The Best Way To Prepare For GAMSAT Is To Use The Official ACER Resources

Ace GAMSAT is a graduate entry medical exam used to select students for dentistry, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary science at universities in Australia, Ireland, Great Britain and New Zealand. The exam is a reason-based test rather than a knowledge-based one, and the overall score is derived from a combination of sections 1 (reasoning) and 2 (written communication).

Achieving an outstanding result requires good preparation and some effective strategies. These include registering for the exam early, making a realistic study schedule, revising relevant content and theory, practicing GAMSAT-style questions and essays, seeking feedback from experts or peers, simulating the test conditions and timing, and reading widely and critically in your spare time.

The best way to prepare for GAMSAT is to use the official ACER resources which are available in print and online. These materials cover all the required study areas and provide practice for Sections 1 and 2. These resources include:

You will need to develop a standard for analysing prose passages in order to understand and respond to GAMSAT multiple-choice questions based on short stories, novels, journals, letters and biographies. It is also recommended that you practise reading and answering questions based on short cartoons, poems and social/behaviour science excerpts.

Unlike many other tests, you will not be allowed to use a calculator in GAMSAT, so it is essential that you have good mental maths skills. In addition, you should familiarise yourself with the use of tables and graphs and practise answering questions using these tools. It is not necessary to learn specific formulas, but you should be able to calculate logarithms and do simple multiplication and division mentally.

You should also ensure that you have a strong understanding of biology, general chemistry and physics, as these are the core sciences covered in Section 3. It is important to note that you will not be tested on the exact details of these subjects, but you must be able to apply the knowledge you have to new contexts.

Section 2 of GAMSAT is the written communication section and it is important that you are able to write clearly and concisely. It is suggested that you write a draft essay and then practice with a friend or colleague before the actual test. This will help you to be able to write an essay in the time allowed and will improve your ability to express ideas in a logical manner. In addition to practicing essay writing, you should read extensively and critically and subscribe to medical journals and set up Google Alerts for latest medical developments. By reading widely and frequently, you will gain a deeper appreciation of the issues that will be discussed in the section 2 essay prompts and therefore have more material to draw upon when writing your essay. This can only enhance your ability to write a well-structured and convincing argument in the Section 2 essay. This can make the difference between a high and low score.