Should I go into medicine?

An old consultant of mine in the hospital (who was also a self-professed horticulturalist) loved to sprout botanical idioms into our teaching sessions from time to time. Sometimes they were for comedic relief, but occasionally, they were also food for thought. I recall asking him whether his particular specialty was ‘worth it’ and he responded somewhat oddly, “Was the juice worth the squeeze? Yeah, I’d say so.” I think it’s important to ask yourself a similar question when it comes to applying to Australian medical schools.

It’s important to do an honest assessment as to whether medicine may be a good fit for you, because the career is a very big undertaking. What are the things that you value in considering a future career? Engaging and fulfilling work? Capacity to contribute to the lives of others? Scientific inquiry? Financial stability? Lifestyle? The answer to this question will vary from individual to individual, with no combination being necessarily right or wrong.

There are some realities when it comes to studying medicine that can sometimes be lost in the glitter of the profession. Pursuing medicine as a career has its difficulties - gaining admission is the first. I solemnly do believe that the hardest aspect of medicine that I have experienced so far is getting into medical school. I think many of our very hard working students here at GradReady can take solace in that fact; it is relatively down-hill from here (…relatively)!

One of the components involved is sitting the GAMSAT Exam. This certainly isn’t getting easier either, especially after ACER announced in November 2022 that GAMSAT^® Exam scores would now be valid for four years instead of two. More GAMSAT scores means a larger pool of scores people may apply with. Indeed, it is quite impossible these days to rock up to the GAMSAT^® Exam and expect to achieve a passing score that many of my colleagues seemingly did a few years ago. Neither is it really possible, or practical, to aimlessly read textbooks for 3 months and expect to be able to tackle reasoning-based GAMSAT^® Exam questions with authority.

Nevertheless, my opinion remains that something being challenging shouldn’t deter someone from doing it if it’s what they want. That same consultant I had also encouraged me regularly to aim high or you’ll shoot yourself in the foot. If you are certain that studying medicine and helping people is your passion, then perhaps you should give it a try, lest you regret it later. It's certainly not an easy path, but it is a very rewarding one.

Once you determine this for yourself, the next question becomes, what can I do to give myself the best chance of gaining admission into medicine?

Below, I’ve summarized some of the strategies that worked for me to achieve a 99th percentile overall score in my GAMSAT^® sitting, which will hopefully be of benefit for you in your preparation.

The best time to start was yesterday, the next best time is now.

Having an idea of when you want to sit the GAMSAT will allow you to plan and prepare accordingly. For the record, I started preparing about six months before my sitting and I found that was a very adequate amount of GAMSAT preparation. Some people may prefer more, some less. Regardless, get yourself a calendar, plan it out in advance, and to the best of your ability, stick to the plan. What may feel like hours upon hours of difficult study now is working towards getting you a medical school interview offer and subsequently studying to become a doctor.

Good practice makes perfect.

There’s not much utility spending hours upon hours aimlessly reading textbooks. During your preparation, it is crucial that you have some direction in your study, and you actually focus on specific GAMSAT Practice Questions and Materials. As ACER produces such broad guidelines as to what you should be studying (i.e. ‘first-year university biology’), it is quite futile to attempt to master every section to the broadest limits that you are set. Having direction, tailored practice, and ongoing support will not only help you be ready to sit the GAMSAT^® Exam, but you will also allow you to have the confidence to answer questions that you likely won’t be familiar with on the exam day. In summary, the best way to practice for a problem-solving exam is to practice solving problems.  

Play to your strengths.

It’s important to identify what you’re good at for a few reasons, both for your practice, and for the exam day. You may choose to spend less time practicing your strengths to allow for more practice towards improving your weaknesses. In my case, I felt confident in my science stuff, but not so confident in my humanities knowledge. In the exam itself, it may not be worth spending five minutes on an unfamiliar question when you could be answering a few questions in an area you’re better at.

Focus on your weaknesses.

Sometimes, you need to feel like you’re taking a step back before you can take two steps forward. Getting a few questions wrong in an area that you don’t feel confident in will illustrate areas for improvement. Diligently focusing on these areas will slowly contribute to a more robust exam sitting. We all love doing what we’re good at, but the real difference in the GAMSAT^® is made by improving the weak areas.

Those are just some of the tools I found helpful in preparing for my GAMSAT^® sitting.

While I think it’s important to have a disciplined and focused approach to the GAMSAT exam, it’s important to keep in mind that it is common for people to sit the GAMSAT more than once, and it is common that people don’t gain admission into medicine on their first attempt. This is a good example of where additional resources such as GAMSAT courses can provide assistance and guidance on how to effectively approach the GAMSAT^® exam and maximise one’s results.

For more information, check out our other article How to Become a Doctor in Australia.