From: AceGAMSAT
Re: Sitting The GAMSAT

Sitting The GAMSAT

When it comes to sitting the GAMSAT, the actual experience of it, there are a number of natural points of anxiety for students. Have I prepared adequately? Am I using my time effectively? Are there any gaps in my knowledge which I have not yet accounted for?

All of these questions will race through your mind. Above all else it is necessary to remember that the anxieties you are experiencing are shared by many of those around you.  Also, to a certain degree, they represent things which are outside of your control. For instance, “Have I prepared adequately?” Well, you have likely prepared the best you could up until that time. No one knows what will be on the exam. You may have been thorough in your preparation.  Maybe you will get lucky with a particular array of questions. Maybe you will get unlucky. Either way, worrying about previous preparation when you are in the middle of your exam will not really help. It will more likely hinder your performance. On the basis of this here are a few key tips for sitting the GAMSAT.

• Always be aware that this is a performance. Just like an athletic performance, or perhaps a dance performance, or being in a play, you must marshal your emotional, intellectual and physical resources to get through the exam. You must maintain focus the whole day, keep your energy levels up, be sure to monitor your progress.
• Break your performance down into 30-minute increments. Be sure you are maintaining your pace, getting through everything, allotting appropriate time to the more difficult questions. When this is done, be sure to do a quick recap on your performance, and in turn prepare for the next 30 minute increment.
• Don’t burn out. Try not to expend all of your mental energy early on, barreling through questions only to feel fatigued and unfocused in the second half of the day. It is about your performance as a whole!
• Utilise appropriate revision resources. An excellent example would be to sit the following mock exam:

S3 GAMSAT Practice Test – https://www.acegamsat.com/minimum-gamsat-scores/

By sitting this GAMSAT Mock Exam and checking all worked solutions, you will have a much more secure sense of what your relative strengths and weaknesses are.

If you’re sitting the GAMSAT within the next 6 months, it’s time to really knuckle down!