The GAMSAT or Graduate Medical School Admission Test, is an exam specifically designed to test students’ knowledge and skills across a broad range of disciplines. The exam is mostly prepared for and sat by students who aim to enter graduate medical courses in the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and Ireland.
Eligibility for the GAMSAT:
There is one main admission requirement for participants who wish to try their luck for the exam. The GAMSAT is available to any candidate who has completed a Bachelor or an undergraduate honours degree, or who will be in the second-last or final year of study, at the time of applying for the exam.
Quick tips for the medical student for cracking GAMSAT
Plan your schedule: what, when and where
Whenever you plan to study for the exam, procrastination can be your main enemy.
- Always set clear goals and timelines using the best GAMSAT preparation course.
- Plan to set regular milestones and take breaks when you study.
- Set aside specific time to prepare and note down the topics or modules to be covered in that timeframe.
- Prepare a specific place you study. Before settling on one, try different places -Wherever you find your concentration is at its best make that your study point.
Practice, Practice and Practice
Most of the competitive exams are quite hard to crack, but it can be possible with the right practice and enough preparation. Time pressure is very important for GAMSAT. Here it would help if you approached the examination with a fair idea of the speed at which you can answer the questions to make sure you complete your exam on time. Many GAMSAT courses and practice papers available on the internet can help you become familiar with the exam pattern and the type of questions asked in the examinations. This can help you get a sense of the time you can dedicate to every question and how much time you have overall.
In the lead up to the exam, try practicing at least one practice exam per week, or even more frequently (2-3 exams per week) to get a sense of the crux of the exam and maintain your speed.
Healthy body, healthy mind
One of the essential habits for your exam preparation is to keep a check on your sleeping patterns. For adults at 18-25 years of age, 7 to 9 years of sleep is what you should be aiming for. It means that a sound sleep of at least seven hours is required daily for effective results. A well-rested student with adequate sleep can study appropriately as sleep is important to the creation and reinforcement of memory and skills.
GAMSAT exam sections 1 and 3 require lots of reasoning. One of the best ways to ensure you’re at your peak performance and reasoning skills on your exam day is to allow your brain to take enough rest. You must have the right amount of sleep before reaching your exam centre to ensure you can perform at your best.
Set your goals
Goal setting is essential for any competitive exam as it helps to remain focused and can monitor your progress. Write down a list at the starting of each week, study session etc. to know what tasks you aim to complete in that time frame. You can evaluate your success based on your checklist and track your progress, which can all help to devise the strategies to improve your study technique and performance.
Self-evaluation is critical if you are aiming to do well on any examination. Look ahead to set up realistic goals to help yourself with the best results.
Check your exam details
It may sound silly but an essential step to doing well in any exam is to make sure that you remain updated and informed on the logistics of that exam and so you can sit it stress-free. The exam authority ACER contacts candidates via email and places updates on their website. Keep a check on both the resources so that you can never miss any updates.
Test locations can change every time you take the exam. Double-check all the credentials before you leave for your exams and make sure you have all the identification you need.
Be calm:
Don’t be nervous; breathe deeply to relax your nerves as you commence the GAMSAT. A few seconds before the exam, you can try breathing exercises to calm your nerves and stop pulling your last nerve to step up and cause distraction.
You must remain in your perfect sense to perform effectively in your exam. Many students face anxiety issues and nervousness problems before or while sitting their exams. Practice at home regularly by setting up an exam scenario so that these exams will look like a typical day for you.