The Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) is an entrance test designed to test the knowledge of a vast range of topics. It is mostly appeared by students wanting to do medical graduate courses in Australia, Ireland, and UK.
When are you eligible for appearing in the exam?
There are mainly two entry requirements for the European students who wish to sit for the exam. Firstly, you need to apply for the Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) in Ireland. And second, you need to have a minimum 2.1 honors bachelor degree (NFQ Level 8) from a third level institute in any field.
When can you sit for the exam?
The GAMSAT exam is held twice a year. You may take the exam in March from Ireland or in September from UK. There are many such applicants who take the test more than once. If you take the exam in the UK, you can use that score to appear in the GEM in Ireland exam and vice versa. Your GAMSAT score remains valid for two years.
There are three sections in the exam that constitute of the following:
The first section has questions based on humanities and social sciences. There will be a comprehension in the English language along with plays and poems. You will be asked to read the passage carefully and then answer about 4 or 5 multiple choice questions on them that consist of four options. In total, the first section will consist of 75 questions and you will get exactly 100 minutes to answer all of them. You will also be getting an additional reading time of 10 minutes before the exam, during which you will not be permitted to write.
The second section requires you to write two essays. You will be provided with six quotes from each of the two essays that will provide you with a sense of what you are required to address in your writing. Out of the two, the first essay is of an argumentative nature and the second essay will require you to write in a more personalized manner. The total time given to write both the essays is an hour. You will also get an additional five minutes of reading time.
The third section is perhaps the most important one for most people taking the test. It consists of questions that cover the different aspects of science – Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. You are required to answer 110 multiple choice questions in 170 minutes plus an additional 10 minutes of reading time will be provided. You must prepare for this section with respect to the marks allotted to each topic – 20% of the section is based on Physics, Chemistry and Biology constitute 40% each. The Physics questions are based on the Leaving Certificate Standard and the Chemistry questions are based on the 1st year university level.
Some Quick Tips to help you prepare better
The GAMSAT is quite challenging and you need to be thoroughly prepared before you sit for it. We have come up with a list of tips that can help you better your chances of scoring well in the exam:
- The foremost thing you need to do is to study well. This exam is surely not a luck-by-chance and you must be well versed with the different topics covered in it. The third section is the most complex since it is data-oriented and thus requires maximum time for preparation. Don’t make the mistake of waiting till the last moment to begin your preparation. Get down to studying for the GAMSAT well before the D-day if you want to score well.
- Competitive exams are hard to crack but practice tests make it possible. Timing is very crucial in the GAMSAT. You need to go into the exam hall with a fair idea of the pace at which you should answer the questions to complete the exam in time. GAMSAT Practice tests will help you get accustomed to the types of questions asked in the exam and the time you must dedicate to each one. Appear for at least 1 practice test daily right from the beginning of your preparation. Find some of the best test materials here and guarantee your success for future exams.
- Timing yourself according to the ‘GAMSAT time’ might come useful. From one week before ‘The Day’ start getting up at the time, you would have to on the day of the exam. If you don’t want a rumbling stomach during the exam, you better start eating your food only when you are going to get a break. Feeling like a zombie on the day of the exam is the last thing you would want.
- For section one, you should go through the different types of speech in the English language. Regular reading will help you gain a better understanding of the different types of comprehensions.
- The second section, the essay section, is often undermined by students and they fail to prepare for it. It is an extremely scoring section provided you know the hacks of writing good essays in the allotted time as both the essays carry the same marks. Practice essay writing on a daily basis and you will surely emerge as a winner.
- Since the third section carries about 50% of weightage, it is the most crucial section of this competitive exam if you wish to score well. But don’t focus your entire energy on it as you need to perform well in the other two sections as well, in order to achieve your desired score.
- Utilizing the reading time properly is extremely important. Don’t waste this time doing anything other than going through the questions and forming the general structures of your answers.
- Last but not the least, even if you are not happy with your first score, don’t lose hope. You can take the GAMSAT exam more than once and the good news is that only your best score is counted.
Keep these tips in mind and prepare well for your GAMSAT. The right balance of determination and passion will help you reach the end line and you will be amazed at what hard work can do for you!
