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All ACER's GAMSAT practice materials are in PDF format (eBooks watermarked with your identifying information), which first became available in November 2011. Hard copies, aka tangible booklets, are no longer sold by ACER. Occasionally, the original booklets become available in online second-hand markets like Gumtree or eBay.
To purchase the downloadable PDF files directly from ACER, you must first open an account here: ACER GAMSAT Practice Tests . If you happen to have access to other past editions of these practice exams then you should know that though the cover has changed over the years, the content has not. However, for the sake of improving the value of your experience with past GAMSAT practice materials, only use older editions if they are unmarked. ACER's Practice Test 3 is their most recent publication and was made available for the very first time in late 2017.
GAMSAT Practice Test 1, 2 and 3 eBooks (PDFs) cost the same amount: AUD$45, £28, €32. GAMSAT Sample Questions, a shorter eBook, is AUD$27, £17, €19. GAMSAT Practice Questions, first published in the 1990s, is free upon registration for the real exam. It should be noted that ACER has a relatively new product, introduced in its current form in 2022, aimed at Section 2 preparation: Online Test Generator. It is an automated essay correction service which costs AUD$20, £11, €13. It can predict GAMSAT Section 2 scores (Written Communication) relatively well for most, not all, candidates. Obviously, prices that are quoted are subject to change..
The official source of the GAMSAT is ACER. Their sample questions and practice tests best simulates the difficulty and timing of the real exam. Some students complain that ACER's practice booklets did not replicate their particular real exam experience, but that would be an unrealistic standard. After all, GAMSAT is not a knowledge-based exam. The purpose of practice tests is to give you an idea as to what to expect, to point out strengths and weaknesses, to practice under time constraints and to monitor improvements over time.
We have created thousands of GAMSAT practice questions with worked solutions and instant online access based on our analysis of ACER's published materials and testing patterns. Every question has a separate forum thread to encourage further discussion. To learn about our 10 GAMSAT practice tests, click here: GAMSAT practice tests
If you wish to sit one of our full-length sample exams with analysis and detailed worked solutions, click here: Free GAMSAT Practice Test
The Gold Standard also offers free GAMSAT practice questions, which features an abbreviated GAMSAT practice test with clear explanations, videos, instant practice exam results and more. If you already have an account on our website then you will find your free practice test, after you login, by clicking Tests in the top Menu and then scrolling down. If not, you can access the Gold Standard (GS) Free GAMSAT Sample Test by clicking here: Free GAMSAT practice test .
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Gamsat Review Blog
Everything you need to know about GAMSAT by Dr Peter Griffiths
When I was studying for Gamsat I spent hours looking for resources for section 2. If you're looking for your own resources for Gamsat section 2 I've written this short article to help you out so you can save yourself from spending hours like I did.
So a good strategy for section 2 is to get a good overview of current ideas and theories in a range of broad topics.
This way you'll be able to work them into your arguments in your essays and appear well informed and able to relate your arguments to the real world.
So if you can have a reasonably good idea of the most important historical ideas, plus the latest developments in a range of commonly discussed disciplines such as philosophy, politics, economics, art etc. that is a good strategy to adopt for section two.
Here's three useful resources which will help you achieve just that.
The first resource on our list is a website which has literally thousands of videos covering many topics.
This is TED which is a non profit organization which is devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short talks presented by experts in their fields from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world.
The average length of these videos is about 20 minutes so you can watch them in easily digestible little chunks.
The Meaning of Things
This resource is a book written by well known British philosopher A.C. Grayling.
It consists of a series of brief articles which aim to help the reader think about life, common human dilemmas and universal difficulties. Encouraging introspection into life and experience to help us achieve a life worth living.
Some of the topics covered include include courage, love, betrayal, ambition, cruelty, wisdom, passion, beauty and death.
This book will help you generate concepts to support your arguments in your Gamsat section two essays.
Another great book - 50 Big Ideas You Really Need to Know by Ben Dupré is a concise, accessible and popular guide to the central tenets of Western thought. Every important principle of philosophy, religion, politics, economics, the arts and the sciences is profiled in a series of short illustrated essays, complemented by an informative array of timelines and box features. Platonism, The Soul, Communism, Aristotelianism, Faith, Fascism, The Golden rule, Atheism, Racism, Altruism, Secularism, Feminism, Pluralism, Fundamentalism, Islamism, Liberty, Creationism, Capitalism, Toleration, War, Globalization, Scepticism, Duty, Classicism, Reason, Utopia, Romanticism, Punishment, Liberalism, Modernism, Materialism, Democracy, Surrealism, Relativism, Conservatism, Censorship, Utilitarianism, Imperialism, Big Bang, Existentialism, Nationalism, Chaos, Evil, Social contract, Evolution, Fate, Republicanism, Relativity, Quantum mechanics, Gaia.
These three resources are great way to get going with your Gamsat section 2 practice.
The final resource on my list is a quote generator which will help you to generate an unlimited number of quotes on hundreds of topics in a format virtually identical to the real test.
When doing your practice essays I always recommend typing them under timed conditions as in the real thing so you can practice your timing skills and also improve your typing speed and accuracy.
The second thing I recommend is to always write two in a row one directly after the other to replicate test conditions so you can develop the mental agility to quickly switch from one topic to another.
For more detailed help with your GAMSAT essay writing please refer to Griffiths GAMSAT Review which contains an essay writing model which practically allows you to have your essays pre-written before you even walk into the test.
Past GAMSAT Essay Topics
GAMSAT Quote Generator
GAMSAT Example Essays
by Michael Sunderland
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June 29, 2021 in GAMSAT Section 2
Clear and effective GAMSAT Section II writing
Gosh, it’s been a minute.
I’ve focussed the bulk of my attention on extraordinary Section II writing for around 18 months now, and as a result of my tutoring and marking essays in the 90+ Facebook group, I’ve had the benefit of not only learning what scores well for myself, but how most students’ essays depart from what I learned about how to score highly in Section II.
This knowledge is going to help you fix half of all errors I see in GAMSAT writing, and let your ideas shine through.
It is an essential component to scoring highly in the GAMSAT (and communicating effectively in the written mode in general).
So let’s get to it!
Comprehension, coherence/cohesion.
In the context of the GAMSAT comprehension of the material provided to you (the prompts) is crucial. You can otherwise think of it as relevance .
“Pre-prepared responses and responses that do not relate to the topic will receive a low score” – ACER information booklet
Your response must be dynamically relevant to what is being said. As a function of this, it is essential that you have comprehended the prompts – which is to say, you have considered that they are individually, and as a set, an invitation to discuss something about the internal or external world around you .
Note: I say around you because this is what you can authoritatively talk about, versus “capitalism through history” for instance – which you can only have limited knowledge about due to the breadth of the topic and the fact that you can only see it from one vantage point. Capitalism on your street as a child, however, you could talk about. Perhaps little Jimmy used to charge the rest of you an entry fee before playing his new Xbox. This would be a perfectly acceptable lens to discuss capitalism through, and one that would have far less potential pitfalls. But I digress.
The key word here is invitation.
I will paraphrase from the content at this link to distinguish how you might approach distinguishing what is being invited by the prompts.
What is being said is but one subjective “take” on the subject matter. Therefore, not just what is being said but how the author/speaker portrays that subject matter (for example with tone, bias, or persuasive elements) contributes to it being a unique perspective. Not just what is says, but what it does by making that remark and lastly what that might mean about the person or worldview, are crucial considerations.
In combination, there are five “takes” (prompts) on a situation provided by ACER; each trying to “do” something, and in the attempt at doing, meaning something about the author, or perhaps the topic. If you consider the five prompts like a discussion between expert academics, you might see that the moment provided by the inclusion of these five perspectives invites you to have whatever opinion you might have in the domain provided by these other five perspectives. It is critical that your opinion, however, is in the domain of the five other opinions. By in the domain, I mean relevant to what they are saying. If you just came into the middle of a conversation where five people were talking deeply and passionately about communism in China, and then you start talking about capitalism in America, they may go with you, but it would be a little dissonant and weird.
So, you must understand the domain of what is being discussed so you can respond harmoniously to it. Before speaking, comprehend what is already being spoken about, and then feel free to have whatever opinion you like about it, so long as you can intelligently back it up with cogent, coherently, and with clarity .
A simple way to ensure you prevent some of the most common errors here is to imagine you are in a social setting with academic experts standing around in a circle and each of these experts says one of the quotes. Thinking of them as experts will force you to show some academic respect for what is said by the others, even if you disagree with it; it will force you to consider that each view arises out of a comprehensive set of experiences; it will ensure you don’t reduce what is being said by all five people to one word (a common GAMSAT error); and finally it will ensure that what you are replying to the circle is relevant.. otherwise, it would be weird if what you said didn’t flow from what they said.
If you would like to read more about quote interpretation in the GAMSAT I wrote a blog on it, here: How to ACE GAMSAT Section II Quote Interpretation: Task A
“The quality of being clear, logical, and convincing; lucidity.”
To be cogent is to be strong, eloquent, and effective . There are three precursors to cogent writing (according to Kavane and Cavender, 1998):
To write cogently necessitates a certain rigorousness with the truth. You don’t argue just what is convenient, but you are instead genuinely involved in a process of exploring the truth and the limits to it, including of your own perspective.
Many people tend to imitate the way I close my essays (which, while I don’t mind at all – I just want you to score well – I would recommend you at a minimum word it your own way as ACER have updated their information book to indicate that responses are now compared against past responses) but it oftentimes comes across as conceited as they use the words but the spirit of it is absent from their writing. I tend to finish by touching on the extent to which my view may or may not be valid, and considering others’ views. I do not casually consider the objections, nor commit the “strawman fallacy” wherein I fail to address the most significant objections, or inaccurately portray them. I don’t feel personally obliged in a thirty minute essay to have to have a 100% researched and considered argument, nor to know all of the objections, nor to necessarily be accurate in conveying all of them and rebuffing them. Who knows, maybe even though I have made a logically valid argument, there may be things I innocently did not consider or understand due to ignorance, lack of experience, or just a biased perspective. I do genuinely try my best to understand and consider other views, though. It’s not an argument, or a debating championship. I can simply consider it without needing to go into all the reasons why it’s wrong. In fact, to talk in such objective terms under time pressure is to not acknowledge the very real limitations we are under when writing GAMSAT essays. Even if we weren’t in our early 20’s, and we were experts in the field that we were talking about, we are still under time, and psychological, pressure writing on an unprompted topic, with no faculties of outside research. This is bound to introduce errors into our arguments, so we really have no place saying that someone else’s perspective is wrong in objective terms.
You must write in a way that is careful. As if it were a discussion with an expert in the field. Instead of imagining yourself standing facing the opposing view, both pushing your ideas on each other, position yourself instead to the side. View both views objectively weighing up the validity of both as write from this perspective. This doesn’t mean you have to write a paragraph dealing with the ‘counter-argument.’ I find this approach devolves into a suite of psychometric errors (e.g lacking fallibilism, which the idea that ‘I think I’m right, but I could be wrong; and I think you’re wrong but you could be right’; or appreciation of situadedness, which is an appreciation of how your personal bias and experiences colour your view of things in such a way that you cannot ever see a situation perfectly, limiting the extend to which you can claim what you say is objectively true). It simply means you write from altitude.
Some of the best GAMSAT essays, or at least Task B essays, don’t arrive at a position that is labelled as the truth, or correct. But simply explore the issue, arriving at a conclusion that is logically valid, and perhaps even strong, but never stating that it is the final word, and attempting throughout to ask questions that indicate not someone who is forcing an idea down your throat, but someone who is trying to work things out for themselves. You don’t need to be a know-it-all, but you should be objective and logical.
For more on how to structure your GAMSAT arguments logically, see my blog The Ontology of Task A Structure – Logic .
We have addressed logic above in cogency, so the emphasis here is on consistency, and how the ideas not only linearly progress in a way that is valid, but that the various elements of essay cohere together on a macroscopic (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion) and microscopic (intra-paragraph) level.
On a macroscopic level, each paragraph or unit should be designed to forward a central idea or argument and should be ordered around achieving that end. What that doesn’t necessarily mean is having a pre-conceived structure that you write because you think that’s just how it should be done. If you write a narrative at the start of your Task B’s because I do it, but you don’t understand why I did it, it can’t be effective. What it does mean is coming up with your own approach of how to write effectively, considering mine if you wish, and if you use mine exactly as I did, knowing why I did it, or at least how it helps you achieve your goal. There are no points for doing things the way I designed them, but there are for what my design helped me achieve (which, in essence, was having a strong idea, displaying the psychometric features I often talk about, and respecting the five C’s so that that idea could be effectively and clearly communicated).
I think of my essays like a skeleton. Imagine one in the anatomy department. The central idea and premises that support it form the backbone. Each premise (topic sentence) linearly supports the frame of the argument – like vertebrae stacked on top of each other. They aren’t ‘kind of in the same domain’ as the contention, which I often see and which leads to an almost impressionistic approach to addressing the topic, with broad brush strokes each covering an idea but not relating to each other linearly and directly. They are purposefully conceived to illustrate the plausibility of a single strong opinion (contention/thesis, or key insight) that you have about a dimension of the broader theme. When you know what you want to say, and why you believe what you want to say, the structure simply facilitates you conveying it effectively and in a way that can be received by the marker.
Let me give you an example, as I often talk about balancing abstract ideas with concrete examples to facilitate clarity (coming next). Imagine your mum/dad/someone you care about and know well asked you ‘what do you think is the best form of transport’ at the dinner table (random chat but, hey, who knows). Here is what many students would reply in a GAMSAT essay:
‘Trams can be good because they are economical, people have often used cars and they are quite popular despite being terrible for the environment, bikes are best because they have no carbon footprint aside from their production. Some people would say cars are the best because they are the most popular, but this fails to acknowledge the destruction to the environment.’
It is five or so ideas loosely related thematically, but no linear development of the ideas, or conclusion that forms naturally from viable premises. I might say
‘Best is a subjective judgement, based on one’s personal beliefs and prior experiences. In order to address the topic there must be criterion for what is designated ‘good’ and ‘bad’ (which are still opinion-based judgements on inherently neutral factors) which can loosely be achieved by which, at their extreme, would benefit humanity and objectives that ‘most’ human’s desire. While this is a ‘positive’ utilitarian approach and not necessarily correct in objective terms, for the purposes of framing a considered response it is the approach that will be used. Transport is, in many respects, the vehicle for the economy, which directly affects the lives of most people; however longer-term environmental considerations are also an essential consideration as there is a ceiling value of economic output in order that that output remain sustainable for future humans. Therefore, there is a case for saying that the best form of transport is that which greatest facilitates the economic (or personal) objectives of humanity. It seems reasonable to conclude that each person’s use of transport allows them to fulfil their economic personal objectives, and there is no reason, in most cases, that people would utilise transport if not for the fulfilment of their personal or economic objectives. As this is different for each person, the mode of transport that fulfils that person’s economic and personal objectives is, initially, the best. Loosely, we can take whichever is the most popular. Of course, not all people are environmentally conscious, so the most popular forms must be indexed against the environmental impact of the use of that mode of transport. I imagine, then, that the answer would be walking, followed by cycling, public transport, bikes, cars, and finally planes.’
There is something distinct from this response compared to the rest. In this response, each idea follows on from the rest in a linear, daisy-chain-like fashion. No point can stand without the existence of the others. There are also many points where there is reference to an earlier idea. It’s like there’s glues, or stiches pulling together the many elements of the paragraph into a unified whole. Note also that there isn’t an idea at the outside that is forwarded directly. I don’t need to know it all. I show how I arrived at my thinking, and am questioning myself as I write. There is an introspective and reflective element to thinking about the prompts where you ask yourself what you believe, and then prod why you believe that. What basis do you have for that belief, and who would agree or disagree with you. Sorting through the prompts mentally and imagining how each argument would go, which you have the best supports for, which are the least contentious, which you have good examples or evidence for, and which you are passionate about, and then choosing one, is a skill in and of itself. There’s a certain judicious pragmatism that goes into selecting which path to go down, before you even begin.
When you have a framework for what you want to argue, or a skeleton, the rest becomes just laying flesh on top. But you must have a skeleton that can stand and that is logically valid and consistent, before doing that, lest you just write aimlessly. Furthermore, when your writing is ordered around a central idea, and the decisions that are made of what to write and how to write are made to facilitate that idea, your writing is naturally more coherent and cohesive.
On a microscopic level, it is also advisable to foreshadow in the introduction some of what is going to be said, and have a clear single strong contention/thesis that will be developed or explained in the essay at the end of the introduction. It is necessary that the topic sentences make the thesis and conclusion plausible. And advisable at the end of each paragraph to use a link . The link, at a minimum, must summarise what the reader was supposed to take away from the paragraph and make it explicit how that ties into the conclusion. If you can manage it, linking backward to the contention, as well as forward, via a segue, to the next paragraph is ideal. This can be achieved by using some of the words of the following topic sentence. This is like running a stich back to the intro to stich the intro and end of paragraph one together, and then another stitch tying paragraph one and two together.
Here’s an example of an essay of mine where I do just this. The prompts were about Globalisation and social responsibility.
This was my thesis (I have put in brackets what I referred to in place of the word ‘this’. As it stands beow it would be too long as a contention):
“…(the influence of Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook’s ability to monitor and influence human behaviour on a meta level) implies an urgent need for the reconsideration of the structural checks which were once imposed only on governments, to be laterally applied to these companies in order to ensure they are regulated to operate in socially responsible ways.”
And this is the end of body paragraph one, and the topic sentence of body paragraph two. I have boldened the cohesive elements.
“…The danger to democracy, civil, and social life clearly necessitates novel and comprehensive regulation in order to meet these challenges, if the poltico-economic ideals which are the foundations for contemporary Western societies are to be upheld. The dangerousness implied in power necessitates regulation in order to champion socially responsible behaviour and ensure the delivery and preponderance of liberal and democratic political ideals, which characterise the politico-ontological frameworks of today’s Western societies …”
Note that there are terms linking the paragraph’s content explicitly to the contention, and terms foreshadowing the content of the next paragraph.
“The quality of being coherent and intelligible; clear”
Imagine you wrote the best ever GAMSAT essay possible. Imagine I was there in your seat acting through you, and not only that I was on fire that day. And then imagine when you finish the essay you put it in a glass box to hand to the marker to read. But the box was muddy and cloudy and the marker couldn’t make out a lot of what you and I had come up with together. Now inside the box is a 90+ essay. Maybe even a 95. We killed it! But the marker can’t quite access our ideas, or what we said. So in the end we fell short of what we could have.
I see this in SO many essays. So often there are good ideas, or in a tutorial I’ll ask what the student meant to say and they can tell me but what they tell me isn’t evident from the essay, and of course the marker doesn’t have the benefit of having you there to clarify. Essentially what is being marked is the ‘quality of thoughts and ideas’ and ‘how they are integrated into a meaningful response’ (that’s from the ACER info book). But the quality of your thoughts and ideas is delivered via the five C’s. The five C’s polish that glass box so it’s like it isn’t even there. Any impediment to the marker knowing what you mean is removed. They can see what you were thinking in a way that is crystal clear. But if you lack the five C’s, that box is all cloudy, the thoughts and ideas, no matter how good they are, can’t be seen and you will struggle to score well.
So, how can you make your writing more clear?
Firstly , through being clear on what you want to say, and planning effectively such that your ideas (skeleton) is logical and ordered. When you are clear internally, what you say will come out more clearly.
Secondly , when you are clear on what you want to say, be cautious about your word selection and the degree to which it enables you to be effective in your communication. Oftentimes students use big words to sound academic and fancy. The issue is, more often than not, what they are saying is simple and not academically rigorous (due to time pressure), so it looks like a pig in lipstick. Pigs are actually cute, I don’t know why that’s the example that came to mind, but it’ll stay with you now 😉
In short, many people are exploring simple thoughts and ideas in complex terms , and what you want to be doing is exploring complex thoughts and ideas in simple terms.
A good rule of thumb I came up with is to ask ‘is there a simpler term that could communicate this?’ and if so I selected the simpler term. I would also ask myself, ‘does the inclusion of this more complex word enhance or diminish the effectiveness and clarity?’ Sometimes there’s no other word that will do as nicely as the one you use.. for example ‘precipitously’ .. sometimes there’s just a time for saying ‘a precipitous increase.’ In this case you could say ‘a large increase’ but it doesn’t have quite the same impact or meaning. They’re not quite the same. So I would go for ‘precipitous’ (assuming I hadn’t already used many complex words previously in that paragraph. If the average 13-14 year old can’t easily understand what you are saying, it’s not written simply enough. Remember, ACER say in the info book that ‘language and structure is only marked insofar as it contributes to the thoughts and ideas, not in isolation’. (I added the underline FYI).
Annd, finally..
‘Briefness, or brevity; to be concise’
Concision is using the fewest words possible to communicate an idea effectively. Anything more is too-much and will detract momentum and pace from the development of your writing. You want to write generously to the marker and in such a way that they can move through what you say easily and enjoyably. If they enjoy your writing, they will like you, and if they like you, you will incur their positive bias, which, if it doesn’t help, can’t hurt; and avoid their negative bias, which if it doesn’t hurt you, might have.
Writing that is not concise can feel overwhelming, confusing, or boring. When you are not generous to the marker in the way that you write, they feel that marking your essay is work. GAMSAT markers might have ten minutes at best per essay, and they are reading essay after essay of drivel. You want to be the shining light that stands out, and simplifies their night. The essay that makes it feel for a moment like it isn’t work to mark. The essay that gives them relief of the burden of trying to figure out what people mean. Trust me, I’ve marked enough essays, it’s not the easiest or most fun work. But when you get one that flows it’s like “AHA! YES! Thank you!!” And that feeling of elation is a very good lens through which a marker might assess your ability to be a doctor.
Anything less that concise creates work, and this incurs grumpiness. You don’t want a grumpy marker deciding your Section II score, do you?
How to be concise?
Example (passive): “Lesser men were slayed by the dragon queen” (Borrrrinnnnng.) Example (active): “The dragon queen slayed lesser men.” (Yas queen. Slay gurl.)
If you would like some help learning where you are lacking concision or clarity I recommend copy-pasting your writing into the Hemingway App online. It will break down for you where you are using the passive voice, where you are using too many complex words, and which sentences are hard to read.
Wow, nearly 4k words. I hope you find this useful, it took me all morning. If so feel free to pop your email in below to receive hard-hitting 90+ advice and tips, blog updates, and special offers and I’ll hit you up with the goods as they come.
Feel also free to join the 90+ community on Facebook where we can help you practice and apply what you read here to track yourself towards a killer Section II.
Sorry it’s been so long since my last blog, I missed writing for you all <3
About the author
My name's Michael, I achieved 91 in Section II, and 82 overall, in the September '20 sitting. I'm here to show you how I did it. Let's get to work :)
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During my GAMSAT prep I came across many free resources by word of mouth, forums and Googling. But it took MONTHS for me to build up a bank of freebies.
To save you the trouble of trawling forums and Google I’ve put a tonne of them on this page. Enjoy!
I personally did not use all of these resources because some didn’t exist when I took the GAMSAT (2015 & 2016). So, I CAN’T say these are the best resources out there. They are simply the FREE ones . I have listed them so you know what freebies are out there.
Suggest additions to this list by emailing me . Is there a resource you can’t see that you’d like me to make? Again, send me an email and I’ll see what I can do.
I’ve also created some practice essay questions & a marking sheet you can use with your study buddies or by yourself.
Practice Questions & Marking Sheet
Unofficial syllabuses
I’ve also created some worksheets you may find helpful.
Score predictor by fearthecow.net . The maker of this calculator admits its limitations. It can’t predict your mark with certainty by any means. In order to use it, you’ll need to have completed ACER’s Practice Test 1 (green) and Practice Test 2 (purple). It was created before Practice Test 3 (pink) came out, so it won’t take that one into account.
TheMedicBlog’s 30 day GAMSAT challenge
Free study planners to download either as Microsoft Word files (.DOC) or PDFs.
GAMSAT ® OVERVIEW
MEDICAL SCHOOLS
GAMSAT ® Tips
GAMSAT ® Resources
GAMSAT ® COURSES
Google Rich Snippet Description: Learn more about GAMSAT Quote Generator. The best way to use the GAMSAT Random Quote Generator is to emulate the real exam as best you can.
InterviewReady Courses Now Open | 90% Admission Rate over 10 Years | No Interview Offer: Full Refund | Enrol Today
One of the key steps in preparing for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam is getting into the habit of writing GAMSAT ® essays regularly - The earlier, the better. To help you do this, we’ve put together a free and comprehensive GAMSAT ® Quote Generator with over 90 Section 2 Essay Prompts, covering 40+ themes to help you generate Quotes for GAMSAT Section 2 Essays.
Take advantage of our GAMSAT ® Quote Generator to get you started on your GAMSAT Essay Writing Preparation - Click the generate button to display a new random essay prompt!
The best way to use the GAMSAT ® Random Quote Generator is to emulate the real exam as best you can. This means limiting the materials you have available to you, putting on a timer and trying your best to treat the essay like the real thing. This will help you build up important examination skills, whilst also improving the writing itself.
You don’t have to do this from the start - but rather build up to this kind of situation gradually. This will allow you to focus on getting the quality of writing first, and then achieving this same quality under pressure.
The other essential ingredient in practicing for this section of the GAMSAT ® exam is to have your essays read and critiqued by people other than yourself. Although sometimes daunting, getting feedback on your writing is one of the most effective ways to improve. The more people you share your work with, the more likely you are to receive valuable and memorable feedback for developing your ideas and limiting your mistakes. It is worth consulting the GradReady GAMSAT ® essay marking service, where you can get 10 essays marked by our expert tutors with personal feedback within 72 hours.
In each of the two tasks in GAMSAT ® Section 2, you will be presented with five quotes that relate to one or more themes. Your task is to identify one of these themes and write a piece in response. Thus, it is important to remember that the quotes are there as a prompt or a guide, rather than a traditional essay question. It is not necessary to respond directly to any or all of the quotes, but rather to respond to the themes and ideas contained in the quotes.
After this process you should have a “word cloud” that points to the key overarching theme - However, it’s important to note that the stimuli are often designed such that there are a number of sub-themes that may be relevant. The point here is not to limit the scope of your writing but to expand it and bring in other relevant ideas - In fact it’s fine to draw on either the overarching theme or a sub-theme, so long as you demonstrate that you have actively engaged with the stimuli.
Let’s look at a worked example below:
What are some themes you can identify? Let’s break it down quote by quote:
Quote | Themes |
---|---|
Relationship & Friendships Community & Social Norms Commentary on modern relationships | |
Family Forgiveness & Reconciliation Conflict | |
Family Loyalty | |
Relationships Self-worth Commentary of social interaction | |
Community & Society Individualism vs Collectivism |
As you can see there are multiple themes that you could draw from the above stimuli - It’s important to note that you don’t need to write about a theme that is presented in all of the quotes provided, you can choose a theme that may only appear once or twice in the stimuli.
Now it’s time to implement all the above steps in practice! We’ve prepared a GAMSAT ® essay writing PDF checklist you can download below. It contains a step-by-step checklist to help you identify the themes and write a high-scoring GAMSAT ® essay.
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You need to get feedback on your essays. It is vital that you get your friends, family, tutors and anyone else to read these essays, and be modest and inviting of critique. It is of utmost importance to be criticised and then learn from your mistakes. GradReady has a GAMSAT ® essay marking service, where you can get 10 essays marked by our expert tutors with personal feedback within 72 hours.
You need to possess a great deal of self-critique. After every essay you write, you must read it out loud to yourself, and listen if it makes sense. You can find some free example Marked GAMSAT ® Essays here.
Don’t feel the need to write under time pressure from the word go. It’s more important that you develop and improve your essay writing skills before gradually applying realistic time pressure.
You need to vary the type of essays that you write! You should make sure you try argumentative, personal reflective essays, fictional creative essays, poetry, and any other medium that can work in the GAMSAT ® exam. Even though it’s recommended you write an argumentative essay, you are able to write in almost any style in the ‘reflective’ essay segment – this is meant to be a creative endeavour and demonstrate that you can identify, and express emotions of the characters involved.
Make sure to also sign up to our GAMSAT ® Free Trial to watch a recording of our GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Workshop! Check out the 10 minute excerpt below:
Get a study buddy, upcoming events.
For more free advice and materials make sure to check out the list below:
A breakdown of how to approach study effectively and how to set up a GAMSAT® study schedule.
An overview of what to expect in Section 2 of the GAMSAT® Exam, how to prepare and how to perfect your essay technique.
Download our Essay Writing Guide and read through our free Example Essays featuring low, medium and high quality responses with feedback from tutors.
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I was wondering if people would be willing to share what they scored in the ACER essay marking program that they offer for $20 and also what they ended up actually scoring in S2.
Thanks guys!
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Section 2 of the GAMSAT is one-of-a-kind and stands in stark contrast to its counterparts!
Unlike GAMSAT Section 1 and Section 3 , the written communication section requires you to create a response to a quote set rather than answer specific questions. In the previous article in this series, we discussed the nature and purpose of Section 1 , stating that in order to achieve a high score in Section 1 of the GAMSAT, it is important to understand its purpose.
Specifically, the article mentioned that Section 1 tests a candidate’s ability to listen and comprehend a patient’s perspective. In this article about Section 2 preparation , we will continue to develop this analogy, commenting on the purpose of Section 2, and what this means for GAMSAT Section 2 essay preparation.
The Written Communication segment assesses an individual's capacity to create and elaborate on ideas through writing. This segment comprises two 30-minute writing assignments. Each task presents four statements centered around a shared topic.
ACER in its booklets says that the Section 2 essays will be evaluated on the basis of:
As of the 2023 GAMSAT, Section 2 comprises two distinct writing tasks: Task A and Task B. Each of these tasks presents you with a set of four short quotes that revolve around a shared theme. Interestingly, the authors of these quotes are not disclosed, leaving you to grapple with the essence of the quotes without the influence of the author's reputation or background.
Section 2: Written Communication | Assesses your overall understanding and capacity to utilize existing knowledge while under pressure, in order to formulate a coherent argument or reflection. | Reading time: 5 Minutes |
Writing time: 60 Minutes |
When considering how to distribute your time effectively, a frequently offered suggestion is as follows:
This time allocation is designed to align with the 65-minute total duration for Section 2. The remaining 5 minutes serve as a buffer, giving you some wiggle room should any of these tasks take longer than expected.
Planning is a critical element for achieving a high score, and while we generally recommend dedicating 5 minutes to it, this isn't a one-size-fits-all rule. If you find Task A more challenging than Task B, or vice versa, you might consider using some of your buffer time to extend your planning or writing phase for that particular task.
However, be cautious; time in this section is highly limited. Writing an essay in approximately 25 minutes is a significant challenge for most GAMSAT candidates and requires a focused, efficient approach.
In the previous article in this series, we mentioned that the medical journey begins at the patient’s bedside, where you listen to the story of their lifestyle and disease to draw critical diagnostic conclusions about their circumstances. We further mentioned that this is the skillset emulated, and tested by Section 1 of the GAMSAT exam .
Moving on to Section 2 - once you have listened to the patient’s concerns, the next step is communication. In the medical field, communication is everything!
Often the situation that the patients find themselves in is complex and multifactorial - it is the medical staff’s job to empathise, and explain the technicalities of the illness, as well as the treatment, to the patient. This is a difficult task as doctors often have to reach a precarious compromise between the interests of various specialists, as well as respecting the patient’s lifestyle priorities.
This is exactly what Section 2 Task A and Task B are attempting to re-create. GAMSAT essays for Section 2 are written in response to Section 2 quote sets . These quotes represent various perspectives on a given theme. This will be the case in your future medical practice, where you must aim to consider all the opinions presented by the quote set, and reconcile them within the time limit, with as much clarity as possible. And this will be the case in your future medical practice, the choice of style and formatting, is left largely up to you. Having said this, however, here is a brief guide to Section 2 preparation .
Establishing a strong foundation.
Begin your GAMSAT Section 2 preparation by diving headfirst into essay practice. The sooner you start, the more strategic advantage you'll gain.
Instead of sticking to what you already know, broaden your intellectual horizons by exploring a diverse range of subjects. This will not only enrich your perspective but also ignite a creative spark that will prove invaluable for generating unique and compelling essay ideas.
Once you've laid a strong foundation, the next step is to optimize your writing process. Create a systematic approach that ensures each essay is well-structured and coherently developed.
But don't stop there—actively seek out feedback from those around you, be it peers, family, or even professionals in the field. Take constructive criticism to heart; it's an invaluable tool for refining your skills and producing essays that not only meet but exceed the GAMSAT Section 2 requirements.
To give you a practical sense of what high-scoring essays look like, we've gathered a collection of sample essays with scores ranging from 50 to 80+ .
As the exam date approaches, practice under timed conditions to replicate real testing scenarios. This is a pivotal element for achieving success and should not be overlooked.
For those looking for a more structured approach to preparing for Section 2, including tips on theme identification, research, and writing style, check out our comprehensive resource: GAMSAT Section 2 Study | Where & How to Begin .
ACER has explicitly stated that both Task A and Task B in GAMSAT Section 2 revolve around overarching themes. According to Fraser’s GAMSAT analysis, Task A mainly zeroes in on socio-cultural issues, often navigating the 'inter-personal' realm—this includes laws, religions, economics, and social narratives. Conversely, Task B skews more towards the 'intra-personal,' emphasizing individual aspects like emotions, cognitive states, and the lived experience.
GAMSAT Section 2 Task | Focus | Themes Included | Realm | Example Themes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Task A | Socio-cultural | Laws, Religions, Economics, Social Narratives | Inter-personal | Freedom, War, Punishment, Science, Technology, Crime |
Task B | Individual | Emotions, Cognitive States, Lived Experience | Intra-personal | Poverty, Wealth, Friendship, Love, Beauty, Youth, Ageing, Suffering, Originality, Conformity, Humour |
Many GAMSAT candidates tunnel-vision on the individual quotes, neglecting the overarching theme, or vice versa. Striking a balance between these two aspects is crucial, as GAMSAT Section 2 marking rewards essays that describe the complexity expressed by the individual quotes, within the context of the overall theme.
A good first step in your Section 2 preparation is to have a look at Fraser’s GAMSAT Section 2: Frequently Asked Questions . This article focuses on clearing the air of confusion for a lot of students who are sitting the GAMSAT and additionally, comprises a range of useful tips to approach the GAMSAT Section 2 Essay. We also strongly recommend you to take a look at our Section 2 quote generator as a resource for GAMSAT Section 2 practice questions - that is, attempt to interpret the quote sets prior to clicking to reveal the theme.
Following your interpretation, set the timer and write a GAMSAT essay style guide for GAMSAT Section 2 . Make sure to review your work with your fellow exam candidates after you have completed the piece - the review process is the most important step in improving your essay!
Ultimately, it is up to the candidate as to how to format their GAMSAT Section 2 essay . It is important to bear in mind that the marking criteria and purpose of a GAMSAT Section 2 essay remain consistent regardless of the style of writing a candidate chooses to pursue. Returning once more to our medical analogue - as a medical student, you would not try to communicate with a patient through the medium of a poem, or a creative story.
This is why we advocate for an argumentative/analytical/expository style of writing, which is the safest and most reliable method of Section 2 communication.
An argumentative essay consists of contention, two to three body paragraphs (each with individual arguments) and a conclusion that directs the reader to the ultimate implication of your written work. This isn’t to say that writing an argumentative-style essay is gospel and thus gives you a high GAMSAT score . Instead, this format is for everyone to have experience writing. Ultimately, it is important to explore and write about ideas that you understand, in a communication style with which you have confidence.
It is very obvious to a GAMSAT essay marker when a student attempts to discuss a theme they do not fully comprehend or replicate a prescribed style they have not mastered. This category of GAMSAT students is heavily penalised.
Nevertheless, it is not impossible to achieve top marks with written pieces exploring unorthodox formats. If you have extensive experience in the creative writing field, try experimenting with monologues, narratives or even poetry (ensuring that you complement it with a thorough discussion of your point or argument – not to be confused with an analysis of the poem you wrote ) .
If any of these styles permit a clear, and sophisticated discussion of themes and perspectives, then Section 2 essay marking will reward you with a high GAMSAT score .
Regardless of which writing style you employ, you should endeavour to explore positive values (such as fairness, equality or hopefulness) of the future, especially if you’re discussing the bleaker aspects of humanity. Essentially, having polarity within your argument conveys a worldly perspective and in some ways adds depth and character to your essay.
To this end, Matt Keyter, a lead GAMSAT humanities tutor at Fraser’s advises that “Being bleak about the human species and misanthropic about the future doesn’t bode well in any essay rhetoric.” After all, the GAMSAT essay markers are selecting the next generation of doctors, so consider which values you wish to convey to your audience!
In order for candidates to get a better understanding of the style, and substance of GAMSAT Section 2, Fraser’s GAMSAT has put together a set of GAMSAT Section 2 example essays , demonstrating the standard of writing to achieve a range of Section 2 scores.
If you are interested in further improving section 2, check out these free resources, how to structure a section 2 essay.
Perfecting a Section 2 Essay Introduction
Section 2 Essay - Style Guide
Section 2 FAQ
GAMSAT Section 1 Vocabulary Tool
GAMSAT Section 3 Question Log
What is the GAMSAT?
How Hard is the GAMSAT?
Read more articles from our team
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Writing GAMSAT ® practice essays is the most important aspect of preparing for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam. Regularly writing essays allows you to develop and practise your essay writing skills and is something you should aim to start from early on. It's important to get into a routine: Whether you aim to type an essay once a week or ...
ACER charges to use their feedback service (and they should, given they're the only real source of truth) and others who have tried to do GAMSAT AI will as well because that's their motivation. ... Fraser's AI Marker is a specialized feedback tool for GAMSAT essay writing. It leverages a database of over 45,000 essays collected over the ...
Apart from the GAMSAT exam, ACER also designs tests for select-entry schools, high-school aptitude exams, as well as various other vocational assessments. In other words, there is a real possibility that in the past, you have lived through the " GAMSAT experience " by sitting a psychometric test created by this company.
GAMSAT . Section 2 Essay Length ACER does not provide any guidelines in regards to a minimum word count, or how long your Section 2 essays should be. However, a maxim that holds true even for the GAMSAT ® Exam is Quality over Quantity. The quality of what you write is much more important than the quantity and as such, you should focus on what you write about and your expression and ...
GAMSAT Section 2: Five Example Essays Ranging From Scores Of 50 To 80+ In order to perform well in Section 2, it is important to understand the key features of a high scoring GAMSAT essay. When reviewing previous GAMSAT essay topics, you should know the main marking criteria to address.. This guide contains worked examples of GAMSAT essays to help you identify the major metrics looked for ...
Whether you're unable to pay for the ACER GAMSAT Papers or want some extra GAMSAT Questions, you've come to the right place. ... scientific articles and essays. Section II: Written communication. Candidates are presented with 5 quotes on a particular topic for essay A and 5 for essay B. Essay A tends to be socio-cultural and B more personal in ...
1. Ascertain the theme. Read all 4 comments/quotes. Look for keywords, sentiments and topics that are in common between them, as well as contrasts and paradoxes. It may not always be obvious, but a common general theme is always in there e.g. democracy, technology. 2. Create an essay title / question to answer.
According to the ACER GAMSAT Information Booklet, you'll be assessed on 'the quality of the thinking about a topic' and 'the way in which ideas are integrated into a thoughtful response to the task'. This means you should concentrate more on the depth and organisation of ideas, rather than breadth, to improve your essay writing ...
GAMSAT ® Example Essays GAMSAT ... As previously outlined, "ACER" is an acronym that stands for the "Australian Council for Educational Research". ACER was established in the 1930's, and is responsible for writing and administering a wide range of tests. These tests include high school aptitude exams, tests for select-entry schools ...
2 Writing Task essays with prompts covering GAMSAT Section 2. ... (ACER), which does not endorse this study guide or our methodology. They are the only outlet for official practice materials now in the form of PDF booklets (5) available online including GAMSAT sample questions (2) and full-length GAMSAT practice tests (3). ...
A list of Past GAMSAT Essay Topics which have appeared as topics in previous GAMSAT Section 2. Practice your style with these past GAMSAT essay themes. ... First of all even if ACER does re-use topics (it has never been confirmed) the chances of one of them coming up in your particular sitting is miniscule. Add to that the fact that in recent ...
May 12, 2024. Every GAMSAT sitter will have a different approach to preparing adequately for GAMSAT Section 2. A common misconception that we come across is that a high GAMSAT score can only be achieved through unique and authentic ideas. While having a novel perspective on a particular subject is helpful, it is logistically difficult.
Task B is a personal essay and it should be written with feeling. The theme deals with social and personal issues. Common GAMSAT section 2 topics for Task B include love, friendship, originality, ageing, suffering, beauty, conformity, youth, humour. Students can get a free series of quotes that relate to some of these common GAMSAT section 2 ...
It is an automated essay correction service which costs AUD$20, £11, €13. It can predict GAMSAT Section 2 scores (Written Communication) relatively well for most, not all, candidates. Obviously, prices that are quoted are subject to change.. Why ACER's Practice Booklets? The official source of the GAMSAT is ACER.
GAMSAT Section 3 Biology Practice Question. The diagram above shows the absorbance of NAD+ and NADH at various wavelengths of light. As NAD+ is a dinucleotide it absorbs, like all nucleotides, strongly in the 260-280 nm range. It can also be seen that the protonated form exhibits a modified absorbance spectra.
This book will help you generate concepts to support your arguments in your Gamsat section two essays. 50 Big Ideas. Another great book - 50 Big Ideas You Really Need to Know by Ben Dupré is a concise, accessible and popular guide to the central tenets of Western thought. Every important principle of philosophy, religion, politics, economics ...
The Five C's. Clear and effective GAMSAT Section II writing. by Michael John Sunderland, 90plusgamsat | 29.06.21. Gosh, it's been a minute. I've focussed the bulk of my attention on extraordinary Section II writing for around 18 months now, and as a result of my tutoring and marking essays in the 90+ Facebook group, I've had the benefit of not only learning what scores well for myself ...
Practice essays on GAMSATEdge.com (NB only 4 comments/quotes are now provided in GAMSAT, in the past 5 were provided hence 5 are used by them) Write for Medicine's S2 essay bank. Bank opened to all July 2021. These are practice essays grouped by the score the score achieved in the actual test. Requires sign up.
It's hard to say, but I'm guessing the automatic magic marking machine may struggle to mark responses which may be different to the machine learning training sets. ACER states an example of this may be if your responses aren't closely related to the task, but it may be other factors. To quote the brief at the start: In the event that the system ...
Practice with random quotes, theme-based quotes, or past GAMSAT quotes and simulate exam conditions with our timer feature. Welcome to our comprehensive and user-friendly GAMSAT Section 2 Quote Generator. This tool is designed to help you practice and perfect your essay writing skills in preparation for the GAMSAT Section 2.
One of the key steps in preparing for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam is getting into the habit of writing GAMSAT ® essays regularly - The earlier, the better. To help you do this, we've put together a free and comprehensive GAMSAT ® Quote Generator with over 90 Section 2 Essay Prompts, covering 40+ themes to help you generate Quotes for ...
At the start I was scoring high 50s, ended up improving to 69-72 range before March. Got a 70 on the day, so it ended up being pretty accurate. 1. Reply. Award. Share. Hey guys, I was wondering if people would be willing to share what they scored in the ACER essay marking program that they offer for $20 and also….
Published on. July 9, 2024. Section 2 of the GAMSAT is one-of-a-kind and stands in stark contrast to its counterparts! Unlike GAMSAT Section 1 and Section 3, the written communication section requires you to create a response to a quote set rather than answer specific questions. In the previous article in this series, we discussed the nature ...