WHAT IS THE GAMSAT?
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The Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT) is an exam that is set each year by the Australian Council of Education Research (ACER) and used by graduate medical schools to select students. ACER releases an annual information booklet which can be obtained via post or internet ( www.gamsat.acer.edu.au). The information booklet is a MUST as it provides you with the essential information concerning dates and times for enrolment, sitting the GAMSAT and release of results. It also provides brief information concerning each school’s admission requirements including minimum GAMSAT scores which can change from year to year. Ensure that you check this information if you are sitting the GAMSAT for the second time. |
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The GAMSAT takes a total of 5 ½ hours and is divided into three sections as follows: |
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Section I
Reasoning in the Humanities and Social Sciences
75 Questions in 100 minutes |
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Section II
Written Communication
2 Questions in 60 minutes |
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Section III
Reasoning in the Biological and Physical Sciences
110 Questions in 170 minutes |
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You receive a score for each of the three sections, together with an Overall GAMSAT Score.
The Overall GAMSAT Score is calculated using the following formula: |
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Overall Score = (1 x Section I + 1 x Section II + 2 x Section III) ÷ 4 |
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i.e. ACER doubles the mark of Section III in the calculation of your Overall Result |
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NOTE: While Section III is more heavily weighted than the other two sections, you must reach a minimum standard in each section of the GAMSAT to be considered for entry into medicine. Therefore it is essential that you excel in all three sections. |
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Information about Section I of the GAMSAT (Reasoning in the Humanities and Social Sciences) |
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This section of the exam is multiple choice where candidates are asked to choose the most appropriate answer from four alternatives. You must answer all questions and there is only one correct answer for each question. There is no negative marking, meaning that you will not lose marks for an incorrect answer. Consequently it is in your best interests to answer every question. |
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There are 10 minutes of perusal followed by 100 minutes to complete 75 questions; this equates to approximately 80 seconds per question. You should not look at your watch after every question! Find a timing plan that works for you, for example having 35-40 questions completed at the halfway point of the exam (50 minutes). |
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The stimuli are in a variety of forms for example poems, play excerpts, passages, cartoons, tables and graphs. These stimuli are from a variety of genres and may be fictional or non-fictional. Candidates are asked a series of questions that require you to understand/interpret/judge/relate the given information. The questions demand understanding, plausible reasoning and critical thinking on a range of different topics. |
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Information about Section II of the GAMSAT (Written Communication) |
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Section II comprises 2 hand-written essays in 60 minutes, after 5 minutes perusal/reading time. This equates to 30 minutes for each essay.
- Part A essay is ‘expository and argumentative’
- Part B essay is ‘reflective and discursive’.
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For each essay, candidates are presented with 5 comments related to a particular theme. Candidates must consider the comments and develop a piece of writing in response to one or more of them. |
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Section II is assessed according to two criteria: |
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1. Thought and Content (the quality of what is said)
- What is made of and developed from the task
- The kind of thought and feeling offered in response to the task
2. Organisation and expression (the quality of the structure developed and the language used)
- The shape and form of the piece
- The effectiveness and fluency of the language
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Information about Section III of the GAMSAT (“Reasoning in the Biological and Physical Sciences”) |
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This section of the GAMSAT is multiple choice where candidates are asked to choose the most appropriate answer from four alternatives. You must answer all questions and there is only one correct answer for each question. There is no negative marking, meaning that you will not lose marks for an incorrect answer. Consequently it is in your best interests to answer EVERY question. |
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There are 10 minutes of perusal followed by 170 minutes to complete 110 questions, which equates to approximately 90 seconds per question. You should not look at your watch after every question! Find a timing plan that works for you, for example having approximately 40 questions completed after 1 hour and 80 questions completed after 2 hours. Many people say that they run out of time in this section of the exam. You NEED to be MENTALLY FIT (We tell you how in the “Mental Fitness” chapter in Medicine from the Inside) and have a STRATEGY (Learn your strategy in MediRed’s “Multiple Choice Question Strategy Workbook”). |
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The stimuli are in a variety of forms and will cover chemistry, biology and physics. Whilst mathematics is not specifically tested, many questions will require calculations, interpretation of graphs, manipulations of formula and understandings of concepts such as logarithms and proportionality. Some units will require you to read a body of text (so it is important to practice your comprehension and reading skills with our Section I and II Study Manual); others may include graphs, diagrams and tables. There may be a single question or a number of questions related to each stimulus. Questions test your problem solving, interpretation, calculation, extrapolation, estimation, comparison and analytic skills as well as background knowledge. |
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ACER quotes that Section III comprises 40% Chemistry, 40% Biology and 20% Physics and recommend background knowledge equivalent to Year 12 Physics and First Year tertiary level Biology and Chemistry. Over the past few years ACER seems to be increasing the focus on chemistry, particularly organic chemistry (our observation and feedback from students). |
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Don’t forget that your section III mark is doubled in the calculation of your overall score and for this reason, it is VITAL that you do well in this area! MediRed’s Newton to Medicine GAMSAT Section III Study Manual is designed to improve your performance in Section III. |
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