You’ve made up your mind that you want to pursue undergraduate study in medicine or a health-related program. You’ve also decided that Australia is the place where you want to fulfil your dreams. So what’s the next step? What lies between your wish and your entry into the school of your choice? The answer is just one exam: ISAT. And so, here is a peek into what the ISAT is all about.
Taking the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) is a mandatory requirement for all international applicants applying to medicine and related programs at many Australian universities. Developed by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), ISAT is a computer based multiple-choice test that aims to assess the candidate’s ability to understand and analyze written passages, mathematical relations and tabular/graphical data. There are 100 questions from a variety of sources, ranging from mathematics to humanities, which need to be answered within a time limit of 3 hours. For a group of questions (at most five), referred to as “unit”, a stimulus is given that contains all the required information needed to answer the given questions; prior knowledge of the topic is therefore not necessary. Furthermore, ACER categorizes the questions into two types:
- Critical Reasoning (CR)—involves comprehending and analyzing information; understanding, applying and extending ideas; drawing appropriate conclusions; and evaluating arguments. These questions use material from the humanities and social sciences.
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)—involves analysis and application of information; drawing conclusions and making decisions; and solving problems. These questions use material from the mathematics and sciences.