Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GAMSAT®?

GAMSAT is an admissions test required for postgraduate-entry into medicine in a select number of
schools in the UK, Ireland and Australia (majority of test takers are in Australia).

It is issued by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and consists of 3 parts:

 Part I - Reading comprehension (75 questions in 100 minutes + 10 minutes reading time)
 Part II - Written communication (2 essays in 60 minutes + 5 minutes reading time) Students
choose from 2 sets of 5 quotes from which to base their essays on.
 Part III - 40% Chemistry, 40% Biology, 20% Physics (110 questions in 170 minutes + 10
minutes reading time)

N.B. Part I and II are worth 50% of the overall score. Part III makes up the remaining 50%. Chemistry
and Biology are tested at 1st year university level and physics at year 12 level.

Total Time: 5.5 hours (+25 minutes for intructions, + 1 hour break)

Total questions: 185 questions + 2 Essays

What are the differences between GAMSAT and MCAT® exams?

GAMSAT MCAT
Testing method Paper Computer
Total test time 5.5 hours 5.5 hours
Breaks 1 hour for lunch 5 minutes between sections
Optional Lunch (max. 1 hour)
Verbal Section 75 Questions; 100 minutes 40 questions; 60 minutes
Writing Section 2 questions; 60 minutes 2 questions; 60 minutes
Physical and Biological Sciences 110 questions; 170 minutes 104 questions; 140 minutes
(total)
Countries Australia, Ireland and UK U.S., Canada
Test Frequency Once per year for each country More than 20 test dates per
year

MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges. GAMSAT® is a registered trademark of
ACER. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with Kaplan or this website.
Generally, MCAT is more difficult than GAMSAT, as the scientific content is more advanced and the
whole test is more tightly timed.

When is the GAMSAT held?

The GAMSAT is held once a year:

 Ireland and Australia in March

 UK in September

Where is the GAMSAT held?

 Australian Test Centres include all capital cities (and Townsville)
 Ireland Test Centres include Dublin, Cork, and Limerick
 United Kingdom Test Centres include: Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Liverpool and
Sheffield.

How is the GAMSAT Scored?

The overall score is achieved as follows:

Overall Score = (1 x Section 1 + 1 x Section 2 + 2 x Section 3) / 4

GAMSAT scores are valid for two years - Results from September 2014 are valid for applications for
2015 and 2016 entrance.

If you would like any more information on using Kaplan’s MCAT courses for GAMSAT
preparation, please call us +44 (0) 207 930 3130 or email us at kaptest.global@kaplan.com.

MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges. GAMSAT® is a registered trademark of
ACER. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with Kaplan or this website.