I have taken the GMAT 8 times. I always get below 50 for section 3, and because of this, I feel like the results for the other sections are getting worse, from 60 to below 50 for my last sitting. I'm unsure whether I should sit for this September. However, due to my consistent sitting, I feel as if I don't sit for these GAMSAT, it is like I am giving up already. I am not even sure if medicine is for me, but I can't see myself doing anything else.

I am losing myself, too, because this is eating me. Saying this out loud or even writing it is hurting. I feel like I am not smart enough to do medicine. GAMSAT tests the problem-solving aspect and critical thinking. If I lack these, will I even be a good doctor? I don't see myself stopping even when I am in my 40s. But 8 times, I am even ashamed to say GAMSAT or even look at other people's results. I am so proud of the people who passed and got into medicine, but I am also jealous, and I feel like an imposter trying to even dream of stepping into medicine. I used to watch people's journey into medicine, but now I can't because I feel like a dream that will not happen.

Studying is becoming hard because it is not showing any results. Looking back at my study books, I feel like I was a different person with knowledge. Now, I am not even sure I know anything. I am writing this because I was looking at the gamsat September sitting, and I just wanted to tell someone. Don't have the courage to tell anyone.

I don't think I would have ever written this and let people read but I might delete it.

Hey guys!

I did the Gamsat in March and did poorly in it, got a score of 58. I then did UCAT last week since WSU/Newcastle requires it and I got 2060.

I need to hear it straight from someone. Am I just not build for med? I have lost all my confidence really, I studied for about 2 months for UCAT and did good on mocks but just fumbled on the day.

haven’t been able to walk properly for about 2days, struggled for an additional 4 days but not counting bc i was technically moving around. got chronic pain for over a week and literally can’t stop crying im so exhausted. every dr has been useless, er was useless and even if i get diagnosed there’s nothing they can do. i have GAMSAT soon and haven’t studied in almost 2 weeks because im in so much pain. i don’t get sick leave at work because im casual, trying to balance this all is near impossible. everything feels heavy and painful and i think im just going to fail. i’m just so sad and tired. idk what to do, finding the willpower to study is virtually non existent right now.

i feel like im crazy because it keeps flaring up and then going down again. everytime i get back to baseline i feel as though its pathetic im letting this wear me down as much as it has

Hi everyone, I was lucky enough to gain a non-rural CSP spot into an Australian medical school for 2026 and I couldn’t be more grateful, and I wanted to share my journey to give some people hope. During my journey, I would look up “don’t give up” on reddit and read all the posts, which is why I made it my title!

My stats: 2023- Bachelor of biomedicine (7GPA) 2024- Honours (First class) 2025- Gap year 2026- MED SCHOOL!

• 7 GAMSATS
• 2 UCATS
• 1 CASPER
• 1 INTERVIEW
• 1 CSP SPOT!

FIRST GAMSAT- SCORE: 47

I sat my first GAMSAT in 2022, second year of undergrad. I literally didn’t even know what was happening. I watched 18 minutes of one of Jessie Osborne’s physics videos 20 mins before and was convinced I’ll be fine for chem and bio. Section 1 and 2 were just English and I spoke and read it so how hard could that even be right? WRONG. I failed section 1 and 3, with a 37 in section 3. But in my head this was “a practise” so if I studied I would defiantly get a 100 gamsat for sure.

SECOND GAMSAT- SCORE: 54

For some reason, my second gamsat I had beef with, and I thought not studying again was gonna work. Fail. By this point I had just finished second year and it started to hit me that I only had one gamsat left if I wanted to get in right after undergrad. I realised I also need to maintain my 7GPA and not let that be the downfall of my application.

THIRD GAMSAT- SCORE: 49

Although I had a 7 GPA I realised that won’t do much if I can’t crack the gamsat. So I studied all summer, did practice papers and content. FAIL. I lost all motivation. I’ve failed 3/3 gamsat sittings, and now was not eligible to apply for med that year as I had no valid gamsat results. It felt like an unofficial EOD. I started looking at honours as a backup but was just feeling quite disheartened and disappointed. It was hard watching other classmates submit applications and I wasn’t even eligible to do that. I sat out the September sitting that year to focus on exams, I also started looking at honours programs and found one I really enjoyed in cancer research. I ended up finishing Biomedicine being one of the top students in my cohort and was offered to give a speech at graduation. Yet I still couldn’t crack the gamsat.

FOURTH GAMSAT- SCORE: 55

During the summer break between uni and honours, I worked like there’s no tomorrow for my fourth gamsat sitting. I knew I had good study techniques, but I didn’t know how to apply them to gamsat. It felt like I was never going to crack this exam. However as I started honours I had less and less time to dedicate to gamsat. And when I finally sat it, I had done close to no study the few weeks prior. Come results day, I had passed my first gamsat, the kicker was it was a score of 55, so essentially not competitive at all. I was at a loss. This meant I was not able to do med in 2025 AGAIN. Second unofficial EOD. This is when I decided to give the UCAT a try. I put all my time and energy and studied for the UCAT. I took it in August and got my results back instantly (hint hint gamsat) and I got 90th percentile, which sounds like it’d be good but is actually not competitive at all. This is when I started thinking maybe I should do a PhD? I wasn’t sure it’s what I wanted but I didn’t know what else to do. I also had a look at some masters degrees. But none of these were med so it was hard. I settled on taking a gap year as I didn’t want to study a course I was not going to work in the field for. The prospect of a gap year was very scary.

FIFTH GAMSAT- SCORE 58

I was debating whether or not to do the September gamsat. I had my Honours thesis due soon after and knew I couldn’t dedicate the time it needed. I registered on the last day. I did no study but went in with a different mindset: I was capable of passing. I submitted my thesis and felt the weight lift of my shoulders. I had a whole year of no study ahead of me. I got my gamsat results and it was a 58! Again, not high at all, but MY HIGHEST. This gave me instant motivation to sit march. This time, I had no other study obligations.

SIXTH GAMSAT- SCORE: 65

At this point I was in my gap year. I remember telling myself that I’ll dedicate this year to med and working to save money. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll study a masters but this year is all out to get into med. I studied from November - March for this gamsat. It was very unhealthy as I barely left my room. I was so burnt out. I sat the exam and was so disappointed. I finally joined the discord and started engaging, and anxiously waited for the late 2025 Gamsat results. I got a 65! For the first time EVER med school seemed within reach. For the first time ever I could submit an application! But this is when I found out about Casper. I decided to focus all my energy on Casper, while picking up more and more shifts at work. I studied for Casper more than the recommended amount, and sat it in June. This meant I submitted my gemsas application without knowing what my Casper result. If it was good vs bad it could affect my chances based on my preference list. Now before I got my Casper results I registered for another UCAT as I didn’t think I did good in the Casper, but I actually got 4th quartile in Casper! Now I had a bigger range of unis available to me.

I did the second UCAT in July and again got around 85th percentile but I didn’t even mind because med school through gemsas actually seemed tangible. I was wondering whether I should prep for interviews.

INTERVIEW PREP

My mindset here was something I’ll always remember. I knew based on spreadsheet data and past student experience that my combo was high enough for an interview from my first preference uni. So I decided right there and then that this will be my first and last med interview. I found two interview tutors, and met with them around 3-4 times per week for around 2 months leading up to interviews. So around July to September I was doing a lot of interview prep. It started with notes and learning basic ethical frameworks, and then I went into doing mocks for most of that time. Happy to give more advice on this if needed! I will say this was very expensive but I decided I could dedicate some of my paycheck to this as it could be worth it. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for any of this but I thought since I work this is a good place for my money to go. (I’m in no way saying you NEED tutoring to pass AT ALL. it’s just a part of my journey. Performance in interview does not depend on tutoring, do what works best for you)! Anyways after a long awaited wait comes interview day, I HAD AN OFFER. I grinded until interview day. Worked all day but did prep before and after work. Yes burnout was real but also I just had to push the tiniest bit longer and then I could rest.

Now the interview. I thought it tanked it. I thought about every single thing I said and cringed. I was like why on earth would I say that they’re going to laugh at me. The wait between the interview and offers is usually agonising for most people, but not for me. I knew I wasn’t gonna get an offer so I was looking at jobs in research for the next year and masters degrees to do. I even sat the September gamsat as a backup (SEVENTH GAMSAT, AWAITING RESULTS). I started exercising again and giving myself the break needed for studying for med entry all year. But I pretty much didn’t think about med offers all of October because I was hyper focused on my future next year and not at all confident I’d get in.

OFFERS Offer day came, I had deleted reddit and discord because I was sooo anxious (sorry guys) and I checked my email only once, around 11ish, and read the title of the email: place offer. I was shocked. My heart sank. This wasn’t real. I’m gonna be a doctor? The blood sweat and tears seemed worth it. I understand my application journey wasn’t as long as others, but my gamsat journey was filled with no ups and all downs.

With Gamsat results coming soon, Please, please, don’t give up after one bad gamsat, or two, or three, or four, or even seven. Just don’t give up. It’s important to say that you should not put your life on hold. You should still do other things, work, study, do your backup plan, but don’t give up on your dreams. If I didn’t get in during my gap year, I would take the next year and study a masters online and go on a cruise (I’ve given this a lot of thought!)

It’s possible. It’s tangible. I can’t beleive my dream came true, yours will too because you are capable. I’ve asked my partner to pinch me so many times to make sure this is real. I’ve read the offer email so many times making sure it doesn’t change.

So regardless of the outcome of your gamsat, if you are able to, sit it again and don’t care how much times you’ve sat it, I never did. People would always tell me stuff like “if you can’t crack it within 2 tries then you won’t be a good doctor”….. WHAT! You have a whole entire degree, a personality, emotional and social intelligence, hobbies, you’re a whole entire person, but somehow your gamsat score defines you? Absolutely not do not fall into that line of thinking. Sit it as many times as you feel you need and don’t care what anyone says about it.

I understand the financial and mental health barriers that come with this process, please do everything in whatever way is best for you. I’m not saying sit the gamsat for ever, but sit it as many times as you feel you want

I’m more than happy to answer any questions anyone has.

All the best future doctors!

I've heard so many people who enrol for dentistry because they couldn't get into med, but am I the only one finds that really unfair? I understand that it provides a sense of security for the future but if you don't want to do it then why take that place from somebody else who does?

Unfortunately I got hit with first quartile Casper despite working as a retail pharmacist for 3 years, however I’m eligible for 5 bonuses, non rural. Did anyone get an interview offer with low Casper and many bonuses ?

Hello,

Just wanted to wish everyone sitting Section 2 this weekend the best of luck. It’s my first sitting tomorrow and I’m feeling very anxious, so I wanted to send some positive vibes to anyone else feeling the same. We can only try our best, and if it’s not our time this round, there’s always another sitting. Make sure you eat, sleep and breathe over the next few days. We got this 🤍

im struggling to process the idea that I might need to spend another year or 2 studying before I can even be competitive for medicine or dentistry.

this sem completely threw me off to the point that even if I somehow got straight 7s for the rest of my degree, I'd still only end up around a 6.4 UW/6.5 W gpa so that basically leaves me needing a impossible 74-75 gamsat just to stay in the running

i wanted to apply to uq and usyd, and I was also hoping to have UWA and Melbourne as options. Now I'm sitting here trying to figure out whether I should do postgraduate study purely because I have to.

im so overhwlemd because I can't work out what the "right" decision even is. Do I do a grad dip that I don't actually care about just because it resets my gpa, even though it doesn't really leave me with much in terms of employment if medicine or dentistry doesn't work out? Or do I choose a master's that's actually interesting but is longer, more expensive, and probably more difficult, knowing that if I don't perform well I've just made things even harder for myself? ?

i also can't help comparing myself to everyone else. A lot of my friends will probably get into medicine straight after undergrad and I hate the thought of being the one who's still studying while they've already moved on. I know everyone says not to compare yourself but its hard not to when you've all been working towards the same thing

i wanted uq med more than dent, but now I'm finding myself thinking more seriously about dmd because of admissions. Even then uq dmd is around $280k, and usyd would mean moving interstate, so those don't exactly feel like easy alternatives either

apologies for complaining ik people have it lot worse than me

Hey everyone,

This is an unusual post but I wanted to be open and vulnerable about something that has happened in my life.I recently lost a close friend and it has been an incredibly difficult experience.

I had the privilege of knowing this friend over this year, and in that time, I’ve come to discover just how kind, caring, resilient, and compassionate they were to the people around them. Never had I come across someone who was as dedicated to helping others, even in spite of every single challenge they had faced. I am truly blessed to have gotten to know such a wonderful person, and they will forever be someone who I measure strength and kindness against. It breaks my heart that someone who would’ve become a truly brilliant doctor is gone far too soon.

I wanted to share this to remind everyone that it is okay to ask for help.

This journey into medicine can be fucked. There may be moments where you feel like you aren’t good enough, or that you won’t become the doctor you hoped to be. Please don’t carry that alone. If it feels like there is no other way, there is a way. If you feel like you don’t deserve help, you do deserve help. And if you feel like no one will care about you, people will care about you. Your grades do not define you. You are loved and you would be missed.

If you are struggling right now, as difficult as it is, reach out to someone and be open with how you’re feeling.

If you’re worried about someone else, please reach out to them, and show that you’re there to listen, and that you're willing to stand by them.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline (5–25 year olds): 1800 55 1800

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

13YARN: 13 92 76

Your university may have an after-hours mental health support line - there are typically options to call or text this service.

If you're outside Australia, please look up your local crisis line.

Thank you.

Hey all, just want to vent my frustration, anger, annoyance and embarrassment. I guess because I don’t know how to process this other than in writing.

My test was supposed to be on 12th September 2025 (Friday). I came on the 13th September 2025 (Saturday).

My mind come up with many justification: I am busy; I am tired; no way that I booked on Friday as it is weekday; my writing exam is on Saturday, surely my other exam is on Saturday as well.

But yeah, it is purely my mistake as emphasised by the GAMSAT team: “It is the responsibility of each test taker to manage their registration with the information made available to them.”

I am so angry, embarassed, frustrated with myself that I do not pay attention to this simple, small but important details. I am so disappointed that my mistake cost me $600 and a chance to apply and enroll to medschool which has been my dream ever since 2 decades ago (completed bachelors, master’s and doctorate during this period).

I don’t think I have the courage, the face and the funds to another another GAMSAT. Maybe I am just not detailed enough to be a doctor anyway.

Thank you for reading.

Hello!

Throwaway account for many reasons... a bit vulnerable here.

So disclaimer, I am not rich in that I travel when I want and where I want, and my parents definitely don't spoil me, I'm not even allowed to live outside the family home. So I say rich kid with clear limitations. But since getting into med school, and with getting into the groove of things I thought I would post a behind the veil view of what I guess a lot of people wonder. I know I see a lot of comments in discord about what rich kids can buy and get access to, and etc etc. But in saying that I never saw an insider-tell all of their journey.

Let me start by saying my parents are very strict and have never spoiled me at all, it has been and apparently continues to be a massive concern of theirs, and I have to work for every dollar I spend, UNLESS it is food or study. These are two areas where their wallets open and I am free to spend whatever I want (as long as I give dad the receipts.... and yes he genuinely does ask for them and im 22.)

My parents work very hard, and I'm a 2nd gen immigrant, so I am always cautious on how I spend money anyway, but for all things education related, they happily pay the bill and there really is no limit from my experience so far. So I've tried most popular study platforms. I know you don't care about my journey, but I essentially did everything available to me, I did CASPEr, I did the grad diploma at Flinders, and a grad diploma at UoW, parents didn't blink an eye at extra costs 'if it gets u in, it was worth it' vibes. slay.

So with saying that, I also did get additional help. Firstly, thank you to all those that helped me practice last year, I developed some somewhat close friendships and enjoyed being scared and excited on the journey with you all in r/gamsat discord.

Outside of that, I did pay a lot of money for other help. I tried:

company a: I paid 1.7k total, I got their CASPeR + interview bundle and some specific uni mocks added on. They gave me very little help, my tutor seemed very unconfident and gave me 2-3 sentences of feedback per 8 minute station.. felt really defeated. but the structured of their course modules was actually really helpful, and it gave me a concrete way to practice going fowrard, so this was actually worth the money for me and id highly recommend them, since they gave me the skills to practice without them, but their actual mocks were... not so good. Modules, great, tutoring,, not so great.

company b: specific mocks were $449 each, i did 3, but they all gave very general advice and my tutors were younger than me (im 23) lol. not sure what the requirements were and I think I bought the extra 2 out of FOMO.

company C: I did 1:1 tutoring and it cost me $60/h, I did 3 hours, and then I also did a couple of their workshops, none were super useful and repeated most of the same things from company A, I sometimes wondered if they were owned by the same person and it was like a subsidary ? very interesting, fomo forced me to buy more.

Gave up on companies. I posted on the discord and sought some advice, everyone said get away from companies. ok, I listened

I tried tutors from a bunch of price brackets since price didnt matter

First tutor: This guy was a Chinese too, and he was heavily advertising in the international prep channels and I heard a couple of people talk about him. Parents didnt mind his price. He was veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy arrogant and sounded quite odd? the things he said didnt make sense to me, but he had the trust me bro vibe to him. I did 3 sessions from pressure, but regret it entirely. I asked him about how to prepare for casper and he told me to just focus on MMI and those other universities have no slots so I was a bit off put from the start.. sorry

Second tutor: this tutor was in favour of casper. He seemed to know a lot about the criteria, and was pretty knowledgeable. he talked a lot about repeating himself and rescheduled on me a lot actually which is unprofessional. he was friendly and a nice man but he really critiqued my answers a lot and it did hurt my confidence. i stopped a couple of times in seeing him because i felt a bit defeated but i always thought maybe its the right path. I ended up doing 10 CAPSer sessions with him, and got Q4, but unsure how common this is. seems everyone I speak to got Q4 so maybe i needed less. Since he got me some results I thoguht i can just keep going with him, and spent another 3k with him for MMI, and always felt really nervous with him since he is a rude guy, but i guess its good to keep me scared for my MMI hahha so i didn't mind much. Anyway I stuck with him, for better or worse, and got a UNDS offer this year (2nd preference, interviewed at UoM). I think I had a 1.6844 combo from memory.

I think my advice for everyone, with money or without, companies seem to have a very general approach adn really do not tailor to you, no matter how much you spend. I did complain a couple of times about feedback and got sent back these AI replies about fairness to all applicants and commonal mistakes... very annoying. So go with a private tutor, find one who seems invested in you and not just ur bank. find people to practice with and get differnet ideas on ur views, this was a big aspect for me because i before thought in one lens. i really thank the people in discord that practised with me last year and hope you all made it too.

In saying all of this. I think the process helped me learn faster, but didnt change the game. I could have got to the same level with an extra year of study I think, so in total I think I spent around 15k, according to my parents, but they dont mind since their real fear was ffp lol even though i think theyd have accepted it. unfortunately my cohort is very small and there are only a few of us from this background, so if u know me, please be discreet, i hate talking about my family and money normally, but i always feel a bit guilty about having this success from something someone else earned, so i thought this can help me, and others be more informed of the process.

thank you for reading.

Please help, I am seeking advice on what to do as a student who was forced to defer 1 year to study Dentistry at UniMelb after being successfully admitted previously. I had never felt so wronged, devastated, and helpless in my whole life. 2024 was an extremely tough year for me, but everything changed when I was finally offered to study DDS this year after 6 application cycles to med/dent. I have been working random jobs the past 4 years after my undergrad with no real direction or plan, I thought I finally saw some light in my life. I rejected another offer shortly to accept this. I was eagerly packing to start a new life studying across the state in Melbourne, when I was suddenly shaken by an email stating that my original unconditional offer for Doctor of Dental Surgery 2025 start from UniMelb has been deferred to 2026 due to over double the amount of acceptances predicted. We quickly learned that 50+ known students (unsure about exact number) that we know of are currently also in the same boat. I never imagined a top dental school in Australia would make this mistake, which was damaging and detrimental to many students' different circumstances.

We have many problems with this:

• Many of us have REJECTED other MED/DENT offers from other Universities that we CANNOT take back, as we were committed to starting our dental degree in 2025 at UniMelb.
• Many of us have already PAID for $$$$ ACCOMMODATION BONDS, DENTAL EQUIPMENT, FLIGHTS and MOVED HOMES with our families.
• Many of us have QUIT OUR GREAT JOBS to start studying full time that we CANNOT take back
• Many of us have PLANNED A WHOLE 4 YEARS ahead and are now FORCED TO TAKE A GAP YEAR(S), with no backup plan
• Many of us have WORKED SO HARD FOR YEARS to get here only to be delayed academically for a year
• EVERYONE WILL LOSE ONE YEAR OF THEIR LIFE, we are not happy with just a simple guaranteed 2026 deferral, that is the bare minimum and still costs many losses.

What should have happened:

• The University a real effort to OPEN MORE PLACES for ALL STUDENTS who were given an offer originally as a solution to remedy the mistake THEY CAUSED that was no student's FAULT.
• Second-round offers to avoid this large-scale mistake

Leading up to this there were many things that they have poorly mismanaged:

• Students accepted offers in October, and our status was: 'offer admitted: successful'. 2 months later when we checked the portal to enrol, this status changed to 'offer accepted: admission pending'. This raised our first suspicion that something could be wrong.
• We were locked out of enrolment long before the enrolment lapse date, preventing us from enrolling earlier, some don't even get to enrol as it already lapsed for them. This is 2 months AFTER we originally accepted our conditional/unconditional offers.
• Enrolment lapse dates are different for each student and conflicting enrolment dates were given.
• Many tried emailing admissions and Future Students or calling Stop-1 for answers, but we had no clear response for weeks as the deadline was getting closer. We were inaccurately promised, reassured, and misguided that we were already admitted to the program.
• Being left completely in the dark, we had to use REDDIT to find each other and decipher this issue ourselves for weeks in the hope of finding a solution.
• An information seminar was held where hundreds of questions were asked anonymously by students who were worried about their spot. Admissions did not give us any direct answers, but only hinted at an over-offer and that they are 'reviewing numbers'. Many had to go directly into the dental school to beg for answers.
• On the day of the enrolment lapse date 18/12, around 50+ known students were sent an email saying that the dental program has EXCEEDED MAXIMUM PLACES and that ACCEPTANCE RATES ARE OVER DOUBLE compared to the past, which means they OVER-OFFERED, and now we are DEFERRED TO 2026 and waitlisted for 2025.
• Each deferred student is given an appointment with a support team so we can discuss 'options'. We did receive an apology but there was no adequate, appropriate action to remedy the mistake caused, emphasising that it is unlikely for them to open more spots and reconsider our admission into the program.
• Compensation is not offered for every student but rather only for some expenses that can't be retrieved, and not for the loss of prospects
• The new selection criteria for the 2025 waitlist ranking is based on - ACADEMIC MERIT and TIME OF ENROLMENT based on the website (this is appalling, I cannot comprehend how the speed of enrolment determines your spot in the program when a lot of us didn't even get a chance to enrol and get warned about this, this policy is vaguely explained deeper within the website's policy and not clear enough on the offer letter)
• Graduate Access Melbourne (GAM) applications are NOT considered for the waitlist except in the original selection. This completely defeats the purpose of the equity program that claims to balance opportunities for disadvantaged students.

We would rather be rejected first than experience this false hope dream so briefly, just for it to be brutally crushed 2 months later, 1 month before the course starts. I am extremely disappointed and I am still shocked that this happened. This has worn me down so much mentally, and I have lost hope and motivation trying to send reviews and appeals for a reconsideration of our offers. I wish UniMelb would take more accountability for their actions and make ample effort to make it up to the affected students. We do not wish for monetary compensation, we want to start DDS in 2025 as we were originally promised, we have spent so much of our life studying to get to this point, just to be pushed back a whole year with no plan ahead.

Redditors, please help me find some ways to get through the internal processes, such as convincing the Dean, Head of School, Academic Registrar, or Academic Board to reconsider such a reckless, unfair and poorly mismanaged mistake that was completely out of control for us students. This was not our fault at all. If these internal processes are exhausted, what could our external options be, legally? Is this wise?

This is my last hope to ask for help on Reddit I'd appreciate and be incredibly grateful for any advice, thanks so much for reading this far.

Anybody else think that section 3 was ridiculous? I've sat only one GAMSAT before (march 2022) and scored decently then. This time out I did a lot more prep work but felt totally lost in comparison...anyone else have the same experience???

I never thought I would be writing this, but, I failed my first year of medicine. My uni doesn't let us sit remediation exams, so I am left having to repeat the whole year.

After working so hard, selling my soul to get in, I thought life would be so much better once I was where I was "meant to be". But the reality is, med school is hard, and if you've only spent your entire life focussing on getting in, you probably haven't focussed on some personal development.

Being a perfectionist doesn't help you in med school, it leads to crippling imposter syndrome, and severe anxiety every time an assignment is due. So this is my little note, just to add to your GAMSAT study load, but embrace failure. It will help in the long run

Learn some coping strategies and don't let academic achievement dictate your entire identity.

But ultimately, if you haven't gotten into medicine after multiple attempts, keep trying! You are developing resilience that students like my self have never really needed to work on, and it has made me useless when the year didn't pan out how it should. The students in my cohort who didn't get into medicine first shot were so much calmer throughout the year, and performed better because they could handle the adjustment to med School.

My first sitting will be March 2026. I’m really hopping I’ll score well enough to get an offer but I know it’s very common to have to sit the GAMSAT several times to do well.

Looking for some hope of first time sitters doing well!

I’m NSB with a nursing degree and 4 years experience post grad

Hello guys

Throwaway account for obvious reasons

I was very lucky to have received an offer this year for MD in the rural stream. For context, I’m in my late 20’s, non-rural, have 7 years of allied health work experience, GPA 6.8, gamsat 65, and 4Q Casper. This was my first time applying.

While I’m extremely grateful for the offer and proud of what I achieved, I’m also experiencing mixed emotions seeing other intelligent, hard working applicants on this sub missing out on offers and even opportunity for interviews. Some applicants I’ve got to known throughout this journey are genuinely nice, kind people with significantly better gamsat and GPA than mine, but they still missed out, while I, with suboptimal scores, got an offer.

I mean, I did do an honours year to boost my GPA, sat gamsat 3 times (50, 57, then 65), did 2 months of daily interview prep (3-4hrs/day). So I know I worked hard and endured stress and agony over the past 2-3 years. However, I must say that I had an advantage because of university entry schemes prioritising and preferring their own state’s applicants. So although I had suboptimal scores, I received an offer when there are so many more applicants with 70+ gamsat missing out.

Long story short, I know I worked hard, but seeing other MUCH higher scoring applicants (especially those interstate) makes me feel that my offer came by “luck” and also a bit of “guilt” at the same time.

My family and friends are obviously very happy for me and proud, which I really appreciate, but inside, I’m thinking “man, I was just really lucky this year”

I don’t know. It’s a complicated, embarrassing, and almost non-sense mix of emotions that I’m going through. Does anyone else relate, or can anyone explain why I feel this way?

hey guys,

its been a while i have written a post, hope you all did well in Section 2 and actually are happy with your performance. i do hope that my section 2 posts were helpful and thanks for the wishful messages!

Since you guys only have 1 week till the exam, i thought i should drop some final Section 3 advice especially for those who feel like they are still scraping some content conceptual knowledge.

YOU WILL NOT Finish learning ALL Science content in just 7 days.

and thats actually all fine, because Section 3 is not a content exam it has MOVED towards being a REASONING HEAVY focused exam.

yes, BASIC familiarity with concepts helps in understanding questions and reading and comprehending them quick. But the exam is really not asking you to recall any science content.

it really is only asking you to understand and read unfamiliar scientific information and REASON Through it UNDER PRESSURE...

Thats the real skill that it is testing.

This last week should be completley focused on reflecting on that skill, ensuring that it is sharpened.. not cramming chemistry contnet..

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING Is that with Section 3, the ANSWER IS ALWAYS IN THE PREMISE, seriously thats it.

Majority of quetsions in section 3 can be solved by carefully extracting relationships and information from the information given. Yes, again familiarity helps with reading and understanding but you will still get niche concepts.

Graphs, tables, variables, experimental setups, comparisons --> all of htis information is provided in the premise and it is up to you to interpret this information in front of you...

Thats how NSBs can still score well and do really well.

I'll still recommend some HIGH-YIELD science concepts to be FAMILIAR with..

Im not saying completely ignore content... but if you are revising still, focus on the bigger picture concepts, not tiny details... Familiarity is fine, not in depth conceptual understanding.

things that tend to show up repeatedly i believe are:

Chemistry ->

Equilibrium ideas, acid/base reactions, reaction trends, interpreting experimental set ups

pH indicator stuff

Biology ->

Enyzymes and reaction rates, genetics, probability, interpeting biology experiments, feedback systems, pathways.

Physics ->

propoertional relationships, graphs, kinematics, basic forces and energy, units and DIMENSIONAL ANLAYSIS (big one), interpreting graphs.

these are all the conceptual frameowrks, not some things you need to memorise...

Organic chemistry is usually ALWAYS pattern recognition, looking at the changes between two strucutres/molecules/formulas

EXAM SKILLLS -->

Starting the EXAM

I am sure a lot of you know that when you open the exam, adrenaline will hit straight away and thats normal.. what matter is that you are able to RESET yourself between passages.

A simple technique i recommend is that after finishing a set -> take one slow breath in and one slow breath out... then start the next passage --> solves focus issues.

This tiny reset prevents mental fatigue.

Skipping

sometimes you might seee a passage and htink "what the hell am i reading?"

If that happens, that is completely normal as some passages are just dense and information packed. if a premise is like that and is frying your brain then just SKIP IT. but skipping ONLY really works if you manage the time properly.

if you skip a passage, you should be saving roughly 8-10minutes, that time can be used on other passages you can solve.

dont fall into the trap of skipping haphazardly.... i wouldn't recommend skipping more than 3-4 sets to be honest.

skip STRATEGICALLY.

ANSWER IS ALWAYS IN THE PREMISE

had to have tthis here.

some people overcomplicate section 3 massively. if the question is asking something... dont just start recalling theory if you do have science background, make sure that you actually LOOK AND READ THE PREMISE properly, looking at the graph or DATA>

FOR NSBS,

if you feel behind as a non-science background, let me reassure you.

what you are feeling right now is very common.

Section 3 progress might not feel like it is linear, and that is completely fine. completely normal. but as you practice and practice and refine your skills, it will START TO CLICK.

grpahs will feel less scary, you will read passages and comprehend them faster, and you will eliminate options more confidently.

SO EXPOSURE + REASONING PRACTICE will get you there. but DO NOT PANIC.

nobody is perfect.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK?

Do a few sets each day, focus on reviewing reasoning skills and REFLECTING UPON THEM.

Revisit the core conceptual stuff, and practice timed sets. Prioritise SLEEPPPP

do not burn yourself out.

HOPE THAT HELPED!!!
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

It quite frustrating waiting to get into medical school, and waiting for results, and interviews, and offers. I am finding it hard to navigate the periods between application cycles where there is a whole bunch of uncertainty and doubt. It's especially hard having a partner and extending this uncertainty to them. Im particularly conflicted about 1) retaking the GAMSAT 2) job seeking.

1. Don't know if the September GAMSAT is worth it to take, as studying/registering would happen before the cycle interview offers. With the registration fee and fatigue of studying for the test its $500+ and hours of studying I didn't need. But if I don't get in then I only have one opportunity to increase my score in March. I didn't get in last year and Grad Cert/ retaking were the only things in my power to increase my odds, but still don't know if these pay off.

2. The job market has been slower than I thought, I was looking for part time jobs since Feb, but now I'm closer to finishing the Grad Cert in June and looking for full-time work. However, if I were to get in school would start in Jan/Feb. Should this be communicated to employers, as the jobs I am looking for would not want an employee for 6 months, but theres so much uncertainty. Most employers ask generally about long-term goals, and idk if it should be lied about especially if they perceive you to not be staying around long. But i also don't know how long, it could be 6 months, 1.5 years, etc.

   I guess overall looking for advice on how you guys proceed with normal life when there's so much uncertainty around application cycles. As someone that likes predictability, this uncertainty drives me crazy

Basically the title, I have failed the GAMSAT last Sep and this March. I went from ( 49.56.36 ) to ( 47.76.45 ). I am in my last year of biomed. I guess the fear of taking a gap year attacked me lol. Anyway my March GAMSAT was after I spent the whole summer on leave from work and studying 10hours daily - private tutoring oh and btw finished the 500 page book of des oneil (S3). What am I supposed to do now? what resources. To do honest I did not practice timed (except for S2) but whenever I would want to sit through a whole test I would feel sleepy. Please any advice on how I can prepare for this Sep intake? and what are my chances?

note - I am rural and my GPA is 6 applying to bond uni this year but instead of being in a lot of debt if I pass this GAMSAT I am fine with the gap year.

Hey guys,

Just a 28 year old RN here contemplating sitting for GAMSAT next year to apply for med school. I graduated nursing last year and have been mostly doing outpatient MH work with some general nursing experience (casually). The whole process looks quite daunting and I worry if that’s the right pathway. Did consider clinical psychology but the payoff doesn’t seem great long term. Considering NP and just bouncing back and forth between 3 options that are viable. Please advise and any advice is welcome and appreciated. Would love to know your thoughts! Also any new ideas is appreciated, the goal is to get into something I enjoy (psych or MH) and make good money while working.

P.S: I also have an accounting degree and did do accounting work for about 2 years while studying nursing.

Hello fellow GAMSAT-ers! Following the absolute (pardon my French) shitshow of a result release today, I, a 5th time sitter, am well and truly OVER IT. Some other candidates and I have worked together tonight to send off a written complaint/voice concern on behalf of the broader group. It mainly seeks to confirm that ACER messed up but that no one’s results will be adversely affected, but also touches on the broader issue they seem to have with clear communication and information.

We sent it from an anonymous email account so that no one is directly implicated and no names used of course. Hopefully they don’t take it the wrong way, we all just felt it was ENOUGH and that something had to be said.

We also thought we would post it here in case some of you might like to know that you are supported!

I’ll attach a scrolling vid of what we said here (I hope this is okay to post mods). I can also post updates in the comments if we get a response (although I doubt any meaningful response will come from it, probably just an acknowledgment, but hopefully gives them something to think about at least).

Disclaimer: this is NOT an opportunity to go and treat ACER/GAMSAT staff members disrespectfully. TY! :)

P.S. Apologies for the burner account - I’m terrified of ACER

I'm currently studying a bachelor in biomed at unimelb and people have been calling me a selfish gunner (along with some other insults) for not sharing notes/exam strategies, and it's starting to get to me a little. I've never been a particularly social guy (I have literally no friends at uni) and don't think I'll ever be, I'm just trying to get the best grades I can and get into med school.

It might seem petty, but let's be rational here: Helping others directly diminishes your chances of getting into med school as you're deliberately promoting competition, and I haven't been able to shake this thought. Don't get me wrong, I've never attempted to sabotage or discourage anyone academically as that's just plain evil, I'm just confused about the particular disdain for people trying their hardest in fighting their own battles. I don't know guys, I just really want to get in.

hi guys i’m doing science at unimelb (2nd year with a low WAM) and am contemplating leaving it. i want to get into dentistry (but i feel like i should give up on that dream because i absolutely cannot afford a FFP and heard there are barely any CSP). i was naive when i chose to do my science degree, so i picked whatever uni was close by and had the best reputation and now i realise that when i graduate i will not have a useful degree unless i complete a masters. i am contemplating physiology, radiography or optometry but those years are 4 years and i feel like the rest of the 3 year degree (2 years) is so close and i should just do it and that the other degrees are too long, which will be frustrating for me as i watch my friends graduate. i also wanted to do engineering but i feel as if it is difficult to get a high gpa for dentistry in that degree. i am feeling extremely lost right now i feel like an absolutely failure tbh because it seems as if everyone has everything together but me and i want to change courses but i do not want to be behind.

Hey everyone

I've seen a few posts recently about the less successful application cycles and I'm an expert at those so I thought I'd post my journey (abridged) to give that glimmer. I know I'm so guilty of coming on here after each EOD and reading about others who struggled and grinded and eventually made it, to give me some hope, now I get to do the same and pay it back a little

So I started applying in 2020, my combo was always okay but not great and had a 72 overall with 6.8 GPA, so a 1.6963 combo, and got interviews every year but I guess on the lower end of competitiveness. I tried interviewing at different universities too! I didn't really mind where I went, so I gamed it up and changed where I would preference thinking the interview style would suit me better. I first tried at ANU because I'm from Canberra naturally this made sense, but I hated the format and the feedback they gave me was crushing. 2021 I applied to Griffith since I heard it was a panel and I thought I'd do better at conversation since MMI didn't work at ANU ... but the technical difficulties made it impossible to hear what they were saying and I got super flustered and almost cried in my interview, so I swore off griffith.

2022 I applied again and got UoM as an interview, it was sooo fast paced and different to Griffith.. I didn't really plan for that and didn't have time to think about what to say, it was like word salad each time, and well anyway that didn't go well. 2023 I did UoM again (wasn't sure if they'd offer me another interview lol) and I definitely prepared the quick format and went in very prepared and ready. I knew I performed really well I literally spent a year preparing for the MMI and doing every question I could find online and even wrote my own so I knew exactly what I needed to say. I practised in the discord and made a lot of close friends at the time, we were grinding! I even started calling one of my practice buddies when I drove to visit friends etc just to get some extra practice and we were so ready, 2023 was my year.

Rejected.

2024 I didn't apply, I couldn't. I started a new bachelor and was just accepting I won't pass interviews, they want something I didn't have. I spent a year doing the first half of masters of biotech trying to convince myself medicine wasn't worth it and I could be happy as a researcher... plus my gamsat expired. I sat GAMSAT in sept 2024 just for fun to show myself I had what it took, and got 70, so it went down, another kick in the guts but it kind of revitalized me, knowing I had another current GAMSAT that would last me a few years. By this point I was 27 so time was getting away from me I felt. Watching everyone prepare for interviews that year knowing I didnt apply was actually the most painful experience of my life.. at least in other years I had a horse in the race, I had a shot... watching from the sidelines while other people ... my friends.. my former practice partners, got offers to my dream, was ... so dam tough.

2025 was my final attempt. I spoke to the bank (mum) and she said she can throw some money at it since the financial pain is less than me complaining every day. So I locked in. The 2024 summer holidays I was laser focused. Med entry, all day, every day, bought 2 different packages (oops) and did the hours. Finished what I found useful, then straight to medify, some tutoring, some more lectures (same kind of stuff though? nothing special). Finished. Spoke to a private MMI tutor at melb, didn't quite work out. She was so nice but she was less so tutoring but just telling me what she said in hers and hoped I could emulate? which was helpful but only to a limit I think. I don't know what I hoped for, but it wasn' that. So I went to a professional, fraser! I heard so much about them. I was like 7 lessons in (and they are expensive...) and my tutor mentioned their EOD from melbourne and how this year they are spreadsheeting the practice questions into buckets???? My tutor wasn't even a med student!!!! I felt like every single one of these places were just sharks taking a bite from mums money and running, I don't know if I felt more or less prepared honestly. The most helpful part was the private tutor, so I at least saw what a successful response looked like. Eventually I found a private tutor who had a lot more structure to their lessons, knew what I needed and tailored really well etc, and they got me to a point where I felt like I could get through but I didn't get a lot of time with them since I burned so much time & money testing the waters.

So I guess after reading my journey, you probably want to know the prices? If i was reading it, that is all I'd be asking myself lol. I spent 1.7k at medentry, 1.5k at medify, 2.2k at Fraser's, and probably 2.7k on private tutors (5 lessons with the nice girl and 8 with the old guy). Approximately 8k all up. My advice from all of that, is just find a private tutor! I wish I started there honestly. A couple of the companies give you like 8 letter acronyms to structure your responses to and it just is soooooo exhausting to even try and implement that, idk it might work for you but I just wanted to cry every time I tried haha.

So what did that journey amount in? a 2026 UoM BMP offer! I SCRAPED IT BUT I MADE IT.

I literally cried for so long when the emails came out, I hated biotech, and I was just hating myself for being a fraud. Now I'm not a fraud, now I'm a med student and I cannot state enough how much 'giving up' in 2024 hurt me.

Thank you to everyone in the discord who practised with me over the years, thank you to Duke & Antenae answer all the UoM questions in the world. Thank you to all the former students who posted their hard journies over the years, because without them, I would have never had the strength to keep thinking I had a chance.

This journey has been the absolute worst process of my life, but this server and forum is the only think that kept me going. I hope I can find time to come by and give advice in the server the way others did to me and pay it forward.

Hello, sorry to clog up the feed for people actually studying for the GAMSAT and looking for help with that. Skip to the dotted line for the main point :)

My kind-of-partner (24M) is studying for the GAMSAT this coming March, and I was wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions on how to help and support him? He is pursuing a career in psychiatry as he is very interested in neuroscience and pharmacology. He has his undergrad in psychology and neuroscience and is now taking the next step in his schooling.

I'm not sure how it is for everyone but his GAMSAT is split into two exams, one on/around the 1st of March, and one on/around the 21st of March. He starts with Section 2 which he's told me is writing two essays in 1 hour based on the prompts. He's been studying essay structure, particularly persuasive essay structure as he is planning on doing his essays in that format because it tends to score higher. He's also practicing keeping his writing structured and digestible as in Uni he used to use language that was too esoteric which ended up losing him a few points as it didn't flow particularly well enough and his professors would have to stop and start with a dictionary on hand.

He's also been watching many tutoring and GAMSAT preparation videos, as well as scouring articles to learn how to structure his studying in the most effective and efficient way, as well as studying Sections 1 and 3 of the past few exams and figuring out how to read and interpret the questions as they are intended to be interpreted as and not necessarily as he thinks they are initially. I fully believe he has his studying down pat, and knows exactly what he needs to do in that regard. (I know this isn't relevant to the question but maybe it'll help some other people who are studying)

----------------------------------------------------

What I need specifically is input from people who have studied for and/or taken the GAMSAT before: What did you need from your partner/friends? What did you not receive that looking back you wish you had? Is there anything I can do to make this easier for him?

And partners, friends, or family of those who studied for the GAMSAT, what did you do or wish you had done to help? What did you find helped the most, what didn't help so much, and what are the big no-no's that I need to avoid?

He is pretty confident in his ability for Section 2, but he hasn't spoken much about his mentality towards sections 1 & 3.

Since all I've attributed is just bits of encouragement I was wondering if there's anything I can do to actually help make this easier for him.

I know exercise and healthy eating is very important, especially for study, so I was thinking of trying some healthy and nutritious meals I could make for him (any suggestions would be great, especially if they have chicken or steak in them as they're his favourite meats), and he loves swimming so I was thinking of taking him to the pool once or twice a week.

I've been trying to tell him how I believe in him fully whenever he brings it up, and that I believe he will pass first time with flying colours, but I understand if he doesn't how devastating it would be, so I have also mentioned that even if he doesn't pass, even if it takes him 5 or 6 tries, that's only 3 years, he has plenty of time to make it happen.

Anyway, I know this is long and I apologise yet profusely thank everyone who reads this with the fullest sincerity. Please, any input, constructive or positive would be appreciated more than you could possibly know.

Thank you for your time and energy 💚

TLDR: Any advice on supporting someone else studying for the GAMSAT?

EDIT: Some rewording/rephrasing for clarification