GAMSAT Study Guide
Pay attention, this may be the most important thing you ever read about the Gamsat. In this Gamsat study guide I'm going to teach you the best way to prepare for Gamsat.
But this is going to be SO much more than just telling you how to make a Gamsat study plan, or which study material to use, or where to find practice questions.
There are already hundreds if not thousands of those types of article on the internet already.
Many of them written by me in this very Gamsat blog.
And although they are very useful resources they are not the most important thing you need to know right at the beginning of your Gamsat studies.
No, what I want to talk to you about today is MINDSET.
You see, the single most important factor for success in Gamsat is your psychological approach to the test.
I say this not only based on my own experience of taking Gamsat (I scored in the top 10%) but also based on my 15 years experience mentoring countless others to pass also.
So let's get straight into it.
But before that if you want some of the other more standard articles on Gamsat preparation then check out these other articles of mine -
and...
Mindset Part One
Now the first point I want to make about Gamsat is to enjoy the process and not become too obsessive about it.
I sometimes read comments online from people saying they are taking Gamsat for the seventh or eighth time.
In my opinion that's a big mistake.
Look, I get it, you really want to become a doctor, it's your life dream etc etc. And it's good to be committed to that and to do everything possible to achieve it.
But at the end of the day it's just a job and your job doesn't define you as a person.
You could be just as happy in any number of equally interesting and rewarding jobs. Many of which might be easier and pay more than being a doctor.
Yes I know doctors aren't in it for the money, that goes without saying.
The point I'm trying to make is don't end up as that CREEPY EX BOYFRIEND or girlfriend.
We've all been there in our younger years. We get our first boyfriend or girlfriend, we're in LOVE, everything is going great.....then they dump you.
YOUR WORLD COMES TO AN END.
You think you'll never be happy with anyone else, you'll never love anyone as much as them, in short, your life is OVER.
But then in a couple of weeks (or maybe a couple of months in some cases) you've moved on and you've realised there's plenty of fish in the sea.
Except for a rare few people.
They become obsessed
They can't forget their ex. They start spying on them to see what they're doing on social media, following them home and in extreme cases killing their pet rabbit and cooking it up in a nice stew.
What I'm trying to say is don't become that creepy ex when it comes to medicine.
Now of course, I'm not saying give up after your first try.
But if you've sat Gamsat three or four times without success maybe it's time to face the harsh reality that it isn't going to happen for you.
But hey, no problem. You're a winner and can find success and happiness in many other ways.
It's not just the cost of sitting Gamsat time after time which is expensive on its own. It's the OPPORUNITY COST.
That's a term used in economics which refers to not the time and money you lost in a failed project, but the money and benefits you lost if that time and money had been invested in a different project.
As in maybe you're spending years in a low paid job while you're trying to pass Gamsat.
Time which you could have used to be moving up the ladder in another career.
Time which you could have spent with your family etc etc.
Mindset Part Two
The second very important point about mindset is this:
Do not view Gamsat as some unpleasant obstacle to get past on your way to medicine.
Rather you should try and enjoy it as part of the journey.
Now I know you may be thinking it's impossible to enjoy taking a difficult and competitive test.
But look at it this way...
Gamsat is not going to be the first exam you take on the path to becoming a fully qualified doctor.
After Gamsat there will be many medical school exams, and then after qualification another series of exams to gain entry to your chosen specialty such as the Royal College of Physicians or Surgeons if you're in the UK.
And may I dare say that these are every bit as tough if not tougher than Gamsat.
And just like Gamsat you'll have to study for them in your own time. And you'll have to pay to do private courses out of your own pocket to have any realistic chance of passing.
So exams are just part and parcel of being a doctor and instead of fearing them just learn to enjoy it as part of your professional journey.
You see among the many people who will be taking Gamsat there are many Type A personalities, just as there are in medicine in general.
People who are competitive. People who like to succeed. People who are ambitious.
Those type of people won't be crying into their milk about having to sit Gamsat.
No, they'll welcome the chance to prove themselves better than everyone else and confirm their own superiority.
So you need to be able to adopt the same mindset. If you start feeling negative about Gamsat now you're already on the path to failure.
The Good News
There's never been a better time to sit Gamsat.
Back when I sat the test in 2005 there were hardly any resources available at all and NO resources which could be downloaded online.
Today that's all changed.
Today there's an abundance of Gamsat courses, practice questions, study material and everything you could possibly need to know exactly what to study and how to study it.
So my final advice is DON'T WASTE TIME RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL!
Take advantage of everything you've got available to you. There are plenty of free resources and also paid resources if you can afford it. You'll save yourself a lot of time work and doubt.
Hit the ground running and just maybe you can pass Gamsat the first time, not the eighth time.
Best of luck!