The March 2022 GAMSAT went by in a flash, and it all boiled down to the GAMSAT scores and the next steps to apply to medical school. We are proud of the efforts and dedication you invested over the past months to sit through yet another tedious and stressful exam sitting.
Let’s do some GAMSAT reflections on the March 2022 sitting, followed by previous recommendations and predictions for the September 2022 GAMSAT!
GAMSAT March Sitting: A GAMSAT Reflection
When we talk about the 2022 March sitting in particular, most of our students noticed apparent differences in the structure of GAMSAT Section 1, but more importantly, the pattern at which the exam was conducted compared to other sittings in the past. For example, some of our students mentioned that there was only one exam session as opposed to two sessions per day as it was during the 2021 GAMSAT.
As a whole, the exam lasted longer than usual, and the ACER team made a conscious decision to host a single session in a day. This change to the number of sessions may have impacted most students and their exam taking styles.
GAMSAT 2022: What Changed in Section 1?
Understanding Section 1 Structure
This is not brand new information that we are about to drop, but the biggest change to the structure of Section 1 has to be the increase in total number of S1 questions to 62 over 100 minutes of test time. This drastic change expected a number of things from students, like staying hyper-focused in the humanities section, greater levels of creativity and maintaining that focused work for Section 2 essays as well.
All this level of concentration may have added to the existing pressure by the time they reached the longest GAMSAT section, Section 3, but this is a given considering the dreaded nature of the GAMSAT.
Understand Section 1 Question Types
In saying that, we would like to highlight that Section 1 questions were largely standard, but the significant increase in diagram-based questions and longer question stems were unusual in this section. Besides Section 1 was majorly influenced by literary prose but the diagrams as part of the Cartoon theme had some interesting graphs that almost made S1 resemble the dreadful Section 3.
Understand Section 1 Answer Types
Another unexpected Section 1 encounter was the replacement of quotes in Section 1 comments segment to random statements like, "I act to further my financial position" or "I act to try to help as many people as possible". These one liners were predominantly used to test one’s interpretative nature and posed a real challenge to students who had to step out of their comfort zone and work with unfamiliar comment-based questions. However, this experience cannot capture the emotions of all but only a few GAMSAT sitters in March.
NOTE: The information we are providing is not an absolute rather a collection of different experiences that has been summarised to help you in your upcoming September GAMSAT.
Additionally, a few of the comment-related question stems were apparently longer in length and had up to 5 - 6 questions per comment. This certainly may have caused some minor disruptions to one’s time management abilities during the test.
Section 1 Summary
Overall though, Section 1 featured a combination of all the major themes spread across the entirety of the section in a manner meant to be challenging.
For example, the passage-oriented question stems tended to be shorter in length but had a tricky twist of both technical texts and a diagram as part of a single question.
GAMSAT Exam Layout for Section 2
GAMSAT Section 2, a pure writing component, widely known for its distinct essay prompts, apparently had some fascinating curveballs in the March 2022 GAMSAT.
Understand Section 2 Themes
For instance, there were some highly specific themes that students had to study to develop a well-articulated essay. Some of these themes needed an economic response and an argument that is constructed on good organisation and evidence-based reasoning.
Understanding Section 2 Question Prompts
The second notable feature at the March 2022 sitting was the inclusion of a broad range of question prompts, from ‘wealth distribution’ to ‘personal judgements’ and ‘socio-cultural scenarios’, Section 2 came across as an exam section that demanded one to think innovatively and creatively.
The third component in Section 2 that may have acted as a creative barrier to some students is the quote-theme relating to ‘being thrifty’. ‘Thrifty’ as a theme was deeply rooted in the quotes, and as it is not a commonly discussed topic, the interpretation was found to be time consuming by many. This topic also had some conflicting views from students — some found it uncomplicated and chose a very self-reflective approach, whereas others built an essay framework on concepts like power and knowledge to construct their perspective.
The attempt by ACER to disguise the broader themes in a given Section 2 quote was rather efficiently done, and may have burdened some students to keep on their toes at all times.
Was GAMSAT Section 3 Easy Compared to Previous Years?
GAMSAT Section 3, the most-exhausting section compared to its counterparts, tested prerequisite knowledge in Chemistry, Biology, Physics and to a certain degree, numerical knowledge as well. Usually, students have to refresh their university-level knowledge of Chemistry and Biology, and Year-12 expertise for Physics to be advanced in answering the tricky science questions in S3.
Understanding Section 3 Topic Ratios
Usually the ratio of Chemistry, Biology and Physics question-stems follow the generic trend, 40:40:20 but lately, there seemed to be a tweak in this pattern. Exam sitters witnessed a combination of all these subjects in a majority of questions, as opposed to being highly specific. The mix in all three subject matters made March GAMSAT Section 3, a particularly tedious test section on GAMSAT day.
Understanding the Required Section 3 Skills
Based on our student’s observations, we found it interesting that most questions in Section 3 of the March sitting were not just focused on testing prerequisite-knowledge, as one might expect. Instead, they explicitly assessed concepts like pattern recognition, which is not a skill traditionally tested in Section 3. A majority of GAMSAT sitters were fully prepared for a knowledge test, they were taken aback by this unusual assessing process.
Finally, the entire section heavily tested mathematical concepts, with a number of graph-oriented questions which were pretty complex to decipher, and required a strong mathematical foundation. A general sentiment that prevailed amongst many test takers was that this March 2022 Section 3 was a really tough challenge compared to prior years.
GAMSAT 2022 September Predictions
The GAMSAT test has always been full of uncertainties. Besides, the 2022 March GAMSAT is an apt example that the ACER consortium invariably imposed changes to the GAMSAT exam style. In saying that, it has come to our attention that some students had been unable to keep up with the draining exam structure, and were amongst the list of sitters who didn’t finish the exam.
So if we were to summarise our prediction of the September 2022 GAMSAT in one sentence, then here’s what it is: Expect the unexpected. And be more flexible in your GAMSAT preparation. Try to open your mind to many possible variations in each section and train yourself to be competent enough at solving these questions without being shocked at a random theme change in a section.
ACER aims to deliver a highly balanced GAMSAT exam every year and 2022 March sitting was no exception to this. Considering how unique the GAMSAT is, it is important to be very thorough in your preparation and bank on your strengths, for which you certainly need an effective GAMSAT study syllabus.
In Conclusion
There are a number of key take-aways from this exam!
- Section 1 may have more diagrams in the upcoming sitting, changing the type of comprehension required.
- Expect strange essay prompts in Section 2 which may need you to extend the bounds of your thinking.
- In section 3, there could be fresh concepts tested — but always remember to strengthen your cognitive skills for the approaching GAMSAT, as this is frequently the crucial component.
A Bit About Us At Fraser’s
Fraser’s GAMSAT is a tuition company that was founded in 2010, with a focus on changing the way people prepare for GAMSAT and the long-term mentorship of students.
For more information about the GAMSAT preparation courses that we offer, click here! Fraser’s provided a variety of different courses, including unlimited essays prompts, monthly new STEM questions drops, and personalised one-on-one private tuition by expert tutors with extensive experience.
For free access to resources covering all sections of the GAMSAT. Click here for section 1, section 2, or section 3.
2022 GAMSAT Frequently Asked Questions
GAMSAT Exam Dates 2022
March 2022 GAMSAT results were released on May 18, 2022.
Will the GAMSAT 2022 be Online?
Since the COVID-outbreak this question has surfaced multiple times: Will GAMSAT be an online exam?
With respect to 2022, the March GAMSAT was an online exam that was conducted at an approved test centre and the September GAMSAT was the same.
How Long Did GAMSAT Last?
The GAMSAT test timing was set at 5 hours and 25 minutes, which includes 21 minutes of reading time plus 60 minutes of break time for every student.
Is 2 Months Enough Time to Study for the GAMSAT?
The blunt answer to this question is, no, 2 months is probably not suitable enough to cover all the content and develop the required skills for a successful sitting. Therefore, our GAMSAT experts who have observed the evolution of GAMSAT and know for a fact that the GAMSAT is a skill-based assessment recommend a GAMSAT prep time of at least 6 months prior to the actual test date.
Where to Next?
Stumbled across our older GAMSAT articles, but looking for some more up-to-date information? Read more here:
For free access to resources covering all sections of the GAMSAT:
- GAMSAT Section 1: Reasoning in Humanities
- GAMSAT Section 2: Written Communication
- GAMSAT Section 3: Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences
Take a look at the following resources:
