Without a question, the GAMSAT is one of the most intimidating and daunting entrance tests for medical school. Only colleges accepting graduates are eligible, and applicants must possess a strong background in the humanities, composition, and science. The GAMSAT is achievable if preparation is done properly, despite the bad connotations most people have with it and how difficult it may seem.
We at MedicMind are committed to helping students achieve their objectives, which is why we’ll be providing advice on how to ace the GAMSAT. In addition to the content in this blog post, the Medic Mind GAMSAT tutoring helps you increase your chances of getting into your first choice institution by providing one-on-one instruction and assistance for the GAMSAT and medical applications in general.
Why is the GAMSAT being held?
As its name suggests, the Graduate Medical School Admission Test is known by its abbreviation GAMSAT. It is set by ACER, the Australian Council for Educational Research and was initially used solely by Australian graduate medical schools. These days, the UK and all of Europe use it. In the UK, graduate institutions that do not need an undergraduate degree in science mostly utilize it to screen candidates to make sure they have the scientific aptitude to stay up with the demanding graduate program without discouraging them for holding a humanities degree. See our blog post titled “Medicine with a humanities degree” for a comprehensive list of applications that do not require a scientific degree.
The 2022 universities taking GAMSAT are Cardiff, Exeter, Keele, Liverpool, Nottingham, Plymouth Med and Dentistry, St Andrew’s ScotGEM, St George’s, Sunderland, Swansea, Ulster and Worcester.
One of the fundamental errors most first-time GAMSAT candidates make is that they assume this test is content driven i.e., that if you remember loads of chemistry, biology, and physics you will get a lot of questions right. This is basically untrue; ACER has created a cognitive, psychometric exam that emphasizes problem-solving above pure science. It’s crucial to keep this in mind while you get ready.
What time is it? What is the price of it?
Twice a year, between March and September, the GAMSAT is administered. Make sure your preferred venue is holding the test at the time you wish to take it, as it is held in several places around the United Kingdom. Each sitting has early registration that opens six months in advance; late registration is available up to one month beforehand, however there is a £60 late registration charge. The test is £268 in itself.
In an ideal world, it would be preferable to take the GAMSAT in March rather than September. This is a result of the interaction between the UCAS application cycle and any additional admission tests you may want to take. Since there isn’t much going on during the application round, you may concentrate entirely on the GAMSAT by sitting in March. If you plan to take the GAMSAT in September, you will also need to prepare for the UKCAT, write your personal statement, and choose your universities. If you want to increase your chances of receiving at least one extremely high entrance test score, a suitable Plan B scenario would be to take the GAMSAT in March, the UKCAT in July, and maybe the GAMSAT or UKCAT again in September.
What arrangement is there? How is the score calculated?
There are three components of the exam:
- Section 1: 62 questions in a multiple-choice style. The goal of this part, “reasoning in the humanities,” is for you to study material from a variety of sources and respond to questions that center on it.
- Section 2 — essay style with 2 questions in total. The “written communication” portion of the exam requires applicants to compose two brief essays in answer to questions on two different subjects.
- Section 3: 75 total multiple-choice questions The “reasoning in biological and physical sciences” component asks applicants to study materials on chemistry, biology, and arithmetic and then respond to questions by fusing their own understanding with the information from the sources.
For many years, the GAMSAT scoring system has baffled observers. Please keep in mind that the score is not a mark as a percentage or as a function of the total questions. After doubling the S3 score and dividing by four, an overall score is calculated by adding the scores of each part.
The marks are valid for two years before you have to retake the exam since the results for each component are scaled within the cohort that took the test and within the two cohorts prior to that. This scaling takes into account the degree of difficulty that students found the paper, so just because a paper was “easier” in March 2019 doesn’t mean that students in September 2019 scored higher than students in March 2019. While 50 is the “genuine” cut off that many colleges publish, keep in mind that there is also a disguised “competitive” cut off. An interview is not guaranteed just because you scored 50; there could be enough students with scores higher than 57 to fill every interview slot. As with any exam, the more, the better!
As scores are issued two months after the sit date, in this case, the release dates for March and September are May and November, respectively.
What’s the estimated time frame?
Since each person is unique, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this query. Many people take well over six months to prepare for the GAMSAT, yet they cannot ensure a good score if they study for two hours a week in a low-yield manner.
Before moving on to S3 preparation, if you are a humanities student, start with S1 and S2 preparation to establish a baseline for yourself, as this is probably where your talents are. Science students, on the other hand, start with S3 and then concentrate on S1 and S2. Three months should be plenty of time to study if you put in a concentrated effort (8 hours or more a week) to give the test your best shot.
Which sources ought I to consult?
Students can take use of several tools to assist them in taking the GAMSAT. The ACER practice papers are the most beneficial of them.
These are a costly buy, costing around £30 each, but they are invaluable in terms of the knowledge and practice they will provide you with on the real questions you will encounter on the GAMSAT.
Future Doc’s Elite Program offers an 8-week GAMSAT course that covers every topic in detail and offers guidance to students in addition to the ACER papers. Additionally, a one-on-one GAMSAT training session is available, supporting every step of the medical application procedure.
In addition, employ scientific textbooks appropriate for A-level students, science-related YouTube videos, and readings from the humanities to aid in your preparation.
How should one best prepare for every section?
Since every portion is unique, it must be approached in a somewhat different manner. Try one of the ACER previous papers (like Blue or Orange) FIRST to see what kinds of questions are asked in each part. This is the best advice available. Although your score from your initial attempt is irrelevant, it will help you focus your revision and indicate the kinds of things you need to learn.
Section 1
- Use an ACER practice paper at first to “get your eye in.
- “Make a list of all the terms and phrases you do not know, and add to it as you go.
- Practice without a timer until you reach 70–75%
- Verify if every response is proper or incorrect to get experience deducing why a given response is right or wrong.
- Practice answering timed questions to avoid receiving a lower mark; instead, focus on answering them quickly and effectively.
Section 2
- Start with a practice ACER paper.
- Read up on related background material in the humanities, such as politics, history, sociology, and the arts. It doesn’t have to be exhaustive; anything that strengthens your arguments or provides examples is acceptable
- Practice fully and swiftly organizing your responses.
- Compile a modest library of quotations that you may utilize in other writings.
- Don’t allow an essay take longer than one hour to complete.
- Reduce the duration gradually until you allow yourself 30 minutes for each essay.
Section 3
- Start with a practice ACER paper.
- Take note of the subjects you encounter.
- Make sure you have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, or physics. If you don’t know what a mole or an atom is, there’s no use taking up a textbook on acids and bases.
- As you go over the material, make an effort to comprehend it rather than merely memorise it.
- Compile a library of formulas that will be helpful for every part.
- Remember your mathematics!
- Prior to tightening the time limit, try answering untimed questions one again.
