11 Essential Elements of a Winning Online UPCAT Review Program

Ready to pass the UPCAT?  But is your review already online?

We’re living in times when the internet is already an essential part of our everyday lives.

That’s why your UPCAT and CETs preparation should be available online as well. Gone are the times wherein your preparation is limited to books and a physical classroom setting.

Plus, with the current issue of safety and health, preparing for the UPCAT using the internet has become essential.

A lot of physical review centers have started offering online reviews to catch up with the changing times. Furthermore, they were forced to offer online reviews because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But is their program enough?

We at Review Masters have been offering the online UPCAT review program for 12 long years already. Because of this experience, we found out what an online program should have for it to be fully effective. (Just look at the thousands of passers we have year after year).

1. Must have an Online Review Portal

A winning online review program should have a review portal where you can log in and access reviewers. This gives you a hub where you can access all your preparation needs.

If a review center does not have one, you could hardly call it an online review program.

(The Review Masters Online Review Portal is a members-only site wherein you can access reviewers, video lectures quizzes and a whole lot more. You can create your free account here.)

2. Live Online Classes

Just like a physical classroom review, live classes are important for digital learners to have an opportunity to consult with teachers and interact with other students in real-time. A personal touch goes a long way, especially in learning and motivation and live online classes do the job well in the absence of physical interaction.

Look for review centers that also offer refresher courses on auxiliary topics like math techniques, test-taking tips, career guidance, essay writing, and abstract reasoning. Reviewing for the major subjects is important but the supporting topics should not be overlooked.

(The Review Masters Virtual Classes are live online classes conducted by Big 4 subject matter experts. These classes are highly interactive and very engaging.)

3. Recordings of the Live Classes

It would also be best if the live classes were recorded and can be viewed at a later time. With this feature, students who missed a class or would want to go back to a certain topic can watch the recording.

It would also be nice if the chat conversations of instructors and students are available in the recording so that the student who watches can follow the discourse and relate more to the topic being discussed.

(You can watch some of our Jumpstart Virtual Classes recording on our YouTube channel.)

4. Reliable Reviewers

For an online review program to be effective, materials and reviewers should be reliable. That means they should be created by competent authors and updated regularly. You do not want to use materials that are already old and stale for your preparation.

5. Mentors and Instructors who are experts in their fields

Instructors are an essential part of the review program. Their competency and expertise will dictate the quality of the review class.

It is very important that an online review center has instructors who are experts in their respective fields so that they can address the questions of students fully and the information they provide is reliable.

Be wary of some centers who get undergraduates as instructors. Yes they may be able to teach but they are not yet experts on the field. In my opinion, instructors should be at least college graduates before they teach in review classes.

6. Community and support group

Self-study is ok. But being surrounded by individuals who are also preparing for their entrance exams is better. A peer study group can ease a reviewing student from a lot of stress.

Having peer-to-peer support offers a sense of belongingness which can be very helpful when dealing with something as serious as an admissions test. Word of encouragement from friends, even just online, can help boost your morale and keep you going.

Moreover, reviewing is always more fun if you have your friends doing it with you!

7. Easily accessible across devices

Your online UPCAT review should be available across devices. With today’s flexibility of students to use different devices, a good online review program should not be limited by what screen size he or she has. The online review program should be able to adapt to the learner, whether he or she is using a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop.

8. Available 24/7

Because the learning setting is not limited to the classroom lectures where a strict schedule is set and followed, online review portals give students better access to their materials any time of the day, wherever they want to review.

This is a big advantage for those who prefer to learn in their own time, so enrollees can freely tweak their schedule depending on when they are most productive. They can answer practice tests, watch video lectures and access live class recordings

9. Start-to-finish review program

Aside from being available 24/7, a successful online review program should be end-to-end. The online review should not stop after the live classes. It should be able to support the student in his/her assessment, self-study, peer-to-peer interaction, live review classes, pre-exam conditioning, college entrance application and even up to wait listing and reconsideration.

10. Value for Money

The benefits that you get from an online review should be proportional to the fee you pay. You should be able to get a full stack review program at a reasonable price.

There are review centers who charge exorbitant fees for a subpar service. After the live classes, you get no further assistance from them in terms of self-study support, college application assistance and other auxiliary services.

(Review Masters offers the Online Review Platinum package. It includes live online classes, review books, review portal access and a lot of other exclusive content to fully prepare you for your UPCAT and other CETs at a fraction of the cost of other available programs out there. Check it out here.)

11. Designed for digital learners

The youth of today have grown up with the internet and devices. Thus, it doesn’t come as surprising that many of you learn better when presented with digital materials like practice tests, modules, and videos.

Online review materials should be specifically designed to cater to those who find themselves more productive in tinkering with digital options, so they don’t find the process of reviewing dull and boring.

In conclusion, be sure to choose an online review center that would fully help you prepare for the CETs, available wherever, whenever you need it at a fraction of the cost.