What is the GAMSAT? Sections, timing and scoring explained

The GAMSAT is used to select students for graduate-entry medicine, and at some universities dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, physiotherapy and veterinary science. It’s accepted by medical schools in Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

You can sit it once you’ve completed a bachelor’s degree, or while you’re in the penultimate or final year of one. Your degree can be in any field. The test is held in March and September each year.

Your GAMSAT score is usually one of three parts of an application, alongside your university grades (GPA) and an interview. How much weight each part carries differs from school to school.

Each section gets its own score, and ACER combines them into an overall score. In the standard calculation Section III counts twice:

Overall = (Section I + Section II + 2 × Section III) ÷ 4

Scores are scaled, so they aren’t percentages and they aren’t directly comparable with raw marks on practice material. Some universities apply their own weighting or set minimum scores for each section, so read the admissions guide for every school on your list.

Because Section III is double-weighted, it’s often the best return on study time, especially if you don’t have a science background. It’s also where the free daily practice unit starts.

1. Find your baseline. Work through a few units in each section untimed to see where you’re comfortable and where you aren’t.
2. Fill the science gaps early. Section III assumes content knowledge, and the maths and chemistry foundations take longest to build. Start them first.
3. Practise a little every day. Short, regular sessions build reading stamina for Section I and fluency with data for Section III better than occasional long ones.
4. Write to time. Section II rewards clear thinking under pressure. Practise both tasks against the clock well before test day.
5. Review your reasoning, not just your score. For every question you miss, work out where your thinking went wrong so you don’t repeat it.