Physics for the GAMSAT…why bother?

As each GAMSAT^® season approaches, it’s not uncommon to hear hopeful medical candidates having conversations about the GAMSAT Physics in university corridors. It’s not uncommon to hear lines such as these: 

          “‘I haven’t done Physics in years, so I’m just not going to bother with it. It’s only worth 20% of one section. If I focus on chem and bio and have them down pat, then I won’t even need the marks from the Physics stuff!”’

          “‘I’m just going to guess the answers and hope I get some of them right. Just under two minutes is nowhere near enough time to answer a Physics question!”’

          “‘I’m fairly confident about section 1, so I figure, why spend so much time focusing on Physics? If I just get all the marks that I can from chem and bio, and the other 20% won’t even matter.”

...And so on.

Many of the candidates we see here at GradReady enter their GAMSAT preparation with a strong background in biology, chemistry or both. On the other hand, while many candidates did Physics at the high school level, the majority of them haven’t given it much thought since and thus the GAMSAT^® with its Physics questions poses an unwelcome opportunity to revisit work that some felt they’d escaped when they left high school. While we’d hope that few candidates would fall into the trap of avoiding Physics questions entirely and believing that their biology and chemistry will ‘get them through’, here’s everything you need to know for GAMSAT 2023 and a list of the reasons to invest at least some of your time in preparing for these questions.

 

GAMSAT Physics: It makes a difference

Many GAMSAT^® candidates have confessed to our tutors that they avoided Physics because they found it difficult or weren’t convinced that it was going to play a part in their success. It was only when they didn’t get the mark that they needed that they “‘bit the bullet”’ and invested some time in it. It is true that Physics is intimidating. It's scary even for those who have an educational background in science, let alone those who are preparing for the GAMSAT from a non-science background.

While doing physics questions, some were skeptical about their ability to understand what the questions were talking about, while others were intimidated by the prospect of doing Physics without a calculator but you have nothing to fear. Learn how to answer questions without a calculator in our guide on No Calculator…No Worries. However, most candidates found that Physics, like everything else, just takes some practice to get the hang of, and were able to confidently attempt questions when they re-sat the GAMSAT^®. It makes a difference when you consistently practice the questions. See some of our Free GAMSAT Practice Questions and Materials which can help you prepare for the exam. In many cases, this extra investment in Physics was enough to bring candidates over the line and score them an offer for medical school. Remember: many candidates are intimidated by Physics and fall into the trap of “writing it off,” so preparing for the Physics section will help you to get the marks that will be missed by those candidates! 

GAMSAT Physics: The preambles tend to be shorter

Ever looked at a five-part chemistry question and wondered how you’ll get through the reading, answer the questions, and simultaneously stay within the time limit?

The good news with GAMSAT^®-style Physics questions is that they often have much shorter preambles than their counterparts. This means that being able to do Physics questions quickly and accurately will both give you marks and leave you more time for other questions. It’s recommended that you start your GAMSAT^® preparation early in order to give you time to identify your weaknesses and make necessary adjustments. If you're not sure when you should start preparing for the GAMSAT^® make sure to download our free GAMSAT Study Syllabus. It will help you form a plan for tackling the GAMSAT^® and with a massive exam like this, having a good plan can make all the difference. 

 

GAMSAT Physics: You can target your study

Over the years we’ve seen some Physics topics and concepts arise more than others in the GAMSAT^®. For example, nuclear Physics questions have been common in the exam. By identifying topics which have come up more often, you can tailor your study and choose to practice with questions relating to these topics first.

However, it is still very important to keep in mind that nobody can make guarantees about the specific content of the GAMSAT^®. As such, it would be wise to ensure that you are well-prepared for most topics. It is perfectly possible that you’ll see a question on a topic that is rarely examined.

So where to now if you have been avoiding Physics and want to make a start? A good first step is to look at the kinds of questions you’ll be getting - you’ll get access to some practice questions when you register for the GAMSAT ACER. Following this, look elsewhere and ask others for resources which helped them when preparing for the GAMSAT^®. GradReady also has GAMSAT preparation courses on offer to help you prepare, which all come with access to our bank of practice questions and 8 online exams. We’ve recently updated our Online Exam System. The user interface now closely mimics the official ACER GAMSAT exam, allowing you to familiarise yourself with the online delivery of the exam before test date! 

Finally, if you are convinced now that you should take GAMSAT^® Physics preparation into account, our Free GAMSAT Physics Formula Sheet is a great place to start because it provides you the main formula needed to ace the Physics section of the GAMSAT^®. You can use it all the way through your preparation, or use it as a model to create your own formula list from. Good luck with your exam preparation! You are already one step ahead of the other students by acknowledging that GAMSAT^® Physics preparation is important.