The GAMSAT stands for the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test. It had been introduced by the George’s Hospital Medical School in the UK in 1999. Other medical schools have started to use it too such as Plymouth, Exeter, Liverpool, Cardiff, Swansea and Nottingham. Graduates that apply for the five year courses are required to sit for the exam.
Plymouth requires students to take the test as it is part of the admission criteria. Australia had first pioneered the test and it was used by four medical schools that offered graduate entry programs in 1996. The main goal of the GAMSAT section 2 is to help assist in the selection criteria of the students that apply to study medicine for the fast track graduate entry program.
Problem Based Learning and Standardized Testing
A wide range of subject knowledge and range skill is what the exam is based on. It is perfect so as to ensure that students are prepared for the problem-based learning environment that is found in most of the medical schools. Although, the gamsat is mostly multiple-choice based, there is an emphasis on critical thinking and reasoning ability.
A 360 degree of the ability of the student to master information adeptly is effectively checked within the prescribed time frame. A lateral thinking approach is actively encouraged which is why students should think outside of the box. Besides, medicine is a subject that demands students to have the ability to sift through and make quick judgments based on the ever increasing amount of data and information.
Gamsat Structure
The test has been divided into three sections.
1. Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences
Students have to answer 75 questions within a hundred minutes time period. This section is based on the student’s ability to understand and interpret ideas in cultural and social contexts. Majority of the content for the test is in the form of written passages. Some of the units would use tables of data and visual images.
2. Written Communication
Students have to answer 2 Essays within a 60 minutes time period. For this section, the ability of the student to produce and develop ideas in writing is assessed. The task A is an essay which is more analytical in its style and it focused on socio-cultural issues. While on the other hand, the Task B focuses on issues that are of a more personal nature.
3. Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences
Students have to answer 110 Questions (multiple-choice) within a 170 minutes time period. This part of the test consists of questions from the scientific disciplines in the following manner – Chemistry (40%), Biology (40%), and Physics (20%). The scientific knowledge that is tested is that of first-year undergraduate in Chemistry and Biology, and Physics for A Level.
The questions in the test are based on graphical displays of data, tables and passages. The problem solving ability of the students to extrapolate reasoned conclusions, offer hypotheses and indentify connections is measured.
Study for the Gamsat?
If you are planning on taking the gamsat, then it is advised to get gamsat books to better prepare for the test and ace it. The books will truly help you to get the desired marks in order to enroll in your medical school of choice.
