GAMSAT
Encyclopedia
The Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (more commonly known as the GAMSAT) is a test used to select candidates applying to study medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary science at Australia
n, British, and Irish universities for admission to their Graduate Entry Programmes (candidates must have a recognised Bachelor degree, or equivalent, completed prior to commencement of the degree).
Gamsat results are issued as a percentile
ranks, rather than a marks out of a total mark.
Sitting the GAMSAT is a separate process to applying to study medicine.
Most universities with graduate-entry medical programs require:
Once a candidate has fulfilled these criteria, they may then apply to universities offering a medicine/dentistry/veterinary science course. If the GAMSAT and GPA scores, or GAMSAT and Degree Class, of the candidate are of sufficient calibre, the candidate may be invited to attend an interview at one or more of the universities to which they applied, based on priority laid out in the student's application. This interview is conducted by established medical practitioners, education professionals and community leaders/members, and aims to elucidate the candidate's personal qualities, ethics, verbal reasoning skills, and motivation to study medicine at their university. If successful at this interview (as one half to two thirds of candidates are), then the candidate may be offered a place on their chosen course at the university.
, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
(Plymouth University and Exeter University) and the University of Swansea. In the Republic of Ireland, the University of Limerick
and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
adopted the GAMSAT for medical applicants starting with the 2007 enrolment cycle. It is currently used as the selection criteria for all Graduate Entry programmes in Ireland (UCD, UL, UCC, and RCSI).
. UMAT is used for applicants to traditional undergraduate-entry medical schools, and is open to high school leavers.
(ACER) and requires timely registration, usually by late January for Ireland and Australia or August for the UK.
There is no prescribed synopsis of the test, but it does require the following levels of knowledge:
The test takes a full day, i.e. from 8am until about 4pm.
A score is calculated based on performance in all three sections, with double weighting applied to section III. This overall score is then used by medical schools to determine which candidates shall be invited to interview.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, British, and Irish universities for admission to their Graduate Entry Programmes (candidates must have a recognised Bachelor degree, or equivalent, completed prior to commencement of the degree).
Gamsat results are issued as a percentile
Percentile
In statistics, a percentile is the value of a variable below which a certain percent of observations fall. For example, the 20th percentile is the value below which 20 percent of the observations may be found...
ranks, rather than a marks out of a total mark.
Sitting the GAMSAT is a separate process to applying to study medicine.
Most universities with graduate-entry medical programs require:
- Completion of any Bachelor degree (this includes non-science related degrees e.g. arts, law)
- Obtaining a prerequisite GAMSAT cut-off score
- Achieving a prerequisite GPA - Grade Point Average, or Class of Honours, based on marks from the Bachelor degree
Once a candidate has fulfilled these criteria, they may then apply to universities offering a medicine/dentistry/veterinary science course. If the GAMSAT and GPA scores, or GAMSAT and Degree Class, of the candidate are of sufficient calibre, the candidate may be invited to attend an interview at one or more of the universities to which they applied, based on priority laid out in the student's application. This interview is conducted by established medical practitioners, education professionals and community leaders/members, and aims to elucidate the candidate's personal qualities, ethics, verbal reasoning skills, and motivation to study medicine at their university. If successful at this interview (as one half to two thirds of candidates are), then the candidate may be offered a place on their chosen course at the university.
History
GAMSAT was originally produced in 1995 by four Australian medical schools as a tool to select for candidates applying to study medicine. In 1999, it was brought into use by British universities - St Georges, University of London first, and subsequently by others including the University of NottinghamUniversity of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is a Medical and Dental school in England, run in partnership with the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the...
(Plymouth University and Exeter University) and the University of Swansea. In the Republic of Ireland, the University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
adopted the GAMSAT for medical applicants starting with the 2007 enrolment cycle. It is currently used as the selection criteria for all Graduate Entry programmes in Ireland (UCD, UL, UCC, and RCSI).
Usage
GAMSAT is a reasoning rather than knowledge-based test. It is not to be confused with the unrelated UMATUndergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test
The Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test is a test administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research in Australia and New Zealand to assist in the selection of students into certain health science courses including most medical and Dentistry courses, as well...
. UMAT is used for applicants to traditional undergraduate-entry medical schools, and is open to high school leavers.
Format
GAMSAT is held only once a year: in late March / early April in Ireland and Australia, and around the middle/end of September in the UK. It is administered by the Australian Council for Educational ResearchAustralian Council for Educational Research
The Australian Council for Educational Research , established in 1930, is an independent educational research organisation based in Camberwell, Victoria and with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Dubai and India...
(ACER) and requires timely registration, usually by late January for Ireland and Australia or August for the UK.
There is no prescribed synopsis of the test, but it does require the following levels of knowledge:
- Biology and Chemistry - 1st year university level
- Physics - Australian Year 12 level
- English - HSC Standard English level
The test takes a full day, i.e. from 8am until about 4pm.
- Section I comprises 75 questions in 100 minutes from the Humanities and Social Sciences
- Section II - 2 essays assessing written communication (1 hour) following a 20 minute break (you may not leave the exam room during this 20 minute break)
- Section III - 110 physical science questions in 170 min after 1 hour lunch
A score is calculated based on performance in all three sections, with double weighting applied to section III. This overall score is then used by medical schools to determine which candidates shall be invited to interview.
Attendance
According to ACER, "quite a few thousand" attend the GAMSAT annually worldwide but official figures have not been released. Unofficially however, it is reported that approximately 10,000 candidates attended the 2010 exam.See also
- Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission TestUndergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission TestThe Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test is a test administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research in Australia and New Zealand to assist in the selection of students into certain health science courses including most medical and Dentistry courses, as well...
(also created by ACER) - Special Tertiary Admissions TestSpecial Tertiary Admissions TestThe Special Tertiary Admissions Test is a scholastic aptitude test, used for entry into undergraduate programs at Australian universities for people without a recent Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ....
(also created by ACER) - ACT Scaling TestACT Scaling TestThe ACT Scaling Test is a test of aptitude in studies for Year 12 students in the Australian Capital Territory set by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies and created by the Australian Council for Educational Research...
(also created by ACER) - Medical College Admission TestMedical College Admission TestThe Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States and Canada. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis, and writing skills in addition to knowledge of scientific concepts and...
External links
- www.gamsat.acer.edu.au - Official website of GAMSAT Australia
- www.gamsatuk.org - Official Webpage of GAMSAT UK
- www.gamsat-ie.org - Official Webpage of GAMSAT Ireland