What New Zealanders need to know about the September GAMSAT
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Getting into postgraduate medicine unfortunately isn’t an easy or simple process.
There are three hurdles to overcome in your journey to postgraduate medicine! This blog is designed to help you navigate the GAMSAT exam, the most daunting aspect of postgraduate medical admissions!
GPA
To begin your journey to postgraduate medicine, you must have completed - or be in your final year of completing - an undergraduate degree with a competitive GPA. While degrees involving science are advisable due to the direct correlation with section three of the GAMSAT, any degree is applicable. Some universities will require certain course prerequisites, but not many. If you’re unsure I would recommend speaking to a MedView advisor for free!
GAMSAT
The GAMSAT is difficult because it’s the longest medical school admissions test in the world - 3 hours of science, 2 hours of humanities reasoning and a sprint to write two 500-word essays in one hour. Despite how long the exam is, most students do not finish the final section, so having speed, autonomy and strategy on the exam is very important for success.
MMI
The medical interview is your last step towards achieving your goal of becoming a doctor. During the interview, each student spends between eight to ten minutes at each station, of which there are eight. Students have two minutes of reading time per station, with the remaining six to eight allocated as interview time. For more information on the MMI Interview, check out this blog.
Some universities also require a portfolio and prerequisites, to find out which medical school and admissions process will help you succeed, speak to an advisor.
The rule of thumb is most universities will combine your GAMSAT score with your GPA to offer you an interview! Watch our exclusive postgraduate video on all things GAMSAT!
GAMSAT Scores
| Section One | Section Two | Section Three |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | Written Essays | Multiple Choice |
| 75 Questions | 2 Essays | 110 Questions |
| 100 minutes + 10 minutes reading time | 60 minutes + 5 minutes reading time | 170 minutes + 10 minutes reading time |
Section One: Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences
Skills assessed: Comprehension, analysis, synthesising information and critical reasoning.
Section One includes a variety of graphs, poems, texts and proverbs which require you to understand concepts, interpret them in different ways and apply them to multiple questions.
A lot of students trip up on establishing the difference between what a text says, and what it means. Meaning any answer might be justifiably correct, but not always the most correct. Confused? Our GAMSAT Question Bank Package includes access to our diagnostics and 2500+ questions to make sure you develop techniques to succeed.
Section Two: Written Communication
Skills assessed: Essays, structure and content.
Section Two contains 2 prompt sets of essay questions. The first essay requires you to discuss themes of a socio-cultural nature while the second is more reflective, and will require you to think critically and deeply about your own understanding and application of the topic.
If it’s been a while since you finished high school, then this is the hardest section by far, since you have to complete two 500-word essays in an hour. But the speed at which you have to write isn’t the problem. 50% of the mark is what you write, but the other 50% is how you write it. This means you don’t just have to write quickly, you have to write well and you have to think well too.. It is essential to have a structure in mind, practice it and stick to it. Speak to an Advisor who can set you up with a GAMSAT tutor who scored in the top 1% to help you develop a structure that is set for success!
Section Three: Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences
Skills assessed: Scientific reasoning and scientific knowledge.
Section Three is entirely multiple choice, made up of 40% biology, 40% chemistry and 20% physics questions. An understanding of scientific concepts prior to your exam is essential to be successful.
To get quicker and score higher at this section, the best thing to do is practice, practice, practice! This section is three hours, it’s brain draining and most people don’t finish so you need to make sure you know what to expect, and how to tackle any question that comes your way. MedView’ Question Bank is in my opinion the perfect resource to help you practice! With over 2500+ questions and 3 full length exams you can practice all types of biology, chemistry and physics questions both in your own time and under mock exam conditions.
