What is the GAMSAT?

The GAMSAT is one of the three entrance exams used for applying to medicine or dentistry in the UK (and other countries). The GAMSAT is used for graduate entry medicine although some universities will still use the UCAT instead.

The GAMSAT is a day-long test which must be sat at a centre in the UK - tests are running in many of the major cities in the UK. The GAMSAT can be sat in March or September.

The GAMSAT consists of three sections:

• Section 1 - Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences - Multiple Choice

• Section 2 - Written Communication - Essay

• Section 3 - Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences - Multiple Choice

Our best GAMSAT tips:

1 - You can resit the GAMSAT

You have the option of taking both the March and September exams and applying with whichever score is higher (this is not possible for the other entrance exams). It is worth noting that it costs almost £300 to sit the exam so this is not a cheap option - but gives you the option if the March GAMSAT does not go well.

2 - Also take the UCAT

We recommend you take both the GAMSAT and the UCAT. This allows you to see which areas you score a higher percentile in and apply accordingly. Some graduate-entry courses will take UCAT and some will take GAMSAT (one even takes both!). The downside of this is that there is a lot of preparation needed for the different exams so if you score highly in UCAT or GAMSAT it may not be worth sitting both - however it will allow you more freedom in where you apply.

3 - Prepare properly

A relatively obvious tip from us - but still key. As tutors, we have seen MANY candidates fail to get into medicine the first time around because they have not given enough time or energy to prepare for the entrance exams. These exams are the make or break of your medical application, and although it is annoying to give up your hard-earned summer holidays to revision - this time and effort will pay off in the long run. We recommend you prepare by using the official preparation material (for Section 3) and ensuring you are keeping up to date with medical news (and reading widely and practising analysing poems and novels) as this will help you prepare for all the sections. For more specific advice talk to one of our expert tutors.

GAMSAT Scoring:

The maximum GAMSAT Score is out of 100 - Each section is scored out of 100 (Section 3 has a double weighting) and then the total score is divided by 4. In reality, the highest score that students will get is 80 (even if this is only the top 1% of students). Normal entry requirements will depending on the university but will sit around 55-65 as a minimum score. For more information on the specific entry requirements check out our quiz which will illustrate the best universities to apply to with your combination of grades, degree and GAMSAT score.