GAMSAT SEPT 2020

AoifeK1995 · 23-09-2020 10:14am

Cal100 wrote: »

It seems like a number of people did not receive an email from ACER, only from ProctorU. I imagine that the email will come through, bu if it doesn't in the next hour or 2 I would email ACER to make sure.

The email basically said that it for dublin candidates it will have to be conducted online, or you have the option to defer or get a refund. The tests are taking place online over the 8th and 9th of Oct and you have to book testing slots through ProctorU

Thanks so much for this!

Hopefully I hear from them in the next little while, but if not I'll send them a mail.

leo of cork · 23-09-2020 9:04pm

Lads Ive actually been ready for 3 different test dates, just want it done at this stage!
Does anyone know how many questions were getting in the 2 hour time slot for each section?

purnimasnow · 24-09-2020 9:22am

Just checking if you all have been able to book your two sessions with ProctorU yet? I only got the link to book my Section 3 yesterday. Thanks ðŸ˜Š

haileyr123 · 24-09-2020 9:36am

leo of cork wrote: »

Lads Ive actually been ready for 3 different test dates, just want it done at this stage!
Does anyone know how many questions were getting in the 2 hour time slot for each section?

Hi, how do you know there is a two hour time slot for each section ? So does that mean two hours for section 1, two hours for section 2 and two hours for section 3 or two hours to complete both section 1& 2 and then another 2 hours for section 3

haileyr123 · 24-09-2020 9:37am

purnimasnow wrote: »

Just checking if you all have been able to book your two sessions with ProctorU yet? I only got the link to book my Section 3 yesterday. Thanks &#55357;&#56842;

Yes, I have booked both my sessions

coopersock · 24-09-2020 9:37am

purnimasnow wrote: »

Just checking if you all have been able to book your two sessions with ProctorU yet? I only got the link to book my Section 3 yesterday. Thanks ðŸ˜Š

Yes I got two separate invites and was able to book two separate sessions... best to email ACER

purnimasnow · 24-09-2020 9:40am

Ok best sort that. Thank you!

Cal100 · 24-09-2020 10:00am

purnimasnow wrote: »

Ok best sort that. Thank you!

I would go through the chat option on ProctorU too! They might be able to get it sorted more quickly for you

leo of cork · 25-09-2020 3:04pm

haileyr123 wrote: »

Hi, how do you know there is a two hour time slot for each section ? So does that mean two hours for section 1, two hours for section 2 and two hours for section 3 or two hours to complete both section 1& 2 and then another 2 hours for section 3

It says it when booking the sessions but on the gamsat website it say:
S1 47 questions- 70 mins
S2 2 essays- 65 mins
S3 75 questions- 150 mins

Ill mail them to comfirm but they're replies are the best

Cal100 · 28-09-2020 10:35pm

How is everyone feeling for the exam now? Definitely feeling very grateful that we can sit remotely.

Medchem123 · 05-10-2020 7:00pm

Quick Q-are we allowed write on the scrap paper during the reading time? I hear we are able to start writing straight away in section 2 also since its on proctoru.

leo of cork · 06-10-2020 12:59am

Yeah I can't see why not, I presumed that you could start away during reading time no? Also hope everyone seen the reduced amount of questions on the gamsat website

purnimasnow · 06-10-2020 2:49pm

leo of cork wrote: »

Yeah I can't see why not, I presumed that you could start away during reading time no? Also hope everyone seen the reduced amount of questions on the gamsat website

How many questions are there? The demo and GAMSAT booklet say different things..

leo of cork · 06-10-2020 3:03pm

Yeah I emailed them and they said go off what it says in the booklet, 47 questions for section 1 (70mins), 2 essays (65 mins) and 75 in section 3 (150 mins).. All timing there includes reading time

purnimasnow · 06-10-2020 3:15pm

Cool thank you!

Cal100 · 09-10-2020 1:57pm

How did the exam go? Thought it was terrible myself for section 3

purnimasnow · 09-10-2020 2:38pm

Did you sit it in June? My paper was a lot better than that sitting. Not great at all, but better. Actually saw a few question in both section 1&2 repeat themselves. Not that it was helpful as I still wasn’t sure if the answers!

Cal100 · 10-10-2020 9:17am

purnimasnow wrote: »

Did you sit it in June? My paper was a lot better than that sitting. Not great at all, but better. Actually saw a few question in both section 1&2 repeat themselves. Not that it was helpful as I still wasn’t sure if the answers!

No I didn’t sit in June.. Found the science so tough. Yes I actually saw 1 question repeated in section 3

Blackboot · 10-10-2020 10:17am

I found section 1 really hard. Usually very strong in it but found it very difficult.

Cal100 · 10-10-2020 11:01am

Blackboot wrote: »

I found section 1 really hard. Usually very strong in it but found it very difficult.

Agreed- honestly all round the exam was much more difficult than I had anticipated, and i sat the exam before in paper format.

leo of cork · 10-10-2020 2:01pm

Blackboot wrote: »

I found section 1 really hard. Usually very strong in it but found it very difficult.

I was the exact same, couldn't concentrate and all and lots of vocab I've never seen. Usually my strongest but was my weakest this turn around which im very disappointed with

leo of cork · 10-10-2020 2:02pm

Lets take comfort in the fact everyone found it difficult, anyone have any clue when results are out??

Medchem123 · 10-10-2020 5:01pm

leo of cork wrote: »

Lets take comfort in the fact everyone found it difficult, anyone have any clue when results are out??

I think results are late November sometime. The sooner the better.

Urethra Franklin. · 10-10-2020 8:32pm

I've sat GAMSAT twice before and did pretty good but didn't pursue further cause of cost. Redid it to purse Derry and section 3 was by far the worst and most difficult it ever was compared to the two times I sat it before, far worse. It seemed that nearly the entirety of my section 3 was physics; I don't study physics as it's only 20% and prefer to focus on chemistry. Even the chemistry was far more complicated than I ever sat before, or the mock exams. I didn't look at them but i own dee's science notes and felt like they would have been useful....they reformed the course maybe a decade ago and kind of made des's style of questions and notes irrelevant. And in the practice papers each topic tends to have maybe 3 questions and moves on....mine had 6 questions most of the time....most notably in sections I didn't have a notion how to answer. It was by far the worst section 3 I've ever done. I left early cause I knew there was nothing I could do and was just too down troden by the rest of section 3 to go over the questions I could answer. The last time I sat this exam I did better in section 3 than section 1, if I came out with a score of 20 I'd be surprised. I'm not even angry at myself for not studying harder as there was no way I could have seen that coming. if I did three times the amount of study the result would have been much the same.

Section one is always blehhhh for me. I legit don't know how to improve. The more passages I practice the worse I get. Section 2 I'm a bit disappointed I wasted a bit of time with my first essay couldn't come up with arguments so I didn't have time to make a plan for essay two and was still writing with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Second essay may have been a little repetitive and incoherent as a result. I done those practice essays in acer and scored hugely on them before 72, 74, 74, 84. These essays definitely were not to that standard. I reread an essay on a topic on space travel I had practiced and it was oddly beautiful and poignant, and I didn't even agree with the stance I took on my essay. I had to take a similar approach with essay one arguing for a point I dont believe in as it was easier to write about..... definitely wasn't as sound of an essay in comparison, and the theme was something much more prolific and meaningful.

Cal100 · 10-10-2020 8:43pm

Urethra Franklin. wrote: »

I've sat GAMSAT twice before and did pretty good but didn't pursue further cause of cost. Redid it to purse Derry and section 3 was by far the worst and most difficult it ever was compared to the two times I sat it before, far worse. It seemed that nearly the entirety of my section 3 was physics; I don't study physics as it's only 20% and prefer to focus on chemistry. Even the chemistry was far more complicated than I ever sat before, or the mock exams. I didn't look at them but i own dee's science notes and felt like they would have been useful....they reformed the course maybe a decade ago and kind of made des's style of questions and notes irrelevant. And in the practice papers each topic tends to have maybe 3 questions and moves on....mine had 6 questions most of the time....most notably in sections I didn't have a notion how to answer. It was by far the worst section 3 I've ever done. I left early cause I knew there was nothing I could do and was just too down troden by the rest of section 3 to go over the questions I could answer. The last time I sat this exam I did better in section 3 than section 1, if I came out with a score of 20 I'd be surprised. I'm not even angry at myself for not studying harder as there was no way I could have seen that coming. if I did three times the amount of study the result would have been much the same.

Section one is always blehhhh for me. I legit don't know how to improve. The more passages I practice the worse I get. Section 2 I'm a bit disappointed I wasted a bit of time with my first essay couldn't come up with arguments so I didn't have time to make a plan for essay two and was still writing with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Second essay may have been a little repetitive and incoherent as a result. I done those practice essays in acer and scored hugely on them before 72, 74, 74, 84. These essays definitely were not to that standard. I reread an essay on a topic on space travel I had practiced and it was oddly beautiful and poignant, and I didn't even agree with the stance I took on my essay. I had to take a similar approach with essay one arguing for a point I dont believe in as it was easier to write about..... definitely wasn't as sound of an essay in comparison, and the theme was something much more prolific and meaningful.

Completely agree with you- I sat before and this was the hardest exam by far. Fingers crossed we meet the cut off!

Urethra Franklin. · 10-10-2020 8:55pm

Cal100 wrote: »

Completely agree with you- I sat before and this was the hardest exam by far. Fingers crossed we meet the cut off!

I literally could have never did a tap for section 3 study wise and I would have been equally lost. Oh welllllllllllllllllllll

purnimasnow · 11-10-2020 6:18pm

Urethra Franklin. wrote: »

I've sat GAMSAT twice before and did pretty good but didn't pursue further cause of cost. Redid it to purse Derry and section 3 was by far the worst and most difficult it ever was compared to the two times I sat it before, far worse. It seemed that nearly the entirety of my section 3 was physics; I don't study physics as it's only 20% and prefer to focus on chemistry. Even the chemistry was far more complicated than I ever sat before, or the mock exams. I didn't look at them but i own dee's science notes and felt like they would have been useful....they reformed the course maybe a decade ago and kind of made des's style of questions and notes irrelevant. And in the practice papers each topic tends to have maybe 3 questions and moves on....mine had 6 questions most of the time....most notably in sections I didn't have a notion how to answer. It was by far the worst section 3 I've ever done. I left early cause I knew there was nothing I could do and was just too down troden by the rest of section 3 to go over the questions I could answer. The last time I sat this exam I did better in section 3 than section 1, if I came out with a score of 20 I'd be surprised. I'm not even angry at myself for not studying harder as there was no way I could have seen that coming. if I did three times the amount of study the result would have been much the same.

Section one is always blehhhh for me. I legit don't know how to improve. The more passages I practice the worse I get. Section 2 I'm a bit disappointed I wasted a bit of time with my first essay couldn't come up with arguments so I didn't have time to make a plan for essay two and was still writing with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Second essay may have been a little repetitive and incoherent as a result. I done those practice essays in acer and scored hugely on them before 72, 74, 74, 84. These essays definitely were not to that standard. I reread an essay on a topic on space travel I had practiced and it was oddly beautiful and poignant, and I didn't even agree with the stance I took on my essay. I had to take a similar approach with essay one arguing for a point I dont believe in as it was easier to write about..... definitely wasn't as sound of an essay in comparison, and the theme was something much more prolific and meaningful.

That sounds exactly like the S3 paper I sat in June. Really empathise with you. So infuriating and disheartening.
Can we assume that acer are actually using some psychometric testing and only putting you on a bell curve with people who sat the same paper?

Blackboot · 12-10-2020 9:23am

I doubt it.

leo of cork · 12-10-2020 1:09pm

I know that this year it was a bank of questions and you get what your dealt on the day, lets hope there was standardised difficulty across the board

JK95 · 19-10-2020 7:54pm

As a person who has sat the GAMSAT in March 2019 (received score of 52) and again in March 2020 (score of only one mark up, 53). I am really beginning to accept I will never be able to increase my score. It is becoming increasingly frustrating.

Has anyone ever looked into the SME (Study Medicine Europe) route for Graduate Entry Medicine? Or is it actually a legit course? I feel like it is being advertised everywhere (probably due to my cookies tracking etc). It seems way too good to be true. Apparently it is a 3 year course to become a qualified Doctor??

gamsatter · 20-10-2020 12:07pm

I got on to MedLink as something similar happened to me, Its actually not as straight forward, In eastern Europe graduate medicine is actually undergraduate medicine that you join late. In order to do so you need to have done a science degree in order to skip the first 2/3 years. you give them your degree and they will check for you

I thought that they would try to sell it to me as though I am a non science I had done a masters and got a 2.1. turned out to be a very short conversation that they couldn't do anything! so a bit humbling XD

Peek1 · 16-11-2020 8:14am

Best of luck to everyone with their scores.

leo of cork · 16-11-2020 8:59am

How did everyone get on????

gem2021 · 16-11-2020 9:38am

Got 53, v disappointed. Section 3 was brutal, only got 38. Hope everyone else did well!

Cal100 · 16-11-2020 10:16am

leo of cork wrote: »

How did everyone get on????

Cracked 57 so I’m happy. How did you do?

Cal100 · 16-11-2020 10:17am

gem2021 wrote: »

Got 53, v disappointed. Section 3 was brutal, only got 38. Hope everyone else did well!

Sorry to hear this, but don’t be put off- give it another shot in March!

Blackboot · 16-11-2020 10:31am

66! Can't believe it. Definitely enough for veterinary.

Cal100 · 16-11-2020 10:34am

Blackboot wrote: »

66! Can't believe it. Definitely enough for veterinary.

That’s amazing congrats!

cosmo6576 · 16-11-2020 11:13am

I got 66 - Reckon this will be enough for UCD GEM? I know it was last year, but how much do these things fluctuate?

Cal100 · 16-11-2020 11:14am

cosmo6576 wrote: »

I got 66 - Reckon this will be enough for UCD GEM? I know it was last year, but how much do these things fluctuate?

Definitely enough, congrats

Medchem123 · 16-11-2020 12:08pm

leo of cork wrote: »

How did everyone get on????

59-super happy. enough for UCC or UL which I wanted. Now just which one to go to. How did you do?

leo of cork · 16-11-2020 1:16pm

I got a 55 so might get into Limerick this year as it was 55 cut off last year, worth a resit in March though I reckon

cosmo6576 · 16-11-2020 1:48pm

leo of cork wrote: »

I got a 55 so might get into Limerick this year as it was 55 cut off last year, worth a resit in March though I reckon

Fingers crossed - what was your breakdown?

leo of cork · 16-11-2020 1:50pm

S1-56 S2-55 S3-54, wasn't expecting to get over 40 so im happy out! Also points will go down across the board this year trust me so you should get UCD!

Peek1 · 16-11-2020 3:14pm

leo of cork wrote: »

S1-56 S2-55 S3-54, wasn't expecting to get over 40 so im happy out! Also points will go down across the board this year trust me so you should get UCD!

Why are you so sure of points going down? Just genuinely interested to know why you think so.

Also I hope the 55 gets you in! It's a very tough spot to be in as it's basically a lottery when you're on the very edge of the points, had 55 this year and unfortunately nothing.

Alexion · 16-11-2020 3:49pm

Yeah i would have thought points would be more likely to even go up this year?

AoifeK1995 · 16-11-2020 5:32pm

Got 56! Will definitely go again in March, but it was my first time and I'm coming from a non-science background, so I'm happy!

haileyr123 · 17-11-2020 12:22pm

I got 58 overall, worth the resit? How does entry to Northern Ireland work with entry not being solely dictated by Gamsat scores but with interviews aswell

Cal100 · 17-11-2020 2:05pm

haileyr123 wrote: »

I got 58 overall, worth the resit? How does entry to Northern Ireland work with entry not being solely dictated by Gamsat scores but with interviews aswell

I got 57 and I am personally not going to resit as I am more than happy to go to Limerick. I've also applied to Derry- have you applied yet?

cosmo6576 · 17-11-2020 2:43pm

When do applications open/close for Irish Unis for September 2021 commencement? Particularly interested in UCD. (I know I should know this)

GAMSAT SEPT 2020

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