Gamsat 2012

Hi all, I would like to organise a gamsat study group for sitting the exam in March 2012...if anyone is
interested please let me know as I think a study group is a better idea than going it alone!

Anyone interested in starting a gamsat study group in wexford/waterford?
Or anyone willing to give grinds in section 3 around wexford?

LaurC wrote: »

Anyone interested in starting a gamsat study group in wexford/waterford?
Or anyone willing to give grinds in section 3 around wexford?

LaurC. I would be interested in a study goup in Waterford.

Anyone interested in a GAMSAT study group in Cork city?

Yikes 3 weeks...wishing it would hurry up but terrified at the same time! :pac: Hoping for a miracle!

Hi, just wondering has anyone used the Ozimed, prepgenie or Kaplan Mcat (i know not strictly relevant) practise tests in practising for the gamsat? Like are they accurate, too easy, too hard etc? Just looking for general feedback on them and how they helped your prep?

Thanks,
Flange.

PeadarGalway wrote: »

Hey everybody!
I thought I'd share my story too. Just graduated from a BA (French and English) in NUIG with honors so sorted for entry purposes, just the GAMSAT to get through

I have no science background bar LC Biology, with the normal JC sciences. According to the Griffith book a good A-Level knowledge of all three sciences will suffice so I've launched into a LC Chemistry book just as a general base, about half way through at the moment, and when I'm done (hopefully before the end of the month) I'm going to tackle the chemistry questions on the GAMSAT practice papers and also tap up any areas that the Griffith book mentions and are lacking in my knowledge with a Uni level chemistry book.

Plan is to hit physics for december (LC level as is stated on GAMSAT site) and then Biology revision and upscaling of detail for the exam.

I'm hoping to have my sciences pretty much solid by the end of January. (I'm in the lucky position that I am on a year out so I can devote considerable time everyday, so I think that this is doable.)

How does this sound to people? Comments? Ideas?

Plan is to focus on the other two sections closer to the exam. I'm usually good with essays under pressure so I'm not too worried about that section (yet), but I'm not going to be stupid about it, as the exam approaches I will spend enough time practicing and working under exam conditions.
Section one looks challenging too, lots of lateral thinking. Practice, practice, practice methinks!

If anybody from Galway is looking to do a bit of group study I'd be all up for that. I'm in NUIG most days. Would be glad even to have somebody in the same position to meet for a cupán tae or lunch! Let me know

you have easily enough time to get your science chops up to scratch.

I only did 3 months of light study (read hapazard bad study) and got a 61 (which on this year's exam was 90th percentile).
From talking to a few of the other RCSI Geps who got in on their first attempt, the general consensus is be REALLY good at essays if you're not from a science background. It's not uncommon to hear of people getting 80+ scores on the essay section (I got 79).
I know it's only 25% of the total mark, but because of the curve marking it can completely offset a not-so-great section 3 mark.
I completely fell apart about ten minutes into section 3 and miraculously managed to pull a 50. which is an awful score for that section but a good section one and two put me in the top 10% of people who took the test overall.
For a reasonably bright person who did well in a humanities degree, a 70 and 80 in sections 1 and 2 really isn't too much of an impossibility (getting close enough to those targets is plausible), and should you get that type of score you can afford to only get 46/47 in section 3 and you'll end up with an overall score of over 60.

Because of the amount of people doing the gamsat with absolutely zero preparation for section 3, and the fact it's marked from a mysterious curve, you'd really have to pull off some sort of miracle to get less than 45 in section 3 with some good prep and practice (UNDER EXAM CONDITIONS - can't emphasise that enough: I thought i was great getting all the practice papers nailed while lounging around under no time constraints. On the day, 15 minutes into section 3 my brain completely collapsed).

So, to sum up,
1. Yes, it's easily doable for you to be prepared for the gamsat in march.
2. Really tweak your essay and argument skills to offset any potential disasters in section 3.
3. Realise that it's not about how smart or skilled you are, it's a competition. There is no 'you have to be this smart to study medicine' line. There is a 'you have to be this much smarter than the rest of the exam takers' line. And for that reason, I wouldn't recommend a study group at all.

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it! Fingers crossed I'll be in the same position as you next year - I'm aiming for either UCD or RCSI.

tiredcity wrote: »

I'm not going to lie, catching up on all the science stuff in first year was a manic nightmare but I did grand in everything come exam time so it can be done, QUOTE]

amen to that.....what's particularly frustrating is finding out most of the class (because of the North Americans) have at least touched on such monstrosities as the Coag cascade in their previous studies. The staff are very understanding if you've zero science background though and constantly reassure you that you'll catch up eventually (and slowly).

Poppo4 wrote: »

Hi,

Does anyone happen to know around when the GAMSAT papers are set? Just trying to get a step-up on possible themes that may come up in S2.

Its good that you're thinking ahead but the topics are usually so general and not guaranteed to be at all timely or representative of current affairs. I sat it in London in September and the essay themes were space travel and humour so it really is pot luck. I would never have expected space travel to come up as a theme. The humour one was brilliant though. It all depends on what you can draw from in your own knowledge and experience.

I'd recommend a book called 'the meaning of things' by A.C. Grayling. Its full of short essays on a whole range of themes and I found it very useful.

Also the essay writing tips in Griffith's GAMSAT guide were good for how to structure and plan. I'm sure everyone has their own way of preparing... timing is paramount also but those two sources were invaluable to me. My essays basically saved me.

Good luck

Poppo4 wrote: »

Thanks for the book titles, will give them a look

Would space travel question not have been in relation to the US government cancelling the funding for NASA and looking at new space travel projects!?

No it was more to do the the reason for space travel in the first place. The quote that I responded to was 'We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard'. It was based around the merits of space travel itself and the reason for going.

Same with the humour one... I said that humour was invented by man to help endure the suffering of everyday life. You could have also argued the contrary.