GAMSAT 2014?

pharmacrunch

SwiftEagle wrote: »

I took the week off to be safe. Im still completely clueless about most of the physics so im going to try and cover as much of it as I can from now until the exam!!

Physics is also my biggest problem - I even find that going back over the Acer papers I still find it difficult to do out the physics Q's even tough its my second attempt.

I think key with the physics will just be hope they provide an equation and if they do , do something with it even if you dont have a notion regarding its meaning.

Flange/Flanders

Hi guys,

First Med in UCD at the moment after doing the gammy 3 times, best of luck to everyone doing it this day week. My biggest advise is to go easy this week, you don't wanna be wrecked come Saturday cos its such a long day. I did my best in the third go after basically doing no study for a year. I did so much better cos I had no pressure on myself, I had limerick and I was taking a year out anyway so I said Id do the gamsat. I was working all week last year and the night before I actually met with mates and went to watch some Ireland game that was on. Also, don't get too stressed in there, you can repeat in September and you wont feel a year passing.

Good luck guys and see some of ye in UCD in September.

RainBow_xo

Anybody have any last minute advice?

Abcd1986

Hi all,

Very best of luck to those sitting the exam next week. I am now in first year graduate entry medicine and got through after four sittings. From my experience, the best way you can go in is relaxed. Take the Friday off and make sure you get a good nights sleep. Slow down on the science study this week and do as many practice essays that you can. I did not have a science background and the area that improved the most, hence getting me a place, was my essay section. I had been told to focus on this by others before but felt so overwhelmed by science that I did not pay the essays much heed until my last two sittings. The exams in which I did the best were the ones I was most relaxed in. Bring in ear plugs if they help so you can concentrate better. It is a very ambiguous exam so don't spend lunch over analysing questions with others it will only serve to through you off before your next section. I absolutely love the course and am so happy I pursued the exams as it can be very disappointing when you receive a no. Should you not get the points pick yourself up and apply for the uk gamsat and keep going. It's really worth it. Again wishing you all the very best.

RainBow_xo

Abcd1986 wrote: »

Hi all,

Very best of luck to those sitting the exam next week. I am now in first year graduate entry medicine and got through after four sittings. From my experience, the best way you can go in is relaxed. Take the Friday off and make sure you get a good nights sleep. Slow down on the science study this week and do as many practice essays that you can. I did not have a science background and the area that improved the most, hence getting me a place, was my essay section. I had been told to focus on this by others before but felt so overwhelmed by science that I did not pay the essays much heed until my last two sittings. The exams in which I did the best were the ones I was most relaxed in. Bring in ear plugs if they help so you can concentrate better. It is a very ambiguous exam so don't spend lunch over analysing questions with others it will only serve to through you off before your next section. I absolutely love the course and am so happy I pursued the exams as it can be very disappointing when you receive a no. Should you not get the points pick yourself up and apply for the uk gamsat and keep going. It's really worth it. Again wishing you all the very best.

Thank you 😊😊😊😊

rachel12311866

Karlheinz1987 wrote: »

Hey guys, Ive heard poor enough feedback about the Des O Neill notes. I enrolled in the Gradmed Full Revision course and have the entire GradMed Preparation Course Material. I found them extremely useful. The notes are heavily skewed towards GAMSAT style questioning which is great. I came from non science and am just finishing my 1st year of Graduate Medicine. If anyone is interested, let me know!

I am interested in buying the GradMed Preparation Course Material, do you still have it all? please email: rachel.m.oconnor@hotmail.com

DoctorDre

Just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck for tomorrow

letsdothis

Good luck to everyone! Take today off, give yourself and break and feel refreshed tomorrow. Had a good big breakfast in the morning - a big bowl of porridge of something - to keep you going through the morning session. Be prepared for a lot of waiting around as they set up in the morning. Don't talk to anyone at lunch! Keep the head if you are finding it tough - do your best. I went into the exam in September thinking I had to ace section one and I found it very difficult - you just need to dust yourself off and focus on the next section. I then found Section II ok and III went surprisingly well. My score for the three sections was very consistent which I suppose reflects the fact that you are scored against others.

Good luck again and let us know how ye get on!

SwiftEagle

letsdothis wrote: »

Good luck to everyone! Take today off, give yourself and break and feel refreshed tomorrow. Had a good big breakfast in the morning - a big bowl of porridge of something - to keep you going through the morning session. Be prepared for a lot of waiting around as they set up in the morning. Don't talk to anyone at lunch! Keep the head if you are finding it tough - do your best. I went into the exam in September thinking I had to ace section one and I found it very difficult - you just need to dust yourself off and focus on the next section. I then found Section II ok and III went surprisingly well. My score for the three sections was very consistent which I suppose reflects the fact that you are scored against others.

Good luck again and let us know how ye get on!

Hi! Thanks for the advice!! I was wondering are you allowed to leave the building for lunch to go to the shop or do you have to stay within the building?

Thanks!

letsdothis

SwiftEagle wrote: »

Hi! Thanks for the advice!! I was wondering are you allowed to leave the building for lunch to go to the shop or do you have to stay within the building?

Thanks!

You can leave and I suggest you do! Decide in advance where you will eat...nowhere with a long wait! Get some air. Your head will be addled!

MathsMedMixed

I suppose we all need luck for tomorrow. I can't wait to start waiting for the results.

Johnnybriggs

Hi all,

Just a quick word of advise before the big day tomorrow.

Remember to concentrate on questions you're strong on (especially section III) and MAKE SURE you go through every possible answer and see if it fits the question. GAMSAT testers are notorious for constructing questions where what seems obvious is incorrect. It's a way of ascertaining your observation and reasoning skills under pressure. This method may take more time than expected, but your chances of selecting the correct answer is dramatically increased.

I used this method personally last year and got 82 in Section III - Im now happily doing medicine in the UK! I remember that Id about 30-35 random guess questions with 10 mins to go. However, the 75-80 preceding that were done exceptionally well.

Best of luck tomorrow!!

pharmacrunch

Am I correct in assuming we cant use ear plugs during the exam?? I think I remember reading it somehwere but can't find it now again?

DoctorDre

pharmacrunch wrote: »

Am I correct in assuming we cant use ear plugs during the exam?? I think I remember reading it somehwere but can't find it now again?

Yeah I don't think they're allowed. Assuming if you were a girl with long hair, it would be quite easy to get away with it?

pharmacrunch

DoctorDre wrote: »

Yeah I don't think they're allowed. Assuming if you were a girl with long hair, it would be quite easy to get away with it?

Damn - not the case im afraid

Anyone familiar with RCSI care to shed light on where the exam hall is ?

Is it the basketball court in the basement? Or the big hall up stairs?

RainBow_xo

pharmacrunch wrote: »

Damn - not the case im afraid

Anyone familiar with RCSI care to shed light on where the exam hall is ?

Is it the basketball court in the basement? Or the big hall up stairs?

It is the big hall upstairs!

pharmacrunch

Well done everyone today ! Hope all the hard work has paid off!

RainBow_xo

Glad to finally have it over and done with!

Confused1987

How did people find that? I thought it was considerably harder than any practice paper out there, even section 1 was quite tough! I knew it was never going to be easy, but that was a horror show in section 3!

I was chatting to the guy beside me who had a chemistry degree and he was saying just how tough he found it so at least there is some consolation in that!

Can't wait for the London sitting!!!

pharmacrunch

Found it very difficult- and to be honest having a pharmacy degree I would have thought the chemistry/biology would be a breeze to me but sadly not a hope

There was far too much guessing going on for my liking !

Confused1987

Haha yeah I am in the exact same boat, but I have absolutely no science background!

While I was studying I always enjoyed genetics and the majority of biology yet in the exam just found these next to impossible in the given time!

Mecci

I also found it really difficult, way more so than I expected. I have a degree in Biopharmaceutical Science & Physiology but that didn't make the science section any easier. Questions far trickier than the sample/practice papers

DroghedaTutor

Yes. 500% yes. I had done the sample papers 4 times under exam timings and gone through textbooks to 1st year university standard. I have also taken university level science exams, so I thought I had a good reference point and would be prepared to get my 50% at a minimum and then be bumped up by papers 1 & 2 but as soon as I started the third paper, I knew I was in trouble. felt like I prepared for a french exam, then was handed a russian paper on the day.

how am I ever going to pass this thing if this is the standards of the papers? I have no problem with hard work but have been very thrown by this experience. what are other people doing to pass than I amn't doing?

I got home on Saturday evening and thought, maybe I'm just not intelligent enough for this.

Confused1987

Yeah I've been having the same thought process, feel like an idiot after that exam, but then also you have to remember that we don't have the results yet so can't say anything!!

I don't have any science background and dedicated the last 4 months to studying for the exam and genuinely thought I was up to the standard required but alas!

Sure there is no point in pi**ing and moaning until the results come out, the exam is designed to make people feel awful after it so you never know how the results will come out!

DroghedaTutor

how did you prepare for the exam confused1987?

i'm not so much " pi**ing and moaning" but preparing to have to resit it and asking out loud - what are people who pass doing to prepare for this? if anyone has the answer or tips, please post them. thanks.

Confused1987

Sorry I wasn't saying that you were pi**ing and moaning, more talking about myself cause that is all I have spent the last week doing!

I did grinds twice a week and then studied full time in UCD library! Really thought I was prepared but from what I gather there was no amount of work that would truly prepare anyone for that!

The one consolation is that if you look at any forum or talk to anyone who did the exam, everyone found it really tough, and it's bell curve graded so you are marked against everyone else!

DroghedaTutor

half your message is missing Confused. please repost as I'd welcome your opinion.

Confused1987

DroghedaTutor wrote: »

half your message is missing Confused. please repost as I'd welcome your opinion.

Should be updated!

DroghedaTutor

thanks.

was this your first time sitting gamsat?

was the standard of saturday's paper 3 the norm? it seems a different league to the sample papers.

Confused1987

Yeah first time sitting it for me so I can't comment on previous papers, but definitely a completely different league to the sample papers!

I did the purple paper a couple of weeks ago and got 65 or so out of 110 in science and thought that level would see me through but evidently not!

This is something I want to do so even if this time doesn't go according to plan I will definitely try it twice more if required! It was a crap day on Saturday but sure we all could have the points we need for all we know!