There is a common misconception among students that having very little Science or prior knowledge of concepts of science puts a student at a disadvantage compared to a student who has done Science as a part of their undergraduate degree.

This section of the GAMSAT, may seem to be a daunting task for a student of a non-science background, however it is possible to work methodically through the concepts and practice questions to gain the required confidence to ace Section III of the GAMSAT.

The GAMSAT comprises of three sections, the third section being Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences which makes up 50% of the overall GAMSAT mark.

The GAMSAT is not a test of a student’s knowledge of science concepts, rather it is a test of the understanding and application of these basic Science concepts. Section III of the GAMSAT tests the ability of students to analyse and comprehend a stimulus, which includes a descriptive passage along with graphs correctly, and then answer multiple-choice questions based on the stimulus.

In the last 15 years after teaching hundreds of students for the GAMSAT, experience has shown the following trusted steps can be followed by students coming from a non-science background to ace Section III of the GAMSAT.

1)      Start Early

An early start to prepare for the GAMSAT is absolutely necessary. Although there is no standard recommendation for the duration of preparation, students typically put anywhere between 3 to 6 months of prior study preparation. The real time required to prepare for Section III of the GAMSAT, ultimately depends on an individual’s commitments and responsibilities. Students who have other on going commitments should ideally priortise setting time aside to start study early and follow a study schedule.

2)      Exploration and Familiarisation

Ensure that you familiarise yourself with the structure of Section III of the GAMSAT as well as the level of knowledge of science required for this section. Currently, there are a total of 75 multiple choice questions grouped in 20 to 25 sets of 3 to 4 questions each. These questions have to be attempted in 150 mins which includes 8 mins of reading time. Chemistry comprises 40% of questions, another 40% from Biology, and the 20% from Physics. The level of knowledge required for Chemistry and Biology is year one undergraduate level and HSC level knowledge for Physics.

3)      Identify the problem areas

Once you are familiar with the Science concepts required for Section III of the GAMSAT, work on identifying the concepts of the subject that would require more time and focus to master. You can do this by attempting short multiple-choice question tests which cover the basic concepts in each subject. The results of testing yourself by this simple method can give you a general idea of the topics and Science concepts that would require further mastery and time.

4)      Follow a timetable

Making and following a timetable is a very necessary part of the journey of preparation for Section III of the GAMSAT. Please dedicate a set number of hours in the week for this preparation. Please start with the most challenging concepts first. Each session of preparation should at least be 90 minutes in duration. As time gets closer to the exam, commit more time each week towards the preparation of Section III of the GAMSAT.

5)      Practice, Practice, and more Practice

Please start with familiarising and understanding the concepts first. Science concepts build on each other. Therefore it is imperative to start from the basics. Next, practice questions. Start with the Acer questions first. These questions are most similar to the questions in the actual GAMSAT. Practice as many multiple-choice questions as you can find from any source. It is also highly recommended that you should re-attempt the same questions after a period of time. This ensures greater familiarity with the type of questions and provides the required confidence in attempting such questions.

6)      Build a strategy

Preparation for Section III needs to culminate into a strategy for approaching this section for GAMSAT. Every student based on their prior experience and preparation method should ultimately have a plan in place on how they will approach and answer the different types of multiple-choice questions in Section III of the GAMSAT. A common strategy used by a number of students is to answer units relating to a particular subject first. These questions could be Chemistry or Biology questions and then Physics questions last.is