the easiest pattern is the correct answer.
3. Quantitative Aptitude
Use the process of elimination to weed out choices that don’t make sense. For example,
those that contain the highest or lowest numbers among the choices often serve as
distractors.
4. Perceptual Acuity
A. Hidden Figure:
Focus on the general form of the figure rather than its exact shape.
Mentally cross out the distracting figures and use your pencil to trace the form
of the hidden figure.
Another good strategy is using the end of your pencil (i.e., the pencil lead) to
measure the dimensions of the figure. Using the same makeshift ruler, look for
the hidden figure in each choice and choose the one that shares the exact
measurements.
If you end up torn between two or more choices with almost the same
measurements, zero in on nuances like the angles between the figure’s sides,
making sure they’re neither too sharp nor too extended.
B. Mirror Images:
Focus on one portion or element at a time and comp are it with the choices. It’s
easier to spot differences this way than going back and forth between the given
image and the choices.
Once you identify a difference, you can quickly eliminate that choice and move
on to the next, saving you a lot of time in t he process.
C. Identical Information:
To ace this exam, you must hone your short-term memory and attention to detail
through practice.
Instead of comparing every single choice with the given sentence, you’ll save
more time by comparing two choices simultaneously. This technique is vis ually
easier since your chosen choices have similar indentation and spacing.
Part II: Academic Proficiency
1. Biology
Invest more time reviewing basic concepts.
Study cell types and cell division (mitosis and meiosis, including the haploid
and diploid stages); plant physiology (especially plant hormones) and
photosynthesis; modes of inheritance (recessive and dominant characteristics)
and pedigree (symbols); and ecological zones (e.g. aquatic e cological zones)
and biomes (e.g. taiga and tundra).
NMAT takers can attest that the actual exam is skewed toward human anatomy
and physiology. Hence, pay more attention to the latter, especially the heart and
its conducting systems.
2. Chemistry
NMAT in the past, the exam may focus either on General Chemistry and Organic
Chemistry OR General Chemistry and Biochemistry.
A more strategic approach is to get a hold of your Chem 101 syllabus from
college and use it as a guide on what topics to focus on.
Review basic Chemistry concepts like density, specific gravity, gas laws,
molarity, normality, chemical compounds, bonding, stoichiometry, and
thermodynamics. Refresh your knowledge of the Periodic Table, including the
ion charges of common elements and compounds. For Organic Chemistry, revisit
reagents, solvents, acids, and bases.
3. Physics
For both Physics and Chemistry subtests, there are more questions about
concepts than those requiring problem-solving and formulas.
Review basic Physics you learned in high school and college like motion (1D and
2D), work, energy, momentum (linear, angular), thermodynamics, fluids,
pressure, forces (balanced, unbalanced, and centripetal), density, optics,
radiation, and circuitry (power, current, voltage, and resistance).
There are concepts and formulas that Physics and Chemistry share in common.
Study gas laws, especially those that focus on the interplay between pressure
and volume.
4. Social Science
The AP Psychology textbook and Sociology for Dummies are great references
you can use for your review.
