Another one of those 'do i stand a chance?' posts.

**beebee2** · 19-07-2012, 01:46 AM

hey

Sorry to be posting another one of these, but I'm just interested to know what others think about my chances of getting into post grad med, im very aware that it is ridiculously competetive and many people apply 2/3 times and I'm not sure i'm going to have enough work experience to back up my application...

I've got 3As at a level and a high 2.1 BSc in Physiology. Work experience wise, I have done 2 weeks in different GP practices and by the time I apply, will have volunteered once a week for 3 months at a hospice and also volunteered at a residential holiday camp for disabled children for a week. In addition, I've got a job lined up as a health care assistant on a stroke ward but I'm not sure how long I will have been doing this by the time I send my application in.

I will continue the HCA work and hospice volunteer stuff throughout the year which will definitely add to my experience, but im a bit anxious that i wont have done much before i actually apply.

If I manage to pull off a good UKCAT mark, do you think i stand a chance?

Any opinions would be really appreciated

**fibonacci** · 19-07-2012, 01:33 PM

Do GAMSAT as well!

**beebee2** · 19-07-2012, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by fibonacci

Do GAMSAT as well!

I have thought about the GAMSAT, but I think i've left it a bit late to start preparing for it...I'd be fine with the biology side but I havent done chemistry or physics since GCSE, do you think it would be too much to start cramming for now? I've heard of some people preparing a year in advance! Is the GAMSAT sometime in september?

**fibonacci** · 19-07-2012, 03:27 PM

It's not too late to start cramming. GAMSAT is much more an "understanding" exam rather than a test of knowledge; as long as you understand basic principles of Chemistry and Physics you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just an idea anyway.

The problem with GAMSAT (and particularly in your case, if you feel you don;t have adequate time to prepare) is that you don't get the results until after you have already applied, so potentially you are wasting a choice if you get a bad GAMSAT result. I would do UKCAT early if you can, see what score you get, and then base your GAMSAT application on that maybe? If you get say 700+ in the UKCAT, you may decide just to apply to the UKCAT unis.

**beebee2** · 19-07-2012, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by fibonacci

It's not too late to start cramming. GAMSAT is much more an "understanding" exam rather than a test of knowledge; as long as you understand basic principles of Chemistry and Physics you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just an idea anyway.

The problem with GAMSAT (and particularly in your case, if you feel you don;t have adequate time to prepare) is that you don't get the results until after you have already applied, so potentially you are wasting a choice if you get a bad GAMSAT result. I would do UKCAT early if you can, see what score you get, and then base your GAMSAT application on that maybe? If you get say 700+ in the UKCAT, you may decide just to apply to the UKCAT unis.

Ok, thanks for your advice! I've got my UKCAT booked for this saturday so yer, i'm going to see how that goes and then decide. I didnt realise you don't get to know GAMSAT scores before you have to send your application off...thats difficult! Is there anywhere that I can find past GAMSAT papers?

**fibonacci** · 19-07-2012, 04:41 PM

Yeah, hence if you have a really good UKCAT score, it might be worth your while trying your luck with all UKCAT unis. On the other hand, if you stuff up the UKCAT, the GAMSAT can be a good "second chance" so to speak. The other advantage of GAMSAT is of course you go straight to interview if you score well enough (this is not true for UKCAT).
You can't get past papers for GAMSAT, but you can get official preparation materials from Acer on the following website: Prepare | GAMSAT
When I prepared I bought the "sample questions" and "practice paper 1", which I found was enough to see what type of questions there were. I also purchased Griffith's GAMSAT review, which i found useful but it's certainly not a necessity.
GAMSAT can be a truly difficult exam but by no means impossible.

**beebee2** · 19-07-2012, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by fibonacci

Yeah, hence if you have a really good UKCAT score, it might be worth your while trying your luck with all UKCAT unis. On the other hand, if you stuff up the UKCAT, the GAMSAT can be a good "second chance" so to speak. The other advantage of GAMSAT is of course you go straight to interview if you score well enough (this is not true for UKCAT).
You can't get past papers for GAMSAT, but you can get official preparation materials from Acer on the following website: Prepare | GAMSAT
When I prepared I bought the "sample questions" and "practice paper 1", which I found was enough to see what type of questions there were. I also purchased Griffith's GAMSAT review, which i found useful but it's certainly not a necessity.
GAMSAT can be a truly difficult exam but by no means impossible.

Right, ok, thanks for all your help! Are you in the process of applying too?!

**Profanius** · 20-07-2012, 06:01 PM

Hey Beebee

Just a word of warning but a good GAMSAT score is not a guarantee of an interview. Notts also has a minimum work experience criteria before being selected for interview. You also need to look the requirements of the GAMSAT Unis. Right now I would say your biggest weakness is a lack of work experience compared with other GEP candidates. Notts and SGUL place a very strong emphasis on work experience.

It's certainly worth taking the GAMSAT if you bomb on the UKCAT - after all you will have nothing to lose. However, a UKCAT of 680+ will be enough to apply for Soton, Barts, Imperial, Warwick and even Oxbridge. You could also apply for Liverpool and Bristol who don't consider UKCAT.

The science section is only one third of the GAMSAT, you also have the essay and English comprehension sections - and with two months to prepare you'll have a fair bit of work to do. You'll know tomorrow what your UKCAT score will be tomorrow so I would play it by ear. Good Luck!

**beebee2** · 21-07-2012, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by Profanius

Hey Beebee

Just a word of warning but a good GAMSAT score is not a guarantee of an interview. Notts also has a minimum work experience criteria before being selected for interview. You also need to look the requirements of the GAMSAT Unis. Right now I would say your biggest weakness is a lack of work experience compared with other GEP candidates. Notts and SGUL place a very strong emphasis on work experience.

It's certainly worth taking the GAMSAT if you bomb on the UKCAT - after all you will have nothing to lose. However, a UKCAT of 680+ will be enough to apply for Soton, Barts, Imperial, Warwick and even Oxbridge. You could also apply for Liverpool and Bristol who don't consider UKCAT.

The science section is only one third of the GAMSAT, you also have the essay and English comprehension sections - and with two months to prepare you'll have a fair bit of work to do. You'll know tomorrow what your UKCAT score will be tomorrow so I would play it by ear. Good Luck!

Hello!

Thanks for the advice...just done the UKCAT and averaged at 680...QR 740, DA 710, VR 670 but only 600 for AR. I'm now even more confused! I'm not sure if that scores too borderline for places like warwick/barts etc... I suppose it is but it also depends if they look at individual sections, in which case I might not have much luck with my AR. Do you know about the individual section thing?

I would consider applying to bristol and liverpool but it would mean doing chemistry a level in a year!

**Profanius** · 23-07-2012, 02:16 PM

Hello beebee

A UKCAT of 680 might be enough for Warwick, (it was 675 last year and dropped to 670 for some). However, as has been said, opening the doors to all graduates might push that up further. You can't apply to Imperial either due to your AR score. You are probably a contender for Barts and Soton (which is a bit of a lottery).

Sorry, I had assumed you had chemistry as one of your 3 A-levels. If it's a choice between taking GAMSAT and another A-level then I would probably choose GAMSAT. You've got two months - so it's not unrealistic and it's probably a bit less random than the other choices you've got. Good luck.