What is Graduate school admissions: Definition and 47 Discussions

The Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (commonly known as the GAMSAT, formerly Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test) is a test used to select candidates applying to study medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy and veterinary science at Australian, British, and Irish universities for admission to their Graduate Entry Programmes (candidates must have a recognised bachelor's degree, or equivalent, completed prior to commencement of the degree). Candidates may take the test in a test centre in one of the 6 countries, being Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, offering the test.GAMSAT makes use of a marking system known as item response theory, meaning that scores are issued according to a sigmoid distribution and can be converted to a percentile rank based on the percentile curve that is issued at the same time as results are released. Candidates are not informed of their raw mark and, in any case, this bears little resemblance to their final score.
Sitting the GAMSAT is a separate process to applying to study medicine. Most universities with graduate-entry medical programs require:

Completion of any bachelor's degree (this includes non-science-related degrees, e.g., arts or law)
Obtaining a prerequisite GAMSAT cut-off score
Achieving prerequisite marks in the bachelor's degreeOnce a candidate has fulfilled these criteria, they may then apply to universities offering a medicine/dentistry/veterinary science course. If the GAMSAT and GPA scores, or GAMSAT and Degree Class, of the candidate are of sufficient calibre, the candidate may be invited to attend an interview at one or more of the universities to which they applied, based on priority laid out in the student's application. This interview is conducted by established medical practitioners and education professionals, and aims to elucidate the candidate's personal qualities, ethics, verbal reasoning skills, and motivation to study medicine at their university. If successful at this interview (as one half to two thirds of candidates are), then the candidate may be offered a place on their chosen course at the university.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. XcgsdV

    Courses How much Chemistry should I take to prepare for Biophysics PhD?

    Hey y'all! I'm about to enter my second year of undergrad as a double major in Physics and Vocal Music. I am still exploring a lot of what physics has to offer, but I'm very intrigued by biophysics. I recently found a paper on the mechanics behind cell differentiation during embryonic...
  2. abdulhayee

    Admissions How to prove Physics competency to grad school admission committees?

    Greetings, This is a slightly longer post but it's coming from someone who's humbly and sincerely passionate+motivated about pursuing Physics and hence I'd be immensely grateful to everyone who can help me clear my confusions and see a ray of light and hope! You'd be doing me a solid :) My...
  3. PhysPaig

    Admissions Can I cancel a physics PhD visit day, after they've booked my flight?

    Hello everyone! I have a visit day for a school coming up that they booked my hotel and flight for. I was initially interested in the program, but my partner recently received a dream job offer in Boston. I have been offered a spot at two PhD programs there, so I'll likely pick one of those in...
  4. kafka64

    Should I skip labs/experiments for Mathematical Physics program?

    I am attending University of Waterloo and my school will allow me to graduate as a Mathematical Physics major without taking any labs/experiment courses (in my school lab is not integrated to physics courses, they are separate courses with separate credits). This could be great because : -...
  5. Wrichik Basu

    Other Updating Resume for Graduate School Admissions in India: Adding Online Courses

    I am about to start applying to different graduate schools in my country (India) for pursuing a Masters in Physics. Unfortunately, very few Indian universities actually want a resume, and offer admission based on competitive exams only. Nevertheless, I am updating my resume and keeping it ready...
  6. Azerack

    Admissions Safety School Programs for a Physics PhD

    Hi, this is my first time using the Physics Forums so please let me know if this question belongs somewhere else. I'm a senior undergraduate at a mid-size institution in the United States seeking to purse a PhD in High Energy Theoretical physics or Quantum Information/Computing. I'm aware these...
  7. Azathanai

    Admissions Honest opinions and advice on Statement of Purpose requested

    I've written a Statement of Purpose for Physics PhD applications, and I wanted opinions on it from as many people as I can, which is why I am asking here. Honest reviews and tips on how to improve it are really appreciated! When I joined <my uni> as an undergraduate student in Physics, I had...
  8. E

    How to explain serious extenuating circumstances in PhD apps

    Hello! I am planning on applying to physics PhD programs in the fall. My first two years of undergrad I averaged Bs in my lower division classes. Last two years I got a majority of As and A-s in my upper division courses. Those first two years I had some extremely personal extenuating...
  9. AryaKimiaghalam

    Admissions Research Experience for Graduate School

    Hi, I am a physics major in my second year . So far, i did not do any research and with the current Coronavirus situation, getting into a research program in my university is unlikely (since most of them are experimental). I had some questions about the research experience of graduate school...
  10. callmeishmael

    Admissions Are Non-Traditional Paths to Graduate School Still Viable for Low GPA Students?

    With any luck I'll be completing my bachelor of science in physics this December. It will have been 6 years from start to finish, with several academic gaps, low research experience, and an abysmal GPA (from a combination of chronic illness, poor high school preparation, and overambitious course...
  11. M

    Studying How to be the best physicist you can be

    Hi All! A question that has been on my mind lately is how can a person be the best physicist that they can possibly be. Obviously 'best' is open to interpretation, so let's just say "How can a person make the largest impact on some field in physics that they are capable of". If we had to pick...
  12. SquidwardTentacles

    Physics PhD in New Zealand (or Australia)?

    Hey everyone, I'm an American senior Physics major and I've been looking at New Zealand (and possibly Australia) for grad school. I wanted to ask if anyone could describe the system over there and answer a couple questions. First, is a bachelors good enough to start the PhD without doing a...
  13. N

    Schools Graduate School Admissions for Astronomy Program

    Hi Everyone! I am a senior student going at a liberal arts college currently majoring in Physics. I am applying to graduate schools in Astronomy this fall semester. I would like to ask what are the odds of getting into the best astronomy programs with the following background: Major GPA: 4.00...
  14. M

    Admissions Resume Tips for Medical Physics PhD Application

    General Tips on What to focus on, what to avoid? :woot: 3 Specific questions: Should I keep it in ONE page? I have been helping on a grant which has been approved by NIH, how much details of the project should I include in the resume: the detailed goal of the grant, grant number, etc? Should I...
  15. poincare

    Schools Competition and funding for graduate school in Mathematics

    In graduate school for physics, the competition in certain fields(for example High Energy Theory) is very intense. Does anyone know how the situation is in fields of mathematics. So, which areas of mathematics are the most difficult to get into for grad school ? I would be particularly...
  16. D

    Admissions Waterloo vs. Minnesota Duluth for physics M.Sc.

    I received acceptances from the University of Minnesota, Duluth (not Twin Cities) and the University of Waterloo for their physics M.Sc. programs. I am interested in string theory - not exactly sure about the subfield. At Duluth, there is only one professor working in string cosmology who I...
  17. C

    Admissions Transferring after dropping out of a PhD for medical reasons

    Let's say that I was given unacceptable conditions for returning from medical leave; basically I had to self-fund at least the following year of a physics PhD. Knowing that doing so would result in a financial disaster, I am definitely withdrawing from the program, with the understanding that...
  18. P

    Schools How to get into a top graduate school from an unknown university?

    I am an international student and I was admitted to UT Arlington with 100% tuition scholarship for fall 2016. The reasons why I couldn't make it to a better university are lack of guidance and lack of funds. But now, I will have all the guidance in the world since I'm going to an American...
  19. R

    Admissions Admission criteria for theoretical physics PHD

    What is the most important factors that determine if a candidate can be admitted into top theoretical physics PHD program? Since undergraduate students are most likely not able to produce significant research paper, will universities put more emphasis on GRE and GPA?
  20. K

    How to get better recommendations in view of Phd?

    I obtained my M. Sc. in mathematics from a decent European university about a year ago (when I was 27 Due to various reasons of personal nature I didn't really commit to my studies, my marks were the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA, or something like that, and it took me quite a while to finish. I...
  21. C

    Schools Reputation of the university for graduate admission?

    Hi, I'm an undergraduate physics student in Turin (Northern Italy), currently in the first year of my bachelor degree. Before enrolling here in Turin, I thought a lot about going to sudy abroad because I would like to get a job somewhere in Europe or even outside it. But then, for several...
  22. D

    Admissions How can I be sure I'm applying to a school I can get into?

    I'm applying to graduate schools for biochemistry, biophysics, or microbiology. Last time I applied to seven schools and got rejected from all of them. I don't know for sure why I was rejected but I think it's partly because I applied to to many big name schools where they receive a lot of...
  23. B

    Undergraduate Research and Mathematics Graduate Programs

    Dear Physics Forum advisers, I am a rising college junior (five-years tract) with a major in mathematics and an aspiring mathematician in the fields of theoretical computing and cryptography. I apologize for this sudden interruption but I wrote this email to seek your advice on the impact of...
  24. yeshuamo

    Average general GRE scores at Stanford

    Stanford's Physics profile on GradSchoolShopper.com lists their incoming class's GRE scores as: "The average GRE scores for admitted students in 2014–15 were: Verbal-171, Quantitative–176; Analytical–4.42; Physics Subject–928." How do we interpret these general GRE scores? Everywhere I look...
  25. Crystal Pearl

    Schools Can I take Electricity and Magnetism in grad school

    I am supposed to graduate next year but I just realized I have left Electricity and Magnetism off of my schedule. I'm afraid to add it because I feel like I am already taking enough and I am wondering if instead it is common or likely to just take the undergrad elective in graduate school. I...
  26. M

    How to become a physicist from an engineer?

    Hi, I am an Electrical Engineer but I want to become a Physicist and do research to develop theoretical models of elementary partials. I have applied in several universities in US for MS and PhD programs but they have rejected me, I believe because of my non physics background. Can someone...
  27. pdm0118

    Admissions Disadvantages of being in the second wave for admissions?

    Hello, I've applied for our university's medical physics program before its first deadline, Feb 1st. Since I've finished the application, I have been relaxing and waiting for the results. Today I found that I was supposed to fill out a secondary "supplemental" application, which asked exactly...
  28. pdm0118

    Schools A question regarding grad school resume & essay

    Hello, I've recently applied for 2 Medical Physics graduate schools (MS). Shortly thereafter I realized a few minor problems with my application. I've noticed 2 one-letter typos in my essay, both were caused by changing the noun from singular to plural and not removing the -s after the verbs...
  29. M

    Schools Graduate school admissions process

    What are your thoughts on the fact that most math PhD program applications do not contain interviews? Consider the following link: https://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/are-math-departments-better-at-recruitment-than-elite-financial-firms/ One of the comments expresses concerns about...
  30. pdm0118

    I wish to pursue PhD in Medical Physics. But Masters first?

    Hello, I will be getting a bachelor's degree in Radiation Health Physics in near future, and my ultimate goal is to study PhD in medical physics. However, I think it would be unlikely that I will get admitted right after undergraduate graduation, due to my mediocre GPA and limited experiences...
  31. O

    Schools Graduate School Personal Statement

    Hello everyone, I am trying to write a personal statement for graduate school, and I am not sure what to say. I started off by saying that I would like to eventually become a professor in order to give students research opportunities that I wasn't given as an undergraduate student (because I...
  32. W

    Unsure about Content of Statement of Purpose

    Hi everyone. I recently finished a first draft for a statement of purpose for CalTech (I know, I know - I figured it would be the first one I draft - I have others I will be modelling off of this one soon enough), and I have a few (well, maybe more than a few) concerns about how I wrote it and...
  33. P

    Schools Applied Math Graduate School Selection

    I am applying for graduate school for applied math or engineering science. I am in a normal big ten school. I am in BS math and BA chemistry. I have a rather high gpa 3.9. Till now, I have taken 9 high level math courses, only one get A-, others are A, and 5 high level chemistry courses, only...
  34. omephy

    Testing Sending a Poor Physics GRE Score

    I appeared in Physics GRE exam but did very poor: got only a 600. My other admission requirements are moderate. Should I send my poor Physics GRE score or not? Please give me advices. Thanks.
  35. P

    Schools Too Late To Make a Turn Around and Get Into Grad School?

    I'm a physics and likely math major, heading into the second half of the first semester of my sophomore year in college. I started college taking all sophomore classes having placed out of all freshmen courses. I did poorly my first year and this year, thus far I have started off similarly, only...
  36. M

    Exploring Graduate School Admissions for ME PhD Programs

    I'm applying to graduate school in ME, and I am just curious, if I am not accepted to a PhD program right away, will any (most, all, none?) admissions councils pass on my application to the masters program, after which I may work towards becoming a PhD candidate?
  37. A

    Schools Graduate school admissions and age

    I will be starting a PhD (if all goes well) at the age of 26. I know this is not much older than the average, but how much do graduate admissions (particularly at top programs) see students that did not have the standard "4 year bachelors out of high school to PhD" route? For some reason I...
  38. B

    Schools Graduate school admissions and extenuating circumstances

    I was diagnosed with moderate/severe ADD when I was a child but due to health concerns my parents chose not to put me on medication. They also erroneously believed that ADD was something that could be overcome with willpower, something I learned is not true. I attended the University of...
  39. H

    Schools Odd academic situation and graduate school admissions

    To elaborate on said situation - I went to a top 50 US public university for a few years majoring in math and during this period of time I had no significant interest or motivation in school, much less any graduate school aspirations. I didn't do *horrible*, but my gpa was about a 3.1. I took...
  40. K

    Schools Engineering Graduate School Admissions with Physics Degree

    Hi, I'm a concerned college student (aren't we all :0 ), who is intending to major in physics in one of the bigger universities in US. However, it seems that my inclination lately lies more towards engineering graduate school (if I go). So if I apply for an engineering grad school with physics...
  41. H

    Schools BME Graduate School Admissions

    I've seen a lot of helpful advice on this forum, and I'm at a soon-to-be crossroads as to what I do academically. For those who want the short version, skip to the end of the quote. Short story: senior undergrad EE, 3.1 GPA, should have good GRE and letters of recommendation. Want to get PHD...
  42. B

    Schools Mathematics Graduate School Admissions

    I am hoping to apply to graduate schools in mathematics this fall, and I am in the process of deciding where I'm going to apply. I have a 3.95 GPA (overall and in math). I go to a top 30 math school. I've taken upper division in pretty much every topic (about 15 undergraduate) and have taken...
  43. P

    Schools Woes about graduate school admissions

    Hi everyone, I'm currently a 4th year applied math major who goes to a top 40 school and due to stupidity and poor class scheduling in my lower division years, has to stay an extra semester to fulfill graduation requirements. Here's the story: During my first two and a half years of college...
  44. H

    Schools Undergraduate college Name Recognition - Graduate School Admissions

    If I go to Arizona State University to major in Physics w/ an Astronomy minor, get good grades (GPA ~3.0 to 3.3), do some research, and get good letters of recommendations, do graduate schools look at what school you went to for the admissions process? In other words, do astronomy graduate...
  45. O

    Schools Math graduate school admissions

    Realistically speaking, what league of schools does a hardworking, smart but not brilliant math major have a shot at for a PhD in pure math? Let's say I might apply with 8 graduate courses at a "lower Ivy", coauthored 1-2 papers, solid recommendations. I am not getting my hopes up for Stanford...
  46. P

    Schools What Does it Take to Get into Top Graduate Schools in Physics and Math?

    Hi all. I'm a Physics/Math major at the University of Iowa and have a few questions about getting into graduate school. What does it take to get into schools like Harvard, MIT, University of Chicago, or UIUC? I've looked though the information on gradschoolshopper.com, and from that I can get...
  47. Cincinnatus

    Schools Graduate school admissions and wall street layoffs

    I'm glad that I'm already in graduate school. Thousands of wall street employees are going to be laid off this year as all these companies go under. I bet most of them will be fairly recent college graduates from prestigious undergraduate institutions. Probably, many of them are going to be...
Back
Top