Introduction?
You just finished the March GAMSAT! Phew!
You’re probably exhausted… and curious about what happens now, what you should do, and how to get ahead.
This article will help!
It’s divided into the key timeframes: Before Results, After Results, and After applications.
(You may want to save this for future reference)
Table of Content
- Part 1: Before Results Are Released
- Immediately after your exam
- Take a break
- Write down your insights
- When should I expect March GAMSAT results?
- What’s the big deal about getting ready for results?
- What’s the best way to get ready for results?
- When should I start preparing for applications?
- What to expect with the application process?
- Applying to a GEMSAS medical school
- Applying to a non-GEMSAS medical school
- Part 2: Results are out! What happens now?
- What if my score is too low to apply?
- What happens after the applications?
- What to do while waiting for an interview offer?
- What if you don’t get an interview?
- What happens when you get an interview offer?
- What happens when you DO get an offer for a position?
Part 1: Before Results Are Released
Immediately after your exam
Firstly, well done! It’s over. You did it.
There are some important things you must know and do (which are covered in the article), but for now…
Take a break
Take some time to relax. Honestly, you deserve it. Don’t think about GAMSAT or anything else right now.
But here’s the thing, set a specific date by which you’ll get back to it. I recommend setting a date for two weeks when you’ll get back from your ’post-GAMSAT’ break. If you don’t, the danger is that it turns into a situation where you think ‘just one more week. Just one more week.’ And before you know it, you’re behind.
Write down your insights
If you’re anything like our Bootcamper students then your head is probably buzzing right now from the exam. It was probably very different from what you expected – good or bad. You’ve had some great realisation and insights.
Write that stuff down!
You’re going to forget it otherwise. Take just 15 minutes to write down all your lessons, realisation, the questions you were surprised by (or challenged by), and what you might need to learn if you want/have to do GAMSAT again. Trust me, if you don’t write it all down now you will forget.
Plus it’s a very cathartic process!
Get it all out of your head and onto a page. That’s what Dr Tom did after his first GAMSAT sittings. And then after he sat 3 GAMSATs, Dr Tom put it all into an ebook and started this GAMSAT prep company.
When should I expect March GAMSAT results?
March GAMSAT results are released around the middle of May. There’s no exact date. ACER are quite vague about it because, we believe, it gives them some wiggle room in case they need to do some technical adjustments/corrections, etc., to the results.
However, they’re pretty good. Recently they’ve been releasing results in early May. So be ready from the first week of May.
What’s the big deal about getting ready for results?
Well, once the results are released it’s a bit of a crazy time. You only have until the 31st of May (so about 2 weeks) to prepare and finalise your applications for GEMSAS medical schools. The non-GEMSAS schools usually give you some more time.
Get the application requirements and dates for all the medical schools here.
Warning: this can be a very labour-intensive, and time consuming, process depending on the schools and your situation.
What’s the best way to get ready for results?
With that in mind, you should prepare early for the release of the results because once they are released, there may be a lot to do depending on where you decide to apply.
Some of the medical schools require a portfolio or personal statement. Others have prerequisites and various bonuses on offer. The sooner you understand these and start working on them, the better.
The best way to do that is to get your hands on the official GEMSAS guide once it’s released. It has in-depth information about each medical school’s applications and requirements.
But be warned: the GEMSAS guide is like a boring version of a JRR Tolkien book – it’s LONG, detailed and a bit of a snooze-fest. That’s why we took the most important information out of it and put it into an easy-to-understand (and quick-to-read) version here. We also include other information about the medical schools that they don’t share – like the cut-off scores for GAMSAT and GPAs.
Either way, get to know the medical schools you’d like to attend. Including their application requirements.
When should I start preparing for applications?
NOTE: The applications are not a case of filling in some boxes and you’ll get into a medical school.
No. As with all things GAMSAT related, the applications are filled with ambiguity. It’s a process that many people mess up. Each year we have people coming to us who got the scores to get into a medical school but because they messed up the applications, they didn’t receive an offer!
I say this not to scare anyone but to encourage you to take this process seriously.
When your 2-week post GAMSAT break is over, start looking into the application requirements of the medical schools you’d like to apply for. And don’t just focus on the dream medical schools. Cover a wide range of them to ensure you are comfortable with where you are applying and know your options.
What to expect with the application process?
Just briefly, because we cover it in detail here, there are two main groups of medical schools you be applying for:
- Those that are part of the GEMSAS (pronounced ‘Gem’ as in the jewel, and ‘sas’ and in ‘sassy’: Gem-sas) consortium and those that are not part of the GEMSAS consortium.
GEMSAS consortium school applications are done via GEMSAS.edu.au and applications close on the 31st of May. You apply for them all in the one place at the same time. - Non-GEMSAS medical school applications are done at the individual medical schools websites, and their applications close at different times.
There is a fee to apply for them all.
Applying to a GEMSAS medical school
9 post-graduate medical schools are part of the GEMSAS consortium.
You apply to them all in the one place, GEMSAS.edu.au
You get to pick up to 6 medical schools you’d like to attend and order them in preference from first to 6th.
The challenging thing is that although you apply in the same place for the 9 medical schools, each medical school has different requirements. So depending on how you order your preferences based on your scores and situations, you may be given an interview offer or not.
Some of the medical schools consider factors other than just your GAMSAT score and GPA. Including other forms of assessment such as CASPer, portfolios, bonus credits, research, and others.
It can be quite confusing to navigate all this, which is a problem considering what’s at stake here. On the other hand, it’s also an opportunity to ‘beat’ other candidates, even those with similar scores. If you’d like to learn more about it and get help with the application process we have a service that can help you.
Applying to a non-GEMSAS medical school
This covers 4 universities: University of Sydney, Monash, Flinders, and University of Tasmania.
They are all a little bit different. So you’ll need to look at each of them individually here.
Part 2: Results are out! What happens now?
The clock is ticking.
You’ve got until the 31st of May to complete your GEMSAS applications.
While the non-GEMSAS school applications close are different times depending on the school, starting in June.
So there isn’t much time.
Here’s what to do now:
Step 1. Make sense of your GAMSAT results.
Most schools use the weighted overall gamsat score. This is the overall score you were given from ACER on the results card. It is called ‘weighted’ because Section 3 is worth twice as much as the other section.
It is calculated as: (1 × Section I + 1 × Section II + 2 × Section III) ÷ 4
Unweighted GAMSAT score is where each section is worth the same amount, and is simply the average of all three scores. It is calculated as: (1 × Section I + 1 × Section II + Section III) ÷ 3
Step 2. Understand your GPA
This can be complicated depending on your length and type of degree(s), as well as the medical school. So it’s important you look up the individual schools applications guide.
The GEMSAS and the Non-GEMSAS medical schools often have their own way of calculating GPAs. So the GPA you were given by your university may be different to that used for medical school applications.
Generally speaking there are two types of GPAs: weighted and unweighted.
Unweighted is an average of the last three years:
GPA = (GPAFinal-2 year + GPAFinal-1 year + GPAFinal year)/3
Weighted GPA is used by most schools. It puts extra emphasis on the later years:
GPA = ((GPAFinal-2 year x1) + (GPAFinal-1 year x2)) + (GPAFinal year x3))/6
GEMSAS has an online GPA calculator.
Step 3. See where you stand with each medical school (GEMSAS and non-GEMSAS).
Compare your GAMSAT score and GPA to what the medical schools require for their applications. You can see them all side-by-side here
Step 4. Decide if you will apply and where
We believe, unless you failed a section, you should apply.
Step 5. Complete the applications process by the due date
Again, if you would like help with this process because you’re not sure, or your marks are low or borderline or you just want to do your best, then you can talk to one of our team here
What if my score is too low to apply?
Welcome to the club!
As bad as it feels (and sounds), many of us have been there. It’s ok. It’s not good, but it’s an experience that many future medical schools have had, including our very own Dr Tom.
Here’s what to do if your score is too low:
Step 1 – It’s ok to feel disappointed.
This means a lot to you so you’re probably upset. Or maybe you did it as a trial so it’s water off a duck’s back. Either way, feeling the feels is definitely the first step.
Step 2 – Start preparing for the September GAMSAT ASAP.
I can’t stress this enough: there’s no time to waste!
Step 3 – Make a list of all the things you need to do differently to increase your GAMSAT score.
Hopefully you wrote down all your lessons, insights and things to work on after your GAMSAT as we suggested. Either way, do a deep-dive into each section of the GAMSAT and consider:
- What went well in your preparation last time?
- What was missing?
- What did you struggle with?
- What skills in each section were you missing?
- What score do you want to hit in the next GAMSAT?
- How much time are you willing to commit to your gamsat study each week?
Step 4 – Get some help!
Book a complimentary tutoring session with our team to create a new study plan so that you’re not repeating the same mistakes you made the first (or any previous) time(s) you’ve tackled the GAMSAT.
Remember what Einstein said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
What happens when you get an interview offer?
Firstly, celebrate!
You’re up to the last stage of this long, competitive journey. Making it this far is a BIG deal. HOWEVER, don’t celebrate too long! You most likely only have a couple weeks to prepare for your interview. And remember, your interview score is worth as much as your GPA or GAMSAT score – sometimes as much as both of them combined!
So, secondly, begin your preparation ASAP!
We can help you with our Interview Bootcamp program. But start by having a free tutoring session with our team about how your should prepare for your medical school.
What happens after interviews?
There is nothing left to do.
You have done everything you can. It’s out of your hands now. ALl you can do is wait for the offers to be released.
GEMSAS releases their offers in early-mid November each year.
Non-GEMSAS schools:
USyd release their offers in early September.
Flinders – end of October.
Monash – mid-December
UTas – Mid-December
What if you don’t get an offer for a position after the interviews?
You’ll get what’s often referred to as the “email of death.”
It’s the email that GAMSAT candidates receive from GEMSAS (Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System) after the interview process, informing them that they have not been offered a place in any of the medical programs to which they applied.
The term “email of death” is used somewhat humorously to describe the disappointment and frustration that some candidates feel upon receiving this news.
However, it’s important for candidates to remember that there are often other pathways to achieving their goals, and that they should seek advice and support from trusted sources before making any decisions about their future studies and career.
Also, there are also the Non-GEMSAS medical schools which you may have applied to. You can also receive an offer from one or more of them.
What happens when you DO get an offer for a position?
You’re going to be a doctor!!! Celebrate!! You made it!
Now, you just do what they tell you and in 4 years you’ll be a doctor. DOCTOR!
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