When I was preparing for GAMSAT I came across a London-based study group via The Student Room (see below). We met up in the British Library and… I’ll be honest… the first session wasn’t the most productive! We ended up chatting about medical school applications and how intimidated we were by the test.

As time went by the group thinned down to 3 or so people. We met up occasionally, shared some resources and supported each other via WhatsApp. After each of my two GAMSAT sittings I met up with them for a drink. It was nice to feel like I wasn’t going through it all alone.

Below are 4 places you should be able to find other GAMSAT takers and therefore offers to join study groups. You could of course always set up a study group of your own!

1. GAMSAT subreddit (r/GAMSAT)

This subreddit has candidates from round the world. Tonnes of advice can be found here too.

Link: reddit.com/r/GAMSAT

2. The Student Room

Often referred to as “TSR”, this website is aimed at students studying all kinds of subjects the UK.

To find fellow GAMSAT sitters, search for the GAMSAT thread in the Medicine forum that’s created annually.

Most candidates on TSR are from the UK.

Link: thestudentroom.co.uk

3. PagingDr

This old school forum is brimming with GAMSAT advice and also potential study group members.

There is even a thread dedicated to free section 2 essay feedback which I mention in my GAMSAT Free Resources Master List.

You’ll mostly find Australia-based candidates, but there are also candidates from elsewhere including the UK and Ireland.

Link: pagingdr.net

4. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Explore the #GAMSAT hashtag on both Instagram & Twitter. You’re bound to find other GAMSAT takers who you can follow, get to know and share the journey with. You could even propose a virtual study group via Zoom.

There are also quite a few Facebook groups dedicated to GAMSAT. Just be mindful that some groups have been set up by companies hoping to sell courses, resources or tutoring to you. Not saying there’s anything wrong with this but if you don’t want to be sold to keep looking until you find a group that’s company-free.

Example groups:

• GAMSAT 2021 Study Group
• GAMSAT Resources & Study Group
• And find more via a FB search for groups: click here

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Enjoy! Sign up to my mailing list to get more study tips in your email inbox.

You might also be interested in my article 5 Excellent GAMSAT Prep Resources.

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The post Where to Find a GAMSAT Study Group appeared first on Graduate Medicine Success.

It’s morning, I’ve got coffee in a takeaway up in my hands. I’m waiting in the queue for GAMSAT in London. The queue snaking out of the test centre is long and I’m so tired from being stressed about this exam that I almost don’t care how it goes.

In my bag I’ve packed my admissions ticket, ID, water, Pro Plus (caffeine) tablets and some pens and pencils in a clear plastic bag. As I move through the test centre doors, I turn my phone off because there’s no way I’m going to let a stray marketing text from Vodafone get me booted out of the test.

The test is taking place in a huge hall. You could probably hold one of those big exhibitions in it. I put my bag at the back of the hall and exchange glances with some of the other test takers. We’re all making pretend scared faces and squirming at each other. (Or are we pretend scared? Nope. Nope, definitely not).

I sit down to sit the test. Here goes nothing!

GAMSAT exam day is LONG and GRUELLING. I hope the tips below will help you not only have a better day but even boost your mark.

1. Double check your exam details

If you want to succeed at GAMSAT the first step is to make sure you’re at the right place at the right time! Else, you definitely won’t get any marks! ACER should have sent your exam details to your email. You can also find them in your account on the ACER website.

Note – the test location has changed in the past so if you’ve sat GAMSAT before don’t assume that where you took the test last time is where it’ll be this time!

2. Double check your journey plan to the test centre

You want to get to the test centre with plenty of time to spare, so plan to get there early. Use Google Maps or Citymapper to plan your trip to the test centre. But check again when you wake up on the morning of the exam just in case, for example, a bus route / train / metro / underground line is now experiencing delays.

As a seasoned Londoner I can tell you that journey plans and estimated times really can change when you re-check them again in the morning. Don’t get caught out! Re-check to be safe.

If public transport fails you, consider booking an Uber because it’ll be cheaper than a regular taxi. In London, you can also try ViaVan and Kapten which are very like Uber.

3. Make plans for after the test

If you have some friends or GAMSAT study buddies who are also sitting the test make plans to meet them afterwards at a nearby café, restaurant or bar. When I sat GAMSAT, post-test drinks and a big old moan about the worst questions with study buddies helped me to unwind.

Alternatively, make plans with loved ones who have nothing to do with GAMSAT. Maybe you won’t want to think about the exam any more than necessary.

Maybe you’d rather spend some time alone after the exam. That’s fine too! Perhaps watch your favourite movie when you get home to help you forget all about it.

4. Sleep Zzzzzzzz

You may be planning to stay up late the night before trying to cram facts. But this will be of very little benefit.

GAMSAT Sections 1 and 3 require a lot of reasoning. And you cannot cram reasoning. The best way to boost your reasoning ability on exam day is to give your brain a good rest. This is why it’s crucial, and I repeat, it’s CRUCIAL to get a good night’s rest.

To ensure you don’t have to wake up ridiculously early it may be worth booking accommodation near the test centre. I’ve had good experiences booking via Air BnB.

5. Breathe

Just like I did, you will probably feel nervous. Or to be more specific, you’ll kind of want to hide under a rock and not come out again until GAMSAT is over. My advice is to BREATHE deeply to calm your nerves.

Breathe in through your mouth for a count of 3 seconds. Then, breathe out for a count of 4 seconds through your nose. Close your eyes and focus on the feeling of the air moving through your nose and throat.

An extra trick is to breathe “with your belly”. Meaning that as you breathe in you should let your tummy relax and expand like a balloon. This is called belly breathing. Typically, we will hold our tummies flat even as we breathe in deeply. Instead, let your tummy go to maximise the calming effect.

6. Don’t take…

You may be tempted to bring your notes and a textbook or two. But, realistically, are you going to have time to read them? If you do get round to reading them, are you really going to absorb anything you don’t already know or understand?

In my experience, the answer to both of these questions is no. Save your back the weight of all that paper and instead focus on being relaxed and focused.

7. Do take…

• Admission ticket
• Photo ID
• Face mask +/- hand sanitiser (COVID-19)
• Pens and pencils
• Eraser
• Sharpener
• Water
• Lunch
• Caffeine tablets
• Phone and purse
• Jumper

That’s it!

8. Avoid negative people

Avoid contact with people who are a negative influence, unsupportive of what you’re doing or just make you feel anxious in any way. You need all the positivity you can get on exam day. Don’t let even one negative person get you down.

The other side of this coin is to be in contact with positive people and be a positive person yourself. Despite the fact that, yes, you’re in competition with everyone else sitting the exam, why not smile, chat and make friends with other exam takers on the day? You’re all in the same boat. You’re all stressed. Put each other at ease!

9. At lunch either socialise or spend time on your own

After sections 1 and 2 you will have a lunchbreak and you will be allowed to leave the centre. You have a few options:

• Find friends and study buddies and spend lunchtime with them.
• Hang out with someone or some people that you get chatting to on test day.
• Spend time on your own to recharge.

I personally chose option 3 because I didn’t want to pick up other people’s stress – I had enough stress of my own to deal with! Instead, I met up with people after the exam. But that’s just me. You may find it more relaxing to spend time with others at lunchtime.

10. In-exam tips

I will be publishing a full blog post on exam techniques for GAMSAT soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of my top tips:

Guess

If you spot that you’re running out of time, guess! Guess every question that’s remaining! GAMSAT utilises positive marking so at least put down something for every question. For sections 1 and 3 you’re using pencil to answer the questions. So, in the last remaining minutes you can always change one of your guess answers if you realise that it’s wrong.

Push

Your brain will get fatigued. Mine turned to sludge halfway through section 3. If this happens, you’ll have to really slog it through the rest of the exam. Don’t give up! Utilise all the mental toughness that you have.

Taking on some caffeine in the lunch break can help with this too.

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You’ve got this! Sign up to my mailing list to get more GAMSAT tips in your email inbox.

Do you have some tips of your own? You could share with other GAMSAT takers by leaving a comment below.

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The post 10 Tips for GAMSAT Exam Day appeared first on Graduate Medicine Success.

 I scored in the top 12%. The year that I did, was a year where GAMSAT Section 3 seemed to become even more reasoning based than it was before (I had sat it once previously). I am now studying Graduate Entry Medicine at my first choice school.

In this article I will share the resources that I found the most useful when preparing for this mammoth of a test.

1. Griffiths GAMSAT Review

Great resource for Sections 1 and 2! This book is a whirlwind tour of the exam. What will be expected of you? How should you approach section 1 questions? How on earth do you structure the essays for section 2? These and other questions are addressed by this fantastic book.

This is probably the first resource you should pour over. I used the essay structure proposed in this book for section 2.

Note, however, that it does not teach the science and maths necessary to ace the exam. You will need the resources below for that.

Edit: When I was preparing for GAMSAT the price tag was only £35! I recently checked the official website and it’s become very very pricey. So, you may want to try free resources first or pounce on any opportunity to get it cheaper.

2. ACER’s official practice papers & Gold Standard’s answer explanations videos

ACER are the company that administer the GAMSAT and once you have registered for the exam they will send you one free practice half-paper called Practice Questions (red/orange cover). But they also have 4 other practice papers. Absolutely get hold of them!

These papers are the closest to the real exam that you will ever get. So, I recommend that you complete at least two of the papers under exam conditions and use them to gauge how well you are doing with your prep.

Of particular note is the recently released Practice Test 3 (nicknamed the “pink test” because it has a pink cover). Its Section 3 best illustrates the mix of reasoning ability and knowledge that you will need to beat the science section.

When you’re marking yourself make use of Gold Standard’s answer explanations videos on YouTube. Free to access! If you get a question wrong they’ll help you understand why.

3. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a YouTube channel and website that offers free video tutorials. They also have a dedicated Organic Chemistry YouTube channel. You don’t even have to sign up to anything!

Search for pretty much any topic under the sun and you will find a video by Khan Academy that explains it excellently.

I used these videos to study Chemistry, Biology and Physics topics in preparation for section 3.

Many people like to use A level science revision guides as a supplement (or alternative) to Khan Academy.

4. Leah4Sci

Leah is an online tutor for MCAT, GAMSAT’s American cousin. I strongly recommend her free mental maths video tutorials.

In GAMSAT you won’t have a calculator so you need to get good at doing maths in your head e.g. calculating logs, multiplying numbers in standard form and dividing decimals.

Leah’s videos are completely free and available both on her website and MCAT-dedicated YouTube channel.

5. All the exam-style questions you can find! 

There are many different companies who have published practice papers over the years. Hoard as many of these as you can and complete as many as you can. Especially under time pressure!

In particular, look out for exam-style questions by Des O’Neill and Ozimed. Keep in mind, however, that the official ACER papers are superior to any other practice papers you will come across (see above).

Bonus Tip 1

You’ll find some free resources on this website! No sign up needed (except for my medical school interviews ebook). Just visit my FREE GAMSAT resources MASTER LIST page.

Sign up to my mailing list if you’d like a notification in your email inbox when I upload a new free resource.

Bonus Tip 2

I’m often asked whether I recommend the massive Gold Standard textbook that costs around £100. Now, I never used this book and did very well regardless.

Plus, people’s opinions regarding the usefulness of Gold Standard range drastically: some say the book is wonderful, and others say that it is a complete waste of money.

In my opinion, it’s not a necessary purchase and considering the price and the mixed reviews it receives you might as well give it a miss and spend your money elsewhere.

Bonus Tip 3

GAMSAT is similar in many ways to the USA’s MCAT (whole-day test, mostly multiple-choice questions, similarities in structure and content).

Yet, I’d be cautious of using MCAT study materials to prepare for GAMSAT. Especially since MCAT seems to require more factual recall and less reasoning ability compared to GAMSAT. Stick mostly to GAMSAT-specific materials to be safe.

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Good luck in your GAMSAT prep! Sign up to my mailing list to get more GAMSAT tips in your email inbox.

What are your favourite GAMSAT resources? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

The post 5 Excellent GAMSAT Prep Resources appeared first on Graduate Medicine Success.