/r/GAMSAT

Photograph via snooOG

A sub focused on everything GAMSAT, postgraduate medicine & dentistry admissions & general study discussions.

Our Discord server is located here https://discord.gg/stzwCwAWPs where we run regular free group study sessions for anyone to join.

If you appreciate what we do here and would like to show your support, you can do so by donating to our Ko-Fi page! https://ko-fi.com/rgamsat

Welcome to r/GAMSAT

This community is for anyone doing the GAMSAT, or thinking about doing the GAMSAT at some point in the future.

It's a subreddit where we can discuss study techniques, offer support, feedback, and help motivate one another.


Friends


Forum Rules:

  • Please do not post spam or use this forum to solicit business

  • Please don't post copyrighted content and please don't discuss where to source illegal downloads or ripped off versions of copyrighted material. We have to delete all such posts and ban posters. Don't link to content that infringes copyright and don't post defamatory remarks or anything else illegal.

  • r/gamsat is not offically linked to ACER in any way. So for anything you read on this subreddit please remember it's just the opinion of random people on reddit, always make sure and do your own due diligence

  • No discussing of content of questions around the time of the exam while exam centres in other countries are waiting to sit the exam on the same date.

  • No cheating or discussion about how to cheat in the exam. Any users partaking in such discussion will be banned

  • Please keep disagreement civil and focused on issues. Trolling, abuse, harassment, defamation and personal insults are not allowed. If you disagree with someone feel free to challenge their ideas, but it's not on to attack them personally. Please remember everyone is a human and be nice to each other.

  • No Doxxing.

/r/GAMSAT

25,291 Subscribers

1

Family issues along with gamsat prep and full time uni

Hey u guys, Im one of those people who doesn’t have a good supportive family. All these family issues then patting myself on the back for dealing with them. Then studying for gamsat plus being a full time biomed student with barely good job is making life a little miserable.

Does anyone have any tips on how to balance it out?

Not talking to my dad got rid of my constant annoying migraines. But Im still insanely stressed. Is this how life is?

0 Comments
2025/02/02
07:54 UTC

1

march sitting is making me feel defeated, is this universal?

Purchased Medify and did a couple of mocks to see where I'm currently at. I feel incredibly disheartened that my section 1 and section 3 baselines are sitting at exactly 50. I'm unsure of what to do and how to proceed through studying for these.

I've been trying to study chemistry daily, but understanding the broad scope of concepts required in such a short amount of time is overwhelming. I'm confident in my biology concepts, as they're the major marks that push me through, but I haven't done chemistry since year 12 and have never touched physics.

How am I even able to stay competitive at this rate? It's crushing my soul how much effort and stress I'm putting into it, but it feels like I still haven't found the right path.

1 Comment
2025/02/02
06:41 UTC

1

How personal is too personal in an interview?

I’m applying for 2026 entry, so have plenty of time yet to prepare. I’m a 31 year graduate with a lot of relevant experience (hopefully) a strong enough application.

However, I worry a lot about answering the age old question of ‘why do you want to study medicine?’

I’d really love to specialise in psychiatry, potentially with going into extra training in substance misuse disorders and become a consultant. Growing up I had a parent who was a heroin and crack addict and so my upbringing is hard to explain. I don’t talk to people about the adverse experiences because they will be confused or shocked and usually unless someone has experience of knowing someone close to them with heroin addiction, they don’t know all that goes with it. I also worry about taboo and being judged for it, especially with genetic predispositions for addiction and stereotypes that get placed on the children of addicts. As a result, I’m scared of bias and judgement against me and that someone in the interview would have an unconscious bias.

Overcoming this when younger, and the associated issues is one of the primary reasons I want to become a psychiatrist. I think I’d be good at it, as I have a lived experience and understanding and an unwavering passion to be in this career.

It’s not a sob story, it’s an explanation of who I am, where I’ve come from and what has informed my desire to follow this career path.

However, I feel like if I bring up heroin addicted parents in medical admissions interview (even though they say ‘be personal with your reasons’) that this would be shocking and I’d be judged or worse, pitied? How on earth do I navigate this, especially when given a 3 minute time to answer and having many other (positive!) things in life that have informed this career path?

For example….

My amazing close friend has overcome stage 4 cancer 🥳 and my partner is slowly getting more effective treatment for his Crohn’s disease. I have positive inspirations informing the choice of medicine and I want to leave my interview with a good impression.

1 Comment
2025/02/02
01:42 UTC

1

What to do for S2

Hello all, previously I got 79 for my S2 essay last September. However since there I haven't been as proactive as I was in spamming practise essays , as I wanted to focus on my S1 and S3 as well as the my own procrastination during the holidays. I am wondering to fellow test takers whether the remaining time should be devoted to going back and revising my previous essays to become fresh on possible ideas and arguments before for the march sitting or focus on writing more practise essays?

0 Comments
2025/02/01
10:48 UTC

9

Interview Prep

Hi does anyone know how I can begin prep? I feel very overwhelmed with all the resources out there. For example I know GAMSAT was Des, but what about interview prep? Thank you!

12 Comments
2025/02/01
01:18 UTC

3

RCSI GEM

Hi everyone,

I am a deferred entry offer holder for the RCSI GEM course in Dublin. I am wondering if there are any current students on here, who could give me a breakdown of the first year timetable?

I am just trying to plan ahead for September & not really sure where to get this specific information.

Thanks in advance 😊

0 Comments
2025/01/31
12:01 UTC

3

Family planning and studying medicine

Seeking advice from females who have tackled medicine and pregnancy/ family planning. I’m 25 and looking to study medicine through Deakin RTS 2026/27. My partner is currently 30 and wanting to have kids. Currently I’m a RN studying my CCRN. I’m trying to decide if it would be better to jump straight into medicine in 2026 (if applications work out) and have kids after - around 2032 (I’ll be 32, he will be 37) or delay a year, have kids, study medicine 2027 with potentially 2 young kids… how did others make this decision? What factored in your end decision? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

9 Comments
2025/01/31
10:38 UTC

1

Medify Section 3

I’ve been practising questions on medify for the last few months now and I feel like I haven’t improved at all. Organic chemistry is giving me the most issues. What should I do? The exam is a month from now🙃

0 Comments
2025/01/31
10:27 UTC

104

A different S2 strategy (that got me a 76)

I've seen a lot of posts about Section 2 prep lately, and wanted to share what worked for me. Full disclosure: I’m no expert, and no one really knows what the markers want. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something.

But I scored 76 in S2 in September, and to be honest, my prep was way less stressful than the whole "write multiple timed essays per week" that's usually suggested in here. Yes, I would consider written communication one of my strengths, but I'm also in my 30s and hadn't written a structured essay in about a decade prior to studying for the GAMSAT. Here’s my take:

The TL;DR: If you want to score in the 60s, sure, learn about broad themes like "capitalism" or "justice" or "war". But to crack 70+, I believe you need to get super specific with a few topics you actually care about. Like, really niche. Then twist them to fit whatever weird prompts they throw at you.

Example time:

  • Let's say you dive deep on the topic of "social media". On S2 day, you get a theme about "consumerism". Instead of writing “consumerism is bad because it has big corporations' profits at heart" (which is what 99% of people would write), you could write about how capitalistic culture means corporations are incentivised to make us feel like we’re never good enough so we keep buying, and discuss how they leverage social media to do this (thanks, Instagram ads!), which drives consumerism. Way more specific = way more interesting (I hope?).
  • Maybe you're interested in learning about AI. If you were given prompts on the theme of "justice", you could write about how AI bias may affect the justice system in the future.

Why do I think this approach is helpful?

Because the prompts are wildly unpredictable. I "read widely" (as is suggested in here) and I made sure I knew a little bit about each of the core themes that the internet said come up frequently. And still, my exam had themes I’d NEVER have imagined would show up. But because I know a fair bit about some weirdly specific topics from my own personal interest, I could mould these interests into decent essays.

It’s also way easier to write passionately about stuff you’ve actually thought about. You’ll sound less robotic, and markers probably prefer that over generic essays.

My tips if you're preparing to sit in March:

  1. Pick 2-3 random topics you care about. Things you're actually interested in, not things you're pretending to be interested in because you hope it'll make you score well. Sports? Climate anxiety? TikTok’s impact on mental health? Literally anything that you know you can learn about, without it feeling like boring study.
  2. Go deep. Read a few articles, watch YouTube videos, listen to podcasts, or stalk Reddit threads about your topics. Focus on understanding different perspectives—not just learning facts. While I don't pretend to know what's going on inside the markers' brains, I do know that S2 "assesses a test taker’s ability to generate and develop ideas in writing". In other words, they're looking for you to explore ideas, not just spout information at them.
  3. Practice bending your topics to fit common themes. E.g., if your thing is "sports" and the theme is "democracy", write about how democracy within a sports team leads the team to a better outcome. Or how sports teams are a great example of how a democratic society ought to function. If the theme is "happiness" argue that sports create community, and that leads to happiness (or whatever).

Ultimately, this is just what worked for me. Some people swear by memorising quotes or writing daily essays. I’m lazy, so I hyper-focused on a few things it paid off, but your mileage may vary!

I just wanted to share this here because this community helped me big time in prepping last year. While I won't be sitting in March (my score should get me an interview at the uni I'm interested in 🤞🏻), I hope this post helps at least one person to bump up their S2 score.

Good luck. You've got this!

13 Comments
2025/01/31
08:42 UTC

1

Quotes/examples for SII

Hello r/GAMSAT, I was wondering what kinds of quotes and examples I can use (primarily for task 1) and not be marked negatively for.

As an example, I am really into comic books. Would using and quoting a comic author be seen as unprofessional? Should I stick to more real life news and examples instead?

Thank you and best of luck to everyone else with their GAMSAT journey.

2 Comments
2025/01/31
07:45 UTC

1

Stuck on s1

Hey guys - I’m getting a mix of 77%-50% on des material but for my most recent practice des test I got around 50%. I’m freaking out any suggestions on how to improve/ hope stories.

0 Comments
2025/01/30
23:30 UTC

9

Looking for advice

I have always wanted to be a doctor. I did pharmacy had some issues at the end which affected my undergrad gpa to a 5.9. I tried to rectify this and did a masters by research which had a semester of classes which I got a 6.75 for. I kinda enjoyed my research and did a PhD in it (neural pharmacology). I am old now at 35,I guess chronologically speaking although I feel the same as I did even 10 years ago. I sat gamsat once in 2013 and didn't do so good I think it was like 59 overall, I can't recall individual section scores. I have given myself 3 sittings before I call it.

Is there any advice you could offer in terms of what I can do to make this work? I would love to be a GP and help my community.

9 Comments
2025/01/30
18:01 UTC

9

What did you do to elevate your S2 to the next level?

Hi guys, hope your prep is going well so far. People often say that S2 is the easiest to improve in. But I'm wondering how it is you've done so? Even though I've written a fair amount of essays, I can't tell how to get them to the next level, writing with more flare and substance, and boosting my score.

Any advice is appreciated!

11 Comments
2025/01/30
14:47 UTC

6

didn’t get into med school? what does your journey there look like now?

As someone who had their heart set on med, i’ve found it difficult to choose an undergrad. I am considering pharmacy and nursing, if anyone is in the same position i’d love to hear more about what you’ve chosen to do and why :)

postgrad entry vs course switching, best undergrad degree choice, etc.

10 Comments
2025/01/30
12:45 UTC

1

Tertiary Health Study Subsidies

Not sure where to ask this, but hopefully someone has an answer.

About to commence my studies at USYD in a Bachelor of Science and Advanced Studies (Medical Science) with the intention of getting into post-grad med straight after my bachelor degree (4yrs).

Am I able to apply for this subsidies thing if I want to study medicine right after my degree? Or, can I apply for this after my Bachelors degree so that it counts towards my post grad medicine studies. So instead of having to work 5 years for NSW health after my bachelor degree (science + adv studies), I can do the 5years after completing my medicine degree.

And asking for a friend who got into med, would his subsidies thing prevent them from specialising straight after graduating? Since med is full time study.

0 Comments
2025/01/30
08:31 UTC

7

Medify S1

Hi everyone,

Have seen a lot of posts here about medify S3 mainly, but wanted to ask people's opinion of medify S1. I have done a few qns, and compared to Des and ACER, Medify seems way harder to me. Is this accurate?

Thanks!

6 Comments
2025/01/30
06:01 UTC

34

med school & money

After several interactions (esp from my previous post), I’ve noticed something particularly surprising- at least to me. Why is it so shocking when someone admits that money is also a priority?.. As medical students (or future medical students), I have a question for all of you: “Does money matter to you?” “Is money your end goal?” Let’s be real—the main reason why students prioritize money is because MOST of them are spending a significant amount just to get through medical school. It’s not just about tuition; there are also living expenses, exam fees, and other resources that require money. That being said, money isn’t the only reason why people choose medicine—it’s just one of many factors that influence their decision. So now, what’s your opinion on this?

15 Comments
2025/01/29
13:40 UTC

0

Best for international placement?

Hey, I’m not sure if this type of post is allowed here, but I’m looking for schools that will allow clinical experience in the USA or some form of placement there. I am currently in year 11 Australia, and want to eventually work as a doctor in the US. I understand many schools have self- made elective programs. Are those hard to organise or create? Should I opt for a school with a direct partnership with an American hospital. I also understand it may be early for me but I would still like to know. Thank you

2 Comments
2025/01/29
10:49 UTC

6

USYD Dent

Are people still getting offers? The email saying offers have been finalised hasn’t been sent but the course starts very soon.

If anyone is still on the waiting list, do you mind sharing your score?

0 Comments
2025/01/29
09:44 UTC

17

I hate chem - am I cooked for the GAMSAT?

Thanks for anyone taking their time to read this, it really means a lot :)

I graduated highschool 2023 with an atar of 94.45, did the ucat (got average 2600/2800? i forgot) and the interview during my gap year and didnt get accepted (i missed out doing it during 2023 as my predicted atar was of 83 at the start of the year so i was advised not to attempt).

i just put in an application for biomed hoping to do postgrad but im having some serious second thoughts:

  1. i didn't do chemistry or physics in highschool (i heard a year 1 uni knowledge of chem is advised and a year 12 physics knowledge for gamsat)

  2. i failed year 10 chem (i truly am terrible at it)

  3. if i don't get into medicine postgrad my biomed degree seems kind of worthless, i cant think of a single job that you can get with it outside pharmacist (which i don't predict i would want to major in) - so im sort of entering the 'biomed = pre-med' trap

  4. im not too confident on being able to get the required gamsat score because of my really poor ability at chem (to be honest i despise studying chem because of it) and my complete lack of physics knowledge

i really fell in love with the idea of being a doctor in regards of identifying medical conditions and being able to treat someone successfully using your own knowledge, but mastering chemistry is really a big hurdle for me, now im having second thoughts on even attempting this pathway, or if i should just get a degree in something else entirely (meaning i will have to take another semester / year gap as i've already passed the main university application dates)

thankyou to anyone who has taken their time to read this :)

18 Comments
2025/01/29
09:39 UTC

1

GAM

Hello! I’m going to apply for graduate access Melbourne, it may be a bit of a stupid question but with some of the people writing a statement of evidence etc When should I get them to write/sign them? I know the application opens in May but can I have them sign a statement in support next week and dated as such and that will be still be ‘valid’ or should I/do I have to have them all signed and dated in May?

2 Comments
2025/01/29
06:50 UTC

7

Medical Financing Bank of Ireland Graduate Medicine Entry

Hello,

I am trying to get into medicine in Ireland and when I look at the GAMSAT course for the different Irish universities, I noticed that after 2022 scores went down significantly. Now I read an article, from 2022, that the bank of Ireland stopped financing Graduate Entry medicine. Is this the reason why the competitiveness went down for Graduate Entry Medicine? I am curious if someone knows more about this then just the information I received online. For me it is nice, less competition, but I can imagine that for an Irish student it must suck if true.

4 Comments
2025/01/29
05:49 UTC

3

Flinders GC in public health

Hi i am planning on doing a grad certificate in public health at Flinders in order to be considered a Flinders graduate for med entry. I am also planning to do this part-time ( 2 subjects per semester) and fully online as I will be doing it along side my honours year.

Has anyone done this or something similar and if so, what is the workload like and what subjects should I pick for my grad certificate? I am looking to make it as easy as possible as I understand I just need to pass (no need to get HDs as does not count to GPA for the unis I am applying to).

Any advice is appreciated thanks.

4 Comments
2025/01/29
04:52 UTC

0

Physician Associate to Doctor - UK

Hey everybody!

I am a third year Biomedical Science student with an aim of becoming a doctor, however, haven't had much success with my applications for the undergrad medicine degree. Heard about an interesting route of studying medicine via becoming a Physician Associate (PA).

I would really appreciate it if someone could help me decide if that is the right decision to make? Is such a thing possible? Do PAs have to go back to studying a full fledged medicine degree of 5 years?

Thank you for considering my post.

Peace out!

5 Comments
2025/01/28
21:14 UTC

19

What’s your study routine?

I’ve been studying since December 24 and March 25 will be my second sitting. I work full-time, finish at 3:30 and usually start studying at ~4:30. I don’t set a time limit, but rather a goal of what I want to do that day. E.g. 1 essay, review it, research a bit on improving, then 15-20 S1/ S3 practise questions including reviewing the wrong ones.

Just wondering what everyone else’s approach and routine looks like, and how do you motivate yourself on the tougher days?

15 Comments
2025/01/28
05:40 UTC

10

App recommendations for S1 and S3 type questions

Has anyone come across any useful apps for practicing S1 and S3. I have decent study material when I’m at home at my desk that got me a 69 in September 2021 however I’m looking for something I can do while commuting to college on the train or while on lunch or something. Any recommendations appreciated.

6 Comments
2025/01/28
03:18 UTC

1

Gamsat proctor times

Hey everyone,

This is my first time sitting a gamsat that’s separated by the weeks. Does anyone know if your proctor U session must be chosen by this Thursday as well (with a fee)?

Or can you change those anytime since it’s online anyways but not the in person ones.

Thanks!

0 Comments
2025/01/28
02:05 UTC

6

Uea GEM gamsat scores

I’ll be applying for 2026 entry but I am wondering for those who applied for the 2025 entry and were offered an interview:

What was your gamsat score? (Or ucat score if science degree applicant)

Just helps me know where I need to be aiming for to be in with a chance 🙏🏻

Thank you and good luck with your interviews!

3 Comments
2025/01/27
14:14 UTC

23

Jobs after Biomed

I am currently in my final year biomed. Any suggestion for jobs other than nursing/labs etc but preferably in medical field.

Just to have backup plan instead to Medicine.

16 Comments
2025/01/27
12:59 UTC

5

Section 2 Quotes? Does it result in a low score?

Hello everyone,

I've seen some essays that involve real world quotes, such as 3-4 quotes from philosophers, I wanted to know if someone has used this approach in the exam and scored well, the only reason why I ask is because I'm afraid the markers will read it and assume the essay is memorised.

I'm afraid to mention too many quotes or works from philosophers as I don't want them to think its pre-prepared, some insight would be helpful,

Thank you ❤️

8 Comments
2025/01/27
07:36 UTC

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