Physics is the smallest part of Section III, at about final-year school level, but its questions lean hardest on equations and mental arithmetic. Here’s what to cover and two practice questions.
Mechanics: motion, forces, Newton’s laws and momentum.
Energy and power: work, kinetic and potential energy and efficiency.
Waves and sound: frequency, wavelength, the Doppler effect and decibels.
Optics: refraction, lenses and mirrors.
Electricity: Ohm’s law, series and parallel circuits and power.
Fluids: pressure, buoyancy and flow.
How to study GAMSAT physics
Think in proportions. Many questions ask what happens when one quantity doubles. Read the answer straight from the equation instead of calculating.
Check units to confirm you’ve set a problem up correctly.
Use g = 10 m/s² unless told otherwise, and keep numbers in powers of ten.
Practise rearranging unfamiliar equations from passages. See more in our Section 3 tips.
GAMSAT physics practice questions
Choose your answer, then open the explanation.
Section III / Energy
A ball is dropped from rest from a height of 5 m. Ignoring air resistance and taking g = 10 m/s², how fast is it moving just before it hits the ground?
A 5 m/s
B 10 m/s
C 25 m/s
D 50 m/s
Show the answer and explanation
B. Potential energy becomes kinetic energy: mgh = ½mv², so v² = 2gh = 2 × 10 × 5 = 100 and v = 10 m/s. The mass cancels. Answer D is gh without the square root and the factor of two.
Section III / Electricity
Two 6 Ω resistors are connected in parallel across a 12 V battery. What current flows from the battery?
A 1 A
B 2 A
C 4 A
D 6 A
Show the answer and explanation
C. Two equal resistors in parallel have half the resistance of one, so the total is 3 Ω and I = V ÷ R = 12 ÷ 3 = 4 A. Answer A treats the resistors as in series (12 Ω); B is the current through just one of them.
About 20% of Section III, pitched at roughly final-year school level. The questions usually supply the equations you need, so the challenge is applying and rearranging them quickly.
Do I need to memorise physics formulas for the GAMSAT?
Knowing the common ones, such as F = ma, V = IR and kinetic energy, saves time. But passages usually give you the relationships, and many questions test whether you can use proportional reasoning with them.
