GAMSAT
A 3 month quick guide.
Aaron James Underwood
B. Science (Anatomy/Chemistry) UNSW, MTeach UOW
Senior Teacher and Intensive Program Coordinator at NSW DET
2021 MARCH GAMSAT
SI 66
SII 81
SIII 100
Overall Score 87
Overview
Thank you for taking the time to consider this GAMSAT preparation guide. This is the process I went
through in preparation for the March 2021 GAMSAT. It is crucially designed for the busier among us,
having taught 2-3 days a week and studied full time in the leadup to the exam myself.
Whether you’re fresh out of university, or perhaps someone like me having decided to do medicine
after practicing in another profession - if you wish to seek further advice or meet up to discuss your
preparations then feel free to connect with me on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/aaron.underwood.798/
Preparation Continuum
Month 1 (June-July)
Stage 1 (Day 1-10) Stage 2 (Day 11-20) Stage 3 (Day 21-30)
Determine your learner type Lock in an effective routine Intensive Study 1
Experiment with routines Collect study resources
Calendarise Organise a group
Month 2 (July-August)
Stage 1 (Day 31-40) Stage 2 (Day 41-50) Stage 3 (Day 51-60)
Intensive Study 1 Intensive Study 2 Intensive Study 2
Month 3 (August-September)
Stage 1 (Day 61-70) Stage 2 (Day 71-80) Stage 3 (Day 81-90)
Intensive Study 3 Intensive Study 3 Exam Preparation
Preparation Stages
Discipline and repetition is key
Know yourself as a learner (Day 1-10)
Use this time to:
a. Determine what kind of learner you are. This will powerfully dictate your
ability to study efficiently. I prefer the kinesthetic modality, therefore I need
to learn by doing, through trial-and-error (practice questions.) I also
reinforce knowledge through teaching it to others, either informally in
discussions or by tutoring. Take the time to reflect on this.
b. Experiment with daily routines that support effective study. Ensure you’re getting enough sleep,
exercising daily, eating and supplementing for brain health, meditating, minimising alcohol
consumption, developing discipline and maintaining a healthy social life. At this time you may start
to do 5-10 hours of study a week at various different times of the day, for various periods of time.
c. Calendarise the next three month. Include in your planning any work, major disruptions, reasonable
social time and wellbeing events. I prefer google calendar due to its ease of use and flexibility (see
Sample Calendar.) Block out time for GAMSAT study, and also include “buffer time” in the case you
run overtime on study.
Lock in an effective routine (Day 11-20)
Use this time to:
a. Reflect on the first 10 days of study. What worked/what didn’t work and
how should you proceed? Review your calendar to account for this.
b. Collect resources for study. Use your networks to find resources, or buy
them directly. I only had three paid resources for my study - the Des
O’Neill SI/SIII practice questions, ACER practice papers and the ACER
essay marking tool. Additional resources for each section are outlined
below.
c. Organise an “accountability” group. 3-5 people with whom you can study. Use the range of
GAMSAT groups on facebook to help assemble this group. Maintain regular contact and coach one
another as often as convenient for you.
Intensive Study 1 (Day 21-40)
1.5 hours each weekday (untimed):
a. 10 SI Multiple Choice Questions
b. 3 x 5 Minute Essay “Plans” using Frasers quote gen. (see resources)
c. 10 SIII Multiple Choice Questions
Reflect: Identify incorrectly answered SI/SIII questions. Relearn poorly
understood concepts using reasoning/KHAN Academy/Science textbooks/etc.
Intensive Study 2 (Day 41-60)
2 hours each weekday (untimed):
a. 20 SI Multiple Choice Questions
b. 1 x Full Essay using Fraser’s quote gen. (Run through Grammarly and edit accordingly)
c. 20 SIII Multiple Choice Questions
Reflect: Identify incorrectly answered SI/SIII questions. Relearn poorly understood concepts using
reasoning/KHAN Academy/Science textbooks/etc.
Intensive Study 3 (Day 61-80)
6 Simulated half-papers assembled from available questions (timed)
Reflect: Identify incorrectly answered SI/SIII questions. Relearn poorly understood concepts using
reasoning/KHAN Academy/Science textbooks/etc.
Exam Preparation (Day 81-90)
3 Simulated Full Papers assembled from available questions (timed)
Reflect: Identify incorrectly answered SI/SIII questions. Relearn poorly understood concepts using
reasoning/KHAN Academy/Science textbooks/etc.
Resources
Less is more
SI Reasoning in humanities
● ACER Practice Papers (Around 250 easier questions)
● Des O’Neill Practice Questions (Around 1000 harder questions)
● Khan Academy MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills module:
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/critical-analysis-and-reasoning-skills-practice-qu
estions
● Speed Reading Practice: http://www.freereadingtest.com/
SII Written communication
● ACER Practice Papers (Around 10 quote banks)
● ACER Online Essay Marking Tool
● Fraser’s Quote Generator:
https://www.frasersgamsat.com.au/tools/gamsat-section-2-quote-generator/
● Grammarly (free version): Upload your complete essays to get a writing quality score.
Review and modify your work to achieve the highest score possible.
● 5 Minute Essay Plan
○ 1. Topic: What are the quotes collectively about?
○ 2. Question: Choose a quote you find relevant to you. What engaging question does it
evoke?
○ 3. Thesis: How would you address this question? Write as a statement.
○ 4. Arguments 1/2/3: What quotes/examples/reasonings justify your thesis assertion?
● BBC Global News Podcast: In depth content about current global affairs (updated daily) in a
25 minute format. Accessible from Spotify for free. I listen to this in the car to work/uni.
● Reading:
○ Philosophy (Yuval Noah Harari, AC Grayling)
○ Section II sample essays
○ For enjoyment!
SIII Reasoning in biological and physical sciences.
● ACER Practice Papers (Around 500 easier questions)
● Des O’Neill Practice Questions (Around 1000 harder questions)
● KHAN Academy: For going back and learning concepts, identified in practice questions and
reflections.
● Science textbooks and websites: To aid content re-learning.
Sample Calendar
Two weeks prior to exam
