All across Australia, undergraduate students are busy preparing to sit the Graduate School Medical Admissions Test - the GAMSAT. They don't have time to run around, wondering how GAMSAT tutoring companies got their start. They're too busy trying to find the level and quality of tuition that suits their needs, learning style and budget.
They will likely be well-served. Melbourne has plenty of tutors qualified to guide your GAMSAT practice. Qualified? Oh, yes! Unlike other academic subjects or extracurricular disciplines you might want a tutor for, GAMSAT tutors come with a few prerequisites.
For private tuition as well as GAMSAT prep courses, Melbourne is the place to be. It's where GradReady has its headquarters. You might know that GradReady Australia is a renowned GAMSAT preparation website. They provide support for any exam candidate who doesn't know where to get started with their revision. How extensive the said support is depends on how much candidates are willing to pay.
So let's see how GradReady got its start and what they have to offer. We'll then look at other commercial ventures for GAMSAT preparation and, finally, find independent tutors who are qualified to guide you to high GAMSAT scores.
GAMSAT Tuition with GradReady
University of Melbourne medical students were stressed. The year was 2010; online services and platforms were nowhere what they are today. That means those students couldn't simply search for a qualified GAMSAT tutor online.
That's not to say that they had no study resources. Only what was available was more or less taught in the same academic fashion as any other university subject. Those courses were hardly sufficient to meet a diverse student population's needs. Let alone the rigours of the GAMSAT.
A certain group of students successfully completed their ordeal (and the rest of their medical studies). Then, they developed a GAMSAT tuition service flexible to address every aspect of this exam for every candidate. They enlisted doctors, highly degreed lecturers and other medical students who did well on their exams to teach their courses.
Today, GradReady courses, tutors and resources are available to any university student from Melbourne to Perth. GAMSAT candidates may choose from five different learning bands according to their needs. The lower-price tiers are strictly online, with a weekly support meeting for the entire group. The three higher-priced options blend online and in-person instruction.
Only the highest-price band makes a private tutor available. That's the rub, really. You may be a science whiz - nothing wrong with your knowledge of chemistry, biology and high school physics. So you don't really need support for the science or maths aspects of your exam. However, every GAMSAT preparation course includes them in its curriculum. Where can you turn for only the tuition you need?
Other GAMSAT Tutoring Melbourne Ventures
Lest we stand accused of gilding the lily, let's not beat around the bush. GAMSAT tuition can be expensive. Top-of-the-line tuition from commercial enterprises run into the thousands. And GradReady isn't even the most costly. The Institute of Medical Education (IME) also offers a trio of GAMSAT preparation courses.
Their Essentials study pack, a six-month program with 10 hours of on-demand video content costs just under $750. Their comprehensive program lasts two years and will set you back over $9000. It includes essay writing practice and interview preparation.
Like GradReady, IME is native to Australia. They develop all of their course materials. A cadre of doctors, surgeons and other medical professionals pitch in to produce the most up-to-date, relevant curriculum. They also help out with teaching the courses.
It's important to note that neither of these commercial ventures is affiliated with or endorsed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (Acer). This council administers the GAMSAT; they also provide the only official revision materials. They come at a price too, but nowhere near as steep as these and other independently-developed courses.
GAMSAT Tutor, also known as Doctor Mike, is an Adelaide-based exam revision concern. Unlike the ones mentioned so far, Dr Mike himself teaches the course. He earned his outstanding GAMSAT scores in the early aughts and has been tutoring since 2005. He takes a student-centred approach to GAMSAT tuition. First, Dr Mike gets an idea of your strengths and where you need help. He then works to ensure you're a well-rounded, fully prepared exam candidate.
GAMSAT Tuition with a Private Tutor
Dr Mike has the right idea. Let's think of GAMSAT offerings as a restaurant menu for a moment. Would you rather choose from a set menu with no allowances for preference? Or would you prefer to order a la carte? If you're really hungry and not particularly picky, a set menu plan might be ideal, regardless of cost. On the other hand, if you know exactly what you want and you're on a limited budget, you're more likely to order what satisfies.
As you start your tutor search, consider favouring tutors who build their lessons around what you need and want from an instructor. That way, you won't spend a lot of time and money going through aspects of a curriculum you already excel at. As you go through tutor profiles, make sure that they meet three qualifications: they've sat the GAMSAT, earned high marks and have teaching experience.
Naturally, we don't mean teaching experience in a classroom. As long as your prospective tutor has experience teaching GAMSAT topics to other students, that satisfies that criterion. You need this because some aspects of this exam are highly advanced. Rare would be the novice tutor who could explain or express such concepts clearly and easily.
You don't need to make sure any prospective tutor is well-versed in the language of medicine. But they should know university-level chemistry and biology, as well as high-school physics and some maths. And they need to have a catalog of suggested reading. In case you didn't know, that's Acer's most important piece of advice.
You may find a science tutor to coach you in chemistry and biology but that's no guarantee that they will know how to apply their knowledge to GAMSAT questions. Likewise, you might search for a writing tutor to master the skills needed for Section II of the GAMSAT. Just make sure that their profile specifies that they can coach you in writing for the GAMSAT.
Where can you find such tutors, then, unless you turn to one of those commercial outlets? If your university doesn't have any recommendations for you, you can check out the University Tutors website. You only need to choose Melbourne - or Brisbane, or any other Australian city if you don't mind GAMSAT tutorials online. And then, you'll be treated to a blend of commercial and independent tutor listings.
GAMSAT Tuition with Superprof
The only trouble with skimming through tutor profiles on that site is vagueness. In most cases, you won't know how much a tutor charges per hour of instruction even if you read their entire profile. You also won't know if they offer lessons online, in person or a mix of both. However, most tutors on that site do a great job of listing their credentials. Beware, though, that not every tutor has sat or passed the GAMSAT. Many specialise in one GAMSAT section, maybe the essay writing portion or Section III, the science component.
By contrast, searching for GAMSAT tuition on the Superprof platform, you'll find all that critical information on the welcome page. You'll see pictures of each tutor and, right below, their per-hour rate, a brief summary of their services and whether they have experience teaching the GAMSAT elements.
Clicking on a tutor's profile provides more at-a-glance information. For instance, you'll see their preferred lesson delivery method - in person or online. You'll also learn how many students they've taught and how quickly they respond to questions. Scrolling down to the bottom of their page, you can find out if they offer any type of discount. And you can read comments their past students left.
The average per-hour price for a Melbourne GAMSAT tutor on Superprof is $59. What will you get for your money? Just the support and instruction you need to score well on your exam. Superprof GAMSAT tutors take a student-led approach. You say what you need and your tutor delivers. Incidentally, that's why all five Melbourne-area GAMSAT Superprofs offer their first session at no cost.
As you're still working on your Bachelor's degree, you may only have a general idea of what GAMSAT preparation entails. Don't hesitate to ask your Superprof loads of questions during that introductory session. That way, you can figure out together which direction your lessons should take.
And don't feel compelled to stick with only Melbourne area tutors. If all of them have full schedules - or if you don't think you'll work well with them, take your search further. On Superprof, you could take your GAMSAT tutor search worldwide if you wanted to. But you needn't go that far. Sydney is home to some fantastic Superprof GAMSAT tutors.
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