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Almost all graduate-entry medical schools use the Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System (GEMSAS) to manage the applications and admissions process. The exceptions to the rule are Monash University, Flinders University and the University of Sydney.
Visit http://www.gemsas.edu.au/graduate-entry-medical-schools-admission-system-gemsas/ to learn more.
The deadline for postgraduate applications is usually at the end of May, but exact dates may vary from year to year. It is recommended that you review the GEMSAS guide released annually in early April, and the websites of the non-GEMSAS affiliated universities for further details. You can also review our handy Medical Admissions Guide which is updated each year in line with the most recent guidelines.
Most schools will only allow students to defer entry where there are extenuating circumstances, but the guidelines will vary from school to school. It is recommended you contact universities directly to find out.
Every school has different selection criteria and admission requirements. These usually include a combination of GAMSAT® exam, GPA, as well as an interview. Portfolios may also be considered in some schools. Cut-offs values for GAMSAT® exam scores are sometimes shown on the University website but in many cases they are kept confidential, although it is possible to form a general idea by looking at students’ profiles. A comprehensive description of admission criteria can be found on our blog but it is recommended you check the GEMSAS and the individual University websites, as these values may vary from year to year.
Although standards for admission or interviews may vary, in general all sections are used in your application. Some schools may use the overall GAMSAT® exam score, others may use both the overall score and have individual cut-offs for all sections. More information may be found in our Medical Admissions Guide. It is also recommended that you check the GEMSAS Guide each year as well as the individual University websites, as these values may vary from year to year.
The short answer is yes. The long answer is that how much it matters depends on the particular medical school. Every school has different selection criteria and admission requirements and these usually include a combination of GAMSAT® exam, GPA, as well as an interview. Portfolios may also be considered in some schools. In general, almost all schools have a minimum cut-off value for GPA scores. However, some medical schools (albeit a minority) will only use your GPA score as a hurdle, where as for others, it is equally weighted in your application with your GAMSAT® score, and is there equally important. It's important to note that the average GPA score for entry is often well above the cut-offs stipulated by the medical schools. A comprehensive description of admission criteria can be found on our guide but it is recommended you check the GEMSAS Guide each year as well as the individual University websites, as these values may vary from year to year
Australian Graduate Schools: Medical Admissions Guide
Every school has different selection criteria but some put a lot of emphasis on portfolios, where your work experience and volunteering can set you apart from the others. More information may be found on our blog entries.
Blog Post: V for… Volunteering
Blog Post: So You’re Thinking About Applying to a Portfolio School?
Every school has different selection criteria and admission requirements. These usually include a combination of GAMSAT® exam, GPA, as well as an interview, however some schools take portfolio into consideration. There are no medical schools who currently require a CV. More information may be found on our guide below.
Every school has different selection criteria and admission requirements. These usually include a combination of GAMSAT® exam, GPA, as well as an interview. Portfolios may also be considered in some schools. A comprehensive description of admission criteria can be found on our guide but it is recommended you check the GEMSAS Guide each year as well as the individual University websites, as these values may vary from year to year
Australian Graduate Schools: Medical Admissions Guide
Most Universities use a MMI format. The MMI is a series of 5 to 10 interview stations consisting of timed interview scenarios, which allow to assess soft skills such as interpersonal skills or ethical and moral judgement. Applicants rotate through the stations, each of which has its own interviewer and task. Tasks may include reacting to a scenario describing an ethical dilemma, traditional interview questions like “why do you want to attend this school?” or even essay writing. Check our blog for a comprehensive guide on the topic:
Blog Post: How the MMI Differs Between Australian Medical Schools
The timeline for interviews depends on each individual school but they usually occur at the end of September. Check application timelines in the GEMSAS Guide each year as well as the individual University websites. More information is available on our guide:
Most definitely. Multi-station mini interviews are very challenging and your results will improve drastically by practicing interview strategies and getting feedback on your performance. Interview preparation is included in most of our packages. Check our blog entries for free preparation tips:
There are 3 types of places offered by Universities: CSP, BMP & Full-Fee
Full-fee places are expected to pay the full cost of the course.
CSP (Commonwealth-sponsored places) places are subsidised by the government and tuition fees are reduced to a fraction of the full-paying fee. CSP places are extremely competitive and only the top-ranked students qualify.
BMP, or bonded-medical program, allows students to enrol in a subsidised spot (similar to the CSP above), provided that they commit to working in area of workforce shortage for a duration of 3 years. This does not have to be continuous but must be completed over an 18-year period following the completion of your degree.
In addition, some Universities set aside quotas for students originating from rural area, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as for International students.
Full-Fee, as the name implies, are spots where domestic students are required to pay the full-fee of the course. These are similar to the spots provided to international students. Very few medical schools offer full-fee places to domestic students, and with the total cost of the degree totalling to $250,000+, it's recommended you think carefully before registering to be considered for a full-fee place.
Two main types of medical degrees exist: the undergraduate and the postgraduate degree. The undergraduate degree starts straight after high school and lasts 5 to 6 years. Admission usually relies on a combination of UCAT and ATAR scores. The postgraduate degree is undertaken after a first undergraduate degree and lasts 4 years. Graduate entry requires students to sit the GAMSAT® exam and generally incorporates your GPA scores into the application.
Guaranteed entry in post-graduate courses may be offered to Year 12 students with very high ATAR scores, with the understanding that students must first complete an undergraduate degree. These students are not required to sit the GAMSAT® exam and often instead sit the UCAT exam - This is called provisional or guaranteed entry, with the terminology changing depending on the particular medical school.
For these pathways, students are selected based on their UCAT and ATAR scores (and often interview), as in undergraduate entry, however they are required to enrol in an undergraduate course (either pre-med or another subject) for 3 years and to maintain a minimum grade throughout the course in order to progress onto a post-graduate medical degree.
The GAMSAT® exam has 3 sections. Questions within each section are first given a raw score, which is then converted to a scaled score, based on how many correct answers were given that year. In general, the overall GAMSAT® exam score is calculated as follow:
Overall score= (Section 1 score + Section 2 score + 2xSection 3 score)/4
Note however, that some universities use a slightly different weighting, with all sections weighted equally - For further details review our guide below:
The Definitive Guide to GAMSAT Results
Australian Graduate Schools: Medical Admissions Guide
