It's much more common for people to say "It's not rocket science!" than "It's not brain surgery!" when describing something they consider easy to do. Could that be because there are far fewer physicists than neurosurgeons? Or is it just that one of these specialities is perceived to be more difficult? And if that's the case, why are neurosurgeons at the lower end of that scale?
Let's put all of these questions to rest. Future physicists are not required to sit a special exam to gain entry into a physics study program. Future surgeons - future doctors of all types must take an entry exam and give an interview. But which one?
There seems to be great confusion over which medical school entrance exam to sit. It's made worse by people using the acronyms interchangeably. This guide lays out each exam's particulars and who they're targeted to. After that bit of preparation, we'll cover their similarities and differences.
GAMSAT vs. UCAT: What's Their Point?
Schools give so many exams. They have exams throughout their compulsory education years. They have exams to leave school. If students plan to continue through the postgraduate level, they have to deliver a respectable Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Why should there be an extra exam just for those who want to study medicine - at or beyond the postgraduate level?
More than any other career field, medicine has a direct impact on life. You might argue that chemistry, engineering and nursing - itself a medical-field job, all pose an equal danger to life if done badly. And yet, those courses don't require interviews or special preparation. Entry to medical school does.
GAMSAT and UCAT are not tests of medical knowledge. Neither has a section on anatomy and blood gases. They're designed to gauge applicants' suitability for university and postgraduate studies in medicine. Exam sections test you on critical thinking and problem-solving skills, verbal reasoning and ethics. These are qualities schools expect students to have already developed but no other course of study prequalifies prospective students for. So what's the point of them?
On average, around the world, thousands of applicants sit the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT). Unfortunately, schools can only accommodate a percentage of medical school hopefuls. The GAMSAT and its supposed doppelganger, the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) select the best applicants for entry into medical and dental schools. That means applicants need the best study tips in preparation for their ordeal if they want to make the cut.
All About the GAMSAT
A fair number of students choose their undergraduate courses with no firm idea of the career they'll pursue. Sometime during their studies, they decide to practice medicine. That might be veterinary medicine, dentistry or some other clinical science program, including psychology.
As its name implies, the GAMSAT is a graduate school entry test. It doesn't matter what you studied as an undergraduate so long as you meet all of GAMSAT's criteria. You must have either already earned or be close to finishing your Bachelor's degree. Whether in Sciences or Humanities doesn't matter. As previously mentioned, this is not a knowledge-based ordeal.
The GAMSAT comprises three sections; it's an eight-hour ordeal. You'll have five hours and 25 minutes to complete the exam. The rest of the time goes to administrative matters; you'll also enjoy a generous lunch break.
The first test section is titled Reasoning in Humanities. You'll answer 62 multiple-choice questions that challenge your ability to interpret information and your reading comprehension. You'll have just under two hours to complete this portion. Next, you'll be tested on your ability to express your thoughts. These two essay questions are designed to measure your written communication skills as well as logic and reasoning.
After lunch, you'll tackle 75 more multiple-choice questions. These are more of a scientific nature; they're meant to measure your reasoning skills from a science perspective. Preparation with a GAMSAT tutor gives you a pathway to success on this exam.
The UCAT Overview
The GAMSAT is great for students who come late to the realisation that medicine is where their future lies. And also for those who weren't clear they could sit a pre-qualifying exam for undergraduate studies in medicine. For those who know from the start exactly the career they want, There's UCAT. Year 12 students may sit this two-hour exam to qualify for undergraduate medicine study courses.
This exam is administered online. All of the questions are multiple-choice. They are not knowledge-based; none of the questions asks you to identify the difference between an ulna and a fibula. Instead, they measure your aptitude across five competencies:
- abstract reasoning questions determine how you infer relationships between pieces of information
- verbal reasoning measures your logical thought processes and how you arrive at conclusions
- quantitative reasoning targets your aptitude for solving numerical problems
- situational judgment skills: how you respond to medical ethical questions in various situations
- decision-making skills: how well you can analyse information, evaluate arguments and make decisions based on the given information
Australia's best universities for medical studies all require a satisfactory UCAT score for entry into their undergraduate medical studies programs. Even though the exam does not test for specific knowledge, some students find preparation difficult as there are no past papers to revise. Exam candidates are not completely without resources, though. The UCAT website presents a guide and makes mock exams available so students can get a good idea of exactly what the exam entails.
GAMSAT vs. UCAT: How They Differ
So far, we've laid out two fundamental differences between these exams. One is strictly for Year 12 students preparing for university and the other is for students who've (nearly) completed their first round of university studies. And one exam has almost 100 more questions but takes less time to complete. How else are they different?
The UCAT assumes candidates have no prior scientific or medical knowledge. You might say it tests you on personal qualities only. The GAMSAT also tests your personal skills - logic, reasoning, expression and so on. But you're expected to know the sciences. Some biology, chemistry and basic physics feature on the exam. Also, this exam's reasoning questions tend to be higher-order to match students' more developed reasoning abilities.
The UCAT throws students a lot of questions in a short time. Two hours to answer 228 questions calls for some very quick thinking. Students should answer an average of two questions per minute to be sure they answer every one. That's a heavy lift for anyone, especially for teenagers. Clearly, they'll need a lot of practice to hone their thinking skills.
By contrast, the GAMSAT demands both endurance and mental fortitude. Just submitting to hours-long testing is draining. Let alone testing on higher-order thinking and quasi-philosophical topics. In this difference, we see each exam's intent. UCAT is rather a try-on for the complexity to come; it's open to any Year 12 student ready to give it a go. GAMSAT, with all of its exacting requirements, demands both practice and preparation.
Is the GAMSAT Hard?
The designation 'hard' is subjective. For instance, I find quantum mechanics fascinating but the maths is way too 'hard' for me. I can grasp the concepts even though I can't work through how the physicists arrived at them. Conversely, a quantum physicist may whip through endless equations but might not be able to interview on topics outside of their areas of expertise.
Let's emphasise that the GAMSAT is not a test of knowledge and memory, like so many other exams. It doesn't call for test takers to regurgitate facts. Instead, we might look at it as an exercise in self-assessment. Practically every question challenges you to ask yourself "What do I think/know about this topic?" How would you meet the challenges this ordeal presents you with? And then: how will you express those ideas clearly and concisely?
We can unequivocally state that the GAMSAT is rigorous. Like settling in for a marathon run, this exam will challenge your thought processes as well as your ability (and desire!) to self-scrutinise. It will test you by posing situations that you might not have the emotional maturity or rational ability to work through.
This exam assumes you have academic knowledge of subjects relevant to medicine. What if you can accumulate vast stores of science facts but cannot apply them? The GAMSAT doesn't ask you to recall sections of university-level biology studies. It wants to find out how you apply that knowledge. You might find that hard, especially under time constraints.
If difficulty is your prime concern and you're in a position to, it's best to go the UCAT route. That way, you can select the undergraduate degree program developed for studies in medicine and continue through university with your peers. Best of all, you'll finish your studies ahead of all those graduate students who are just now trying for entry into medical schools. Unlike them, you'll already know what GAMSAT is all about. You'll likely be better prepared for it, too.
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