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What is a good GAMSAT score?
The GAMSAT scoring system can seem confusing when you first start looking into graduate-entry medicine applications. It can be hard to tell what a good GAMSAT score is and what kind of score you should be aiming for. The GAMSAT scoring system is most likely quite different from any exams you’ve sat before and is different to other entrance exams like the UCAT. This article will help explain GAMSAT scores and give you an idea of what a “good” score is.
How is the GAMSAT scored?
Each of the three GAMSAT sections are scored from a scale of 0-100. These are not percentages, but instead are scaled against previous sittings so that applicants from different testing windows can be compared by universities. GAMSAT results are valid in Australia for 4 years and 2 years in the UK and Ireland.
In summary:
- GAMSAT Section I: 0-100
- GAMSAT Section II: 0-100
- GAMSAT Section III: 0-100
When the results are released you will receive a score for each of the three GAMSAT sections. These are then combined to give an overall GAMSAT score. The sections are not weighted equally as Section 3 is given a double weighting. This means the overall GAMSAT score will be calculated using the following formula:
Overall Score = (1 x Section I + 1 x Section II + 2 x Section III) ÷ 4
When are GAMSAT scores released?
GAMSAT results are typically released via email around 2 months after the date of the exam. This means for the March sitting you can expect to hear around May time, and for the September sitting you should hear around mid-November.
What is a high GAMSAT score?
After each test sitting, alongside your statement of results, ACER releases a chart with an approximate percentile ranking for your overall score. This will allow you to compare your overall score with other test takers who took the same exam as you in the same sitting.
As percentile data isn’t usually available until months after the exam, we can use data from previous admissions cycles to estimate the typical score distributions.
The average GAMSAT score is typically around 56-58. A score in this region will place you around the 50th percentile. An high GAMSAT score is generally above 60, and this will usually put you in the top 25% of candidates. An exceptional score, in the top 2% of scores, is usually around 73-74.
The maximum possible GAMSAT score is technically 100, however this is very rarely (if ever!) achieved and only 0.1% of candidates score over 80 overall. When evaluating your GAMSAT score it is important to remember that a “good” score is relative and will vary between universities and different application cycles – a high score for one particular university may not even be high enough to get an interview at another. If you have a particular medical school in mind, take a look at our GAMSAT scoring guide to get an idea of the GAMSAT scores required for each university in previous admissions cycles.
What GAMSAT scores do I need for graduate-entry medicine?
For UK medical schools the GAMSAT is usually used to shortlist candidates for interview. Once you get to the interview stage, your application is typically judged solely on your performance at the interview. This means that as long as you meet the threshold score for shortlisting, it does not matter how high you score in comparison to other applicants.
The overall score needed to get an interview will vary depending on each medical school but typically lies around 58-61. If you score in this region or higher, you have a good chance at getting that all important interview. It is also worth remembering that the cut-off scores change each year depending on the scores of each cohort of applicants. You will not know the cut-off scores before you submit an application and it is impossible to predict what they will be.
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