From: Matthew
Re: GAMSAT Section 1 Tips For Success
Recently I was asked what are a few essential GAMSAT Section 1 Tips.
I joked that one should camp in a library for 5 years studying prose, poetry, the behavioural and social sciences, humanities in general and apply these to all sorts of cartoons. Seems to me this is a foolproof way to successfully study for the Gamsat Section 1. Yet, none of us have the time for such a quixotic venture given the time for study many of us have at our disposal. The fact of the matter is one can be successful if one takes a few shortcuts. To this end, I have compiled some very practical tips GAMSAT Section 1 success.
Tip 1 – Read as Much as Possible – a few shortcuts can be found in anthologies, academic journals, books of quotations, as well as the higher grade op-eds in the New York Times, the Atlantic, and other periodicals. Actually, Rolling Stone (online) has some very good writers. Reading activities will also help with Section 2, as well.
Tip 2 – Understand the Language – take the time to read glossaries of literary terms, psychological terms, sociological and philosophical terms. Each discipline has its own lexicon or terminology – some of these terms may be used in Section 1 of the Gamsat. (The French philosopher Michel Foucault called the terminology of the social sciences “Monster Slang”!) Understanding the movements, the terminology will help when one encounters a term such as “Neo-Platonism” or “Subjective Idealism.”
Tip 3 – Utilise A Methodology in Reading – Who/Whom is doing what, where, when, why and how? I tend to think Kenneth Burke’s “Dramatism” is an essential tool to getting down to the basics of what a passage or graphic implies. This type of reading is the old journalism school of taking notes in order to write up a story – it is quite functional.
Tip 4 – Know Critical Theory – on occasion, one will need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a given theory or claim. It is helpful to review logical fallacies, as well as what constitutes a solid argument or theory.
Tip 5 – Study – take the time to do all the above on a daily basis. It can be an hour or two a day on a daily basis. Keep a journal and write each day on your readings. You will find your knowledge expanding on a daily basis.
Tip 6 – Practice – Out of all the GAMSAT Section 1 Tips this would be the most important, as practice will improve your GAMSAT score in the least amount of time. Practicing several questions every day is the key to success. Our team has released over 1000 Section Questions in our GAMSAT Practice Package. Click below to view our practice package which contains 1000+ GAMSAT Section 1 questions.
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Armed with these essential GAMSAT Section 1 Tips, you should be prepared to take the test, given the proper time for study. Stick to it and you will surprise yourself on how well you do on the Gamsat Section 1.