What is the GAMSAT
(Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test)

What is the purpose of the GAMSAT?

• The Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences Section aims to evaluate a student's ability to sift through information, understand the information given, identify key points, make justifiable deductions, and to select the 'best answer'.
• The Written Communication Section is designed to test the student's ability to synthesise ideas in response to a set of prompts, and to communicate these ideas to an unknown audience under strict time pressure.
• The Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences Section aims to test the ability to apply learned knowledge of physiological systems to new information or data, or to understand new information presented and to use it to answer questions.

GAMSAT Information

In essence, the exam is designed to assess your analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as how you organise and communicate your ideas, in order to select candidates for Graduate Entry Medical Studies. The GAMSAT ^@ tests skills that will be needed both as a medical student and as a professional.

In hospitals, interactions with patients begin by trying to understand the medical and social history of a patient. You must be focused and consider all details of a patient's story in order to determine their physical and mental state, and thus provide medical care. The best medical students and professionals are able to provide holistic care in response to a person's situation. Imagine a person fractures their femur and comes to a hospital for care. There's no point sending them home with a repaired femur if they live alone in an upstairs bedroom with no railing. GAMSAT ^® Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences aims to evaluate a student's ability to sift through information, identify key points, and make justifiable deductions as is critical in the life of a medical professional.

Communication is another essential skill in all medical professions. You need to be able to convey information clearly and empathetically to patients and their families, as well as communicating concisely and accurately with other medical professionals. More broadly, scientific communication is an essential ingredient in the trust communities will place in healthcare. GAMSAT ^® Written Communication is designed to test your ability to communicate ideas to an unknown audience under strict time pressure.

Medical decisions and strategies are almost always based on assessments of data, scientific information and systems. The ability to interpret patterns and anomalies, and use this to make decisions regarding a person's health, is key in life as a medical professional. This information can come in almost limitless forms, whether that be imaging, blood tests, ECGs, histories or examinations. A good medical professional and medical students will have the ability to apply their learned knowledge of physiological systems to new information or data. These are the skills that are tested in GAMSAT ^® Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences.

Do I need to complete the GAMSAT Exam to study medicine?

To study medicine in Australia as a graduate, you will most likely have to complete the GAMSAT ^® exam . There are currently 15 Medical Schools that provide a Graduate Entry Medical Program, 13 of which require the GAMSAT ^® exam - for a full list, see further down this guide here.

The exceptions to the pattern are the Graduate Entry Medical Programs offered at Monash University and at Bond University. The GAMSAT ^® Exam was removed as an admissions criteria for Monash University in 2017, and is no longer required. Note, however, that domestic applicants for the Graduate Entry Medical Program at Monash University must have completed one of the approved bachelor degrees at Monash University - that is to say that external domestic applicants are no longer accepted.

For more details on the Monash University Medical School, you can visit their website.

Bond University is a private university and has a totally separate entry process to GEMSAS. Intake for the academic year, and therefore the application deadlines, also occur at different times to the other universities. More information can be found on their website.

It's also important to note that there are undergraduate pathways to medicine. If you plan to take this path, you'll need to take the UCAT ^® exam.

Is GAMSAT Harder Than UCAT?

The general consensus is that the GAMSAT ACER exam is harder than the UCAT ^® . This is due to the following reasons:

• The GAMSAT ^® exam is nearly three times longer than the UCAT ^®
• The UCAT ^® has no assumed knowledge, it is rather concerned with transferable skills as it is targeted to upper secondary school students. However, the GAMSAT ^® exam requires specialist knowledge of Year 12 and first year university level physics, chemistry and biology
• There are no essays in the UCAT ^®
• The UCAT ^® is a more structured exam and is therefore easier to prepare for, whereas the GAMSAT ^® covers expansive curriculum areas

For more information about the difference between GAMSAT ^® and UCAT ^® , check out our guide on UCAT ^® vs GAMSAT ^® .

How do I apply for the GAMSAT Exam?

The GAMSAT ^® exam is offered twice a year, once in March and once in September. To find the most up-to-date information on registration dates and requirements, you should visit the official ACER website.

There are also different fees associated with completing the GAMSAT ^® exam, so it is important to make sure you are aware of the registration dates and late windows. Visit our guide to GAMSAT ^® 2025 to learn more about this.

In order to sit the GAMSAT ^® exam students must create an online account and provide a valid email address. This account will be used for all communication with ACER, including test times, accessing the actual exam and finding your results.

How do I know if I am eligible for the GAMSAT exam?

GAMSAT ^® eligibility is determined mainly by your progress through a Bachelor or undergraduate degree, and your intentions to study a course where the GAMSAT ^® is a prerequisite. You are eligible to sit the GAMSAT ^® exam if you have completed a Bachelor or undergraduate honours degree, or if you will be in the penultimate or final year of your degree at the point of taking the exam. The best place to find the most up-to-date information on eligibility for the GAMSAT ^® exam is on the official ACER website, which you can find here.

In almost all cases, you are still eligible to take the GAMSAT ^® exam and be accepted into a medical school if you have studied an undergraduate degree in a non-scientific field. Many of our students are from non-science backgrounds. GAMSAT ^® preparation from a non-science background may be challenging, but it's not impossible. In fact, students from a non-science background may find the first two sections of the exam significantly easier than students with a science background. Very few prerequisite requirements exist for Australian graduate-entry medical schools, with only the University of Queensland requiring the completion of certain subjects (or their equivalents). For further information, refer to the UQ website here. Of course, these requirements can change and you should consult the official course requirements of the specific university to find out what subjects or degrees are required. It is also worth noting that while a scientific background is not essential for eligibility in the GAMSAT ^® exam, it is necessary to have a relatively well-founded biological and physical knowledge-set in order to perform well in the exam.

There is a special case for students at the University of Exeter Medical School and Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine & Dentistry in the UK if you believe you have sufficient intellectual maturity and subject knowledge to meet the demands of the test.

What GPA Do You Need to Sit the GAMSAT?

There is no hard and fast rule concerning your GPA, however, it would be extremely beneficial to have a GPA of 6.0 and above. This is because you may not necessarily have to score as high in the GAMSAT ^® exam when you have a higher GPA as most universities consider your GAMSAT ^® score, GPA, and medical school interview score when deciding whether to offer a place.

Visit our blog article to learn more about what options you have for studying medicine with a low GPA.

How Long is GAMSAT Valid For?

As of a change announced by ACER in November 2022, your GAMSAT ^® results are now valid for four years in Australia. Previously, results were only valid for two years. For example, if you sat the exam during March 2024, the result will be valid for your:

• 2025 application for a program commencing in 2026;
• 2026 application for a program commencing in 2027;
• 2027 application for a program commencing in 2028.

In addition, this change is backdated, so GAMSAT ^® exam results from September 2021 can be used for medical schools application in 2025 with a 2026 start.

Note that the below information is specific to Australian medical schools and the details may differ, particularly for students based in the UK - Students in the UK should check the details on ACER's website here.

Currency of GAMSAT ^® Results

Results from a September Sitting cannot be used for an application in that same year for commencement in the subsequent year. For example, if you sit the September 2024 GAMSAT ^® Exam, you will be able to use the results of this exam for application in 2025 for a program commencing in 2026, for application in 2026 for a program starting in 2027, for application in 2027 for a program starting in 2028, and for application in 2028 for a program starting in 2029. You won’t be able to use this result for an application in 2024 for 2025 entry. This is because medical school applications, which require submission of GAMSAT ^® scores, start around May with offers for interviews being made from August to September.

In November 2022, ACER announced that your GAMSAT ^® results are now valid for four years. Previously, results were only valid for two years. This change is backdated, so GAMSAT ^® exam results from September 2021 can be used for medical schools application in 2025 with a 2026 start.

Note that the above information is specific to Australian universities and the details may differ, particularly for students based in the UK. To learn more about sitting the GAMSAT ^® Exam this year, read the ACER Admissions Guide.

To learn more about how GAMSAT ^® Scores are actually calculated, visit our guide: Understanding your GAMSAT ^® Scores.

To learn more about sitting the GAMSAT ^® exam in 2025, visit our guide to GAMSAT ^® 2025.

To learn more about applying for Graduate Entry Medical Schools in Australia and the different admissions criteria and weightings, visit our guide: Australian Medical Schools - Entry Requirements.

GAMSAT Exam Structure

Since 2020, the exam has been administered in a digital format.

In addition, in November 2022, ACER announced that GAMSAT ^® Exam results are now valid for 4 years instead of the usual 2. You can learn more about how this major change affects your GAMSAT ^® Preparation and medical school application through our comprehensive guide to GAMSAT ^® 2024.

In 2024, the exam was split into two distinct test windows. The initial window focuses on the Written Communication Section, which will be administered through remote proctoring for all participants. The next test window, usually about 2 weeks after the initial one, encompasses the Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences. These sections will be undertaken at physical test centers, occurring approximately two weeks subsequent to the Written Communication test window.

Current GAMSAT Exam Structure

Remote Proctored Component

Test Centre Component

ACER has now also released their 2024 GAMSAT ^® Information Booklet with details on the format of the exam.

Although the total test time is itself around 4 hours and 10 minutes for the Test Centre Component, ACER recommends that you be prepared to spend at least 5.5 hours at the test centre due to registration and procedural time. As such, it can be argued that the GAMSAT ^® Exam is as much a test of perseverance and stamina as it is a test of your analysis and critical thinking skills.

ACER will randomly allocate candidates to testing venues and sessions in their selected test centre location. This is subject to candidate demand and the availability of testing venues at that location. ACER advises to register early as places may be limited.

Candidates should be aware that, if changes to government restrictions for COVID-19 mean the exam can no longer be conducted at an allocated test centre, ACER will contact all affected candidates by email with further instructions. ACER notes as well that “should you choose not to, or cannot, undertake a sitting of GAMSAT ^® at a test centre that can remain open and host the GAMSAT ^® under the relevant restrictions, in those circumstances ACER is under no obligation to provide alternative arrangements for you to undertake the GAMSAT ^®.

The structure of the GAMSAT ^® Exam has undergone several revisions, outlined in detail below.

For the current format, there is a 30 minute break between the Humanities and Science sections. Although the total testing time at the physical test centers is 4 hours and 10 minutes, ACER recommends that students should anticipate being at the test center for 5.5 hours with the break and administrative time.

When sitting the GAMSAT ^® Exam, students are allowed two (2) sheets for the Written Communication Section, and four (4) sheets for the Humanities and Biological Sciences test Sections (2 sheets per section). In regards to other equipment allowed during the exam, this is comprehensively covered on page 14 of the ACER Information Booklet. Also outlined in the information booklet is that students should make sure that they have the correct identification documents prepared before exam day, as well as their Admission Ticket.

For more information on the exam day itself and how to register for the GAMSAT ^® Exam, visit our guide to taking the GAMSAT ^® Exam in 2024:
GAMSAT ^® 2024 - What you need to know

Download our GAMSAT ^® Study Syllabus for a full list of science topics as well as tips and advice for humanities:

Your overall score is in general determined as follows:

Note however that there are some exceptions to this formula - to learn more about how GAMSAT ^® scoring works and view different university score cutoffs, visit our GAMSAT ^® Results Guide

Previous GAMSAT Exam Structure

Paper GAMSAT Exam Structure

A quick glance of the numbers above should reveal that the paper GAMSAT ^® Exam was a real marathon, with around 6 hours of testing time - Students could in fact expect to remain at the venue for roughly 8-9 hours including administrative time and the 1 hour lunch break.

That is not to say that the new digital format is any less gruelling - Indeed there are additional challenges posed by the digital test, including an inability to directly annotate questions as well as the added element of eye strain from viewing a device screen for such an extended period of time.

May 2020 Online GAMSAT Exam Structure

Interestingly, this particular sitting was delivered remotely with online proctoring. In addition, Section 1 & 2 was conducted in a different session from Section 3. Students could sit Section 1 & 2 on a particular day and Section 3 roughly a week later. There was no separate reading time for this sitting - Reading time was incorporated into the writing time.

It now appears that the format of the May 2020 Online GAMSAT ^® Exam will remain a one-off occurrence, reflective of the unique and challenging circumstances at the beginning of 2020 and COVID-19.

2021 GAMSAT Exam Structure

From September 2020 onwards, the GAMSAT exam moved to a computer based test delivered in supervised test centres, rather than remotely. The above exam structure ran from September 2020 - September 2021, and included a 30 mins lunch break rather than a 1 hour lunch break. Due to the shortened duration, ACER ran two sittings a day, with a morning sitting at around 7 AM and an afternoon sitting at 2PM.

GAMSAT Exam - Theory vs Problem Based Learning

It is important to remember that the GAMSAT ^® exam is focused on examining your reasoning and problem solving skills rather than your recall of specific content. This applies in particular to Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences . Although the assumed knowledge is equivalent to first year university levels of biology and chemistry along with a Year 12 level of physics, you will largely be faced with advanced-level, novel content designed to assess your reasoning skills. In fact, over the past two years we've seen a shift in the GAMSAT exam away from content-based MCQs towards MCQs designed to test your reasoning skills with a greater emphasis on graphs, diagrams and mathematical relationships.

In this sense, the GAMSAT ^® Exam is entirely different to a typical university assessment and as such, your preparation also needs to adapt accordingly.

A common error is for students to prepare for the GAMSAT ^® Exam as though it were a knowledge-based one. Although understanding the foundational content is absolutely key to your success, the greater focus must lie in learning to apply that knowledge, using it in a problem-solving setting, and ultimately developing your reasoning skills to equip you to properly handle novel content - i.e. Problem Based Learning (you can learn more here ). ACER states:

That's why our GradReady GAMSAT ^® Preparation Courses focus on first building the foundational content before honing in on how to best apply that knowledge in the reasoning and problem solving environment of the GAMSAT ^® Exam. We focus on problem-based learning, all whilst letting you familiarise yourself with the question formats and helping you build up MCQ strategies.

Sign up for our GAMSAT Free Trial today, which includes 50 MCQs from our Intelligent MCQ Bank, access to our week-by-week study guide for each section, and a wealth of our GAMSAT resources:

Which Universities require the GAMSAT Exam?

There are currently 15 Medical Schools that provide a Graduate Entry Medical Program, 13 of which require the GAMSAT ^® exam.

Of these 13, 10 are members of the GAMSAT ^® Consortium and their medical courses are participants in GEMSAS (Graduate Entry Medical Schools Admissions System) . GEMSAS acts as a single hub for applications to the 10 medical schools that make up its members. It manages applications, calculates grade point averages (GPAs) and applies individual school selection rules to allocate and organise interview and course offers to candidates around Australia. For more details, you can visit their website and review the most up to date Admissions Guide.

Three Medical Schools, the University of Sydney and Flinders University and the University of Tasmania are not part of GEMSAS, but still require the GAMSAT ^® exam as well as separate, direct applications.

Medical Schools that require the GAMSAT ^® exam include:

In addition, the GAMSAT ^® is required for the following courses:

Monash University is the final Medical School to provide a Graduate Entry Medical Program. However, the GAMSAT ^® Exam was removed as an admissions criteria in 2017, and is no longer required. Note however that domestic applicants for the Graduate Entry Medical Program at Monash University must have completed one of the approved bachelor degrees at Monash University - that is to say that external domestic applicants are no longer accepted.

For more details on the Monash University Medical School, you can visit their website.

Bond University is a private university and has a totally separate entry process to GEMSAS. Intake for the academic year, and therefore the application deadlines, also occur at different times to the other universities. More information can be found on their website

To learn more about the different Graduate Entry Medical Schools in Australia and their different admission requirements, visit our guide: Australian Medical Schools: Entry Requirements.

GAMSAT Preparation Materials

Now that you've got some background on the GAMSAT ^® Exam, visit some of our other free resources to learn more:

1. GAMSAT ^® 2025

   Everything you need to know about the GAMSAT ^® Exams in 2025 from registration dates to locations.

2. How to study for the GAMSAT ^® Exam

   A breakdown of how to approach study effectively and how to set up a GAMSAT ^® study schedule

3. Understanding your GAMSAT ^® Results

   Covers everything you need to know about your GAMSAT ^® Results - How the scoring works, result release dates and even GAMSAT ^® score cutoffs.

4. GAMSAT ^® Non-Science Background: How to Prepare

   A breakdown of how to approach GAMSAT ^® study effectively if you come from a non-science background.

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In addition, you can read this ten-year retrospective overview of the GAMSAT ^® Exam which includes a breakdown of candidates' performance: GAMSAT ^® Exam - Retrospective Review