News Flash NIE Early Bird Special
Due to high demand we have extended the Early Bird offer until Dec 20. The Early Bird special gets you 3 bonus books with 900 extra UMAT questions. It’s valued at $390 but is free for any student enrolling in our Premium, DLP or Concession course prior to Dec 20 2011.

We were overwhelmed with the response to our last News letter with 572 Careers Teachers taking up the offer of our NIE 2012 Starter Pack via email. If you still don’t have yours then please contact me immediately by replying to this email.

Cheers,
Simon.

Whilst enrollments for our 2012 UMAT program are well under way I thought it timely to pass on some interesting developments in the arena of UMAT and Health Science Selection.

Firstly, due to public pressure, it is great to see UWA in full swing with their Assured Pathway entry system for both Medicine and Dentistry. After dropping the undergraduate entry program recently it is a relief for Yr12 leavers that the Assured Pathway program offers an alternative for students wishing to study Medicine and Dentistry at UWA. Other than waiting to be assessed via the graduate entry system (and sit the GAMSAT), Yr 12 students can now still sit the UMAT with the hope of securing a seat. After successfully completing 3 years of a general science program at UWA, these Assured Pathway students will then be accepted into their respective courses (similar to the Conditional Entry used for many years at UQ).

During 2011 around 3000 students sat the UMAT in Perth, 900 applicants were assessed for UWA Medicine and Dentistry entry and an undisclosed number (just over 100) were selected for interviews. 42 of these students will be accepted into the Assured pathway for Medicine but only 5 for Dentistry. Considering that less than a year ago there was no such pathway, this is a very positive step forward for Yr12 leavers in WA.

Secondly, Yr12 UMAT candidates (and NIE) are still reeling in shock at the actual cut off score required for an invite for interview at Monash University (Medicine). Whilst we expected a cut off in the high 93rd percentile or possibly the 94th, the resultant 95% cut off was incredible. 2012 will see this cut off rise again with the expected number of UMAT candidates swelling to around 23000…a ridiculous situation.

The follow on from this increasing pressure is that students are rightfully wanting to be as competitive as possible and hence we are seeing a number of changes within the UMAT preparation market. We now field far more enquiries from students as young as Yr9 who realise that starting early may give them the edge required and we are also under increasing demand to be running ongoing tutoring within the area. 2011 saw us testing the waters with check groups in both Adelaide and Sydney undertaking regular group and individual private UMAT tuition and the results clearly demonstrated the value in partnering quality hard copy books with ongoing tuition. As a result we are now offering regular ongoing tuition for UMAT in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. Classes are already underway for 2012. For more information please contact myself directly.

Finally, and in an effort to support our new 2012 students, we have extended the offer of our Early Bird Special into December. Students who book in for our DLP or Premium programs will also recieve a bonus 3 books valued at $390. Containing an extra 900 practice questions this generous offer is a great way to kick start a student’s preparation. For more information please visit www.nie.edu.au

From 2001 to 2009 we have completed around 25 to 30 private interview sessions each year. The finishing of Yr12 exams and the commencement of Interviews typically left only a two week period for interview prep. With each of our unique private sessions lasting around 3 hours, we could only service 25 to 30 students each year, meaning that many missed out.

During 2010 though the interview schedule of many universities was changed and we ended up conducting 52 private 3 hour sessions over a 4 week period. We are yet to see what the interview schedules for all universities will be this year but we are expecting a similar spread to 2010.

So far this year we have heard from numerous students who have scored in the 90s and are excitedly hopeful of interviews but we have also heard from many who have not done as well as hoped. Either way NIE remains committed to doing whatever we can to help. As such the private interview sessions are now close to half booked out (with some early invitations from certain universities) but we are also offering a substantial discount of $100 off the cost of the 2011 Premium course for NIE students who would like to repeat the program. Unlike other providers, our questions and tests are new each year, hence there is full benefit in doing the course more than once.

For new students (please recommend to friends, family, etc) we also have our Early Bird Special running. Students who apply for our Premium, DLP or Concession courses will instantly be sent three bonus books valued at $390 at no extra charge. All new students enrolling before Dec 2011 will receive the Early Bird Books with early curricula and 900 extra questions with answers. This is an excellent offer and brings unprecedented value to the package. And of course our normal group discounts apply with any group of three or more students applying together receiving a worthwhile $75 discount off the Platinum, Premium or DLP programs.

In summary:
We are now taking bookings for the NIE interview sessions.
Repeat NIE students are offered a $100 discount.
Early Bird enrollments receive 3 bonus books with over 900 extra questions.
Group bookings for 2012 get a $75 discount.

Finally, if you have the time we would greatly appreciate it if you could please like us on Facebook (click here) and help us to build the page and serve our future students better.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Institute-of-Education/265815920127608?sk=wall

Thanks you for your time and support over the years and we wish you the best with your future studies.

Cheers,
Simon.

Watch this spot as we unfold some bold plans for 2012 prep.

Cheers,
Simon.
Director NIE.

Every student should get their hands on the Handbook asap (starting in April) and ensure they fully understand what the UMAT is all about. Also keep in mind that you can only register for the test until the first week of June. there will be a late period after this of 2 weeks, but you pay a penalty fee. Past that time, there is no way at all that you can register.

For a copy of the Handbook and to enroll, visit www.acer.edu.au and for more info on the UMAT log on to www.nie.edu.au

Cheers,
Simon.

To add to this, a well known private school in Melbourne has been asked to participate in an ACER run assessment that will hopefully offer some insight or answers to the concerns of the Consortium. We know this as our staff were invited to present an overview of the UMAT to the Yr 11 and 12 students of this school just before they sat the initial ACER assessment…all very interesting.

That said, UMAT 2011 is still on and most students already have their prep well under way.

Stay posted, as this will be a very interesting year in the development of UMAT.

Regards,
Simon Christie
Director NIE
Section 3 Lecturer

As always, we had staff sit the real UMAT and our research and feedback all showed how spot on our hardcopy books were. Speaking of which, the most regular feedback we get is what a difference the hardcopy books make.

Although the books are very time consuming to produce each year and very expensive to print and post, NIE remains committed to providing the most up to date and practical prep for UMAT and at the lowest possible price. Ask any of our students, the books just make it so much more easier and better reflect the real UMAT.

Good luck for 2011 and remember that we are here to help 24/7.

Simon Christie
Director NIE and Section 3 Teacher.

As promised the UpDate Pack (Book 7) will be provided to all of our students before the end of April. I know you are all waiting for it considering the changes to the 2010 UMAT and the very interesting practice books from ACER. Well Book 7 is almost done and will be sent to all of our students this week.

I hope the prep is moving along well and we are looking forward to meeting you all face to face at the workshops.

Cheers,
Simon Christie
Director NIE (and Section 3 teacher).

NIE has been providing elite level UMAT preparation since 1999 when it was first registered as an RTO. NIE was the first UMAT Provider registered as an RTO.

We provide hardcopy books (5 of which are posted to you as soon as you enroll).
We write 1500 all new questions and tests every year (when we say we are up to date with all of the changes to UMAT… we mean it).
We back our courses with three full time teachers that our students can access continually.

We do not run down other providers, quite the contrary, in some cases we advise students to do two programs (as they are very different).

More teachers, more questions and personalised service.. and all for just $445.