How to Master GAMSAT Timing
Please note:
- ‘Section I: Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences’ has been renamed to ‘Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences Section’
- ‘Section II: Written Communication’ has been renamed to ‘Written Communication Section’
- ‘Section III: Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences’ has been renamed to ‘Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences Section’
To ensure this article is easy to follow, we’ll refer to these sections as ‘Section 1’, ‘Section 2’, and ‘Section 3’ throughout. Read about the latest changes to the GAMSAT.
Mastering GAMSAT timing is a key part of exam success. To earn a top score, it’s not enough to work your way through the test carefully to determine the correct answers. Rather, you must get the correct answers in the shortest possible time. Succeeding in the GAMSAT is dependent on answering a variety of questions both accurately and quickly.
If you’re struggling with timing in the GAMSAT, or want to find out what you’re up against, we cover everything you need to know in this article. Read on to learn why effective pacing is necessary and how to manage the time pressure in each section of the GAMSAT.
Just starting to prepare for the GAMSAT? Check out our top tips to succeed in the GAMSAT, 10 common preparation mistakes to avoid and GAMSAT FAQ.
Table of contents
Why is GAMSAT pacing important?
How long is the GAMSAT exam?
What are the GAMSAT section times?
How do I manage GAMSAT Section 1 timing?
How do I manage GAMSAT Section 2 timing?
How do I manage GAMSAT Section 3 timing?
How can I improve my pacing during GAMSAT preparation?
Why is GAMSAT pacing important?
It’s important to know how to pace yourself in the exam for a number of reasons:
- The GAMSAT is deliberately time-pressured to differentiate between very capable students. Being able to answer both quickly and accurately will set you apart from other applicants who don’t accomplish both successfully.
- Mastering your timing can significantly increase your chances of getting a good GAMSAT score. On the other hand, if you’re stressed due to running out of time, this can negatively impact your performance.
- Graduate entry is more competitive than direct entry, which means you’ll need to prove yourself more to dental or medical schools that you apply to. Scoring highly in the GAMSAT could mean the difference between acceptance and rejection.
The key takeaway is to not underestimate the importance of good pacing, as working on your timing well ahead of your exam will pay off when sitting the GAMSAT. Keep in mind that pacing is not simply answering questions more quickly, rather it’s answering shorter and simpler questions more quickly. This allows more time for longer and more challenging questions.
How long is the GAMSAT exam?
For GAMSAT 2024 testing, the exam is divided into two parts:
1) Written Communication (previously Section 2)
2) Humanities and Biological Sciences (previously Section 1 and 3)
Section 2 runs for 65 minutes and is delivered via remote proctoring – you will sit this part of the exam approximately two weeks before Section 1 and 3. Section 1 and 3 are delivered at a test centre and run for 4 hours and 10 minutes, although you can expect to spend around 5 hours and 30 minutes at the test venue. There are two test centre sessions per day for Section 1 and 3, so you can choose between an AM (8am–1.50pm) or PM (2.30pm–8.20pm) session.
What are the GAMSAT section times?
See below for the GAMSAT exam format and how much time you have per section:
How do I manage GAMSAT Section 1 timing?
Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences Section (previously Section 1)
- Minutes: 100
- Questions: 62
You can decide how much of the 100 minutes to allow for each of the 62 questions, but we recommend experimenting with different approaches to reading the passage, as this will affect the amount of time you’ll need per question. For example, if there are 15 passages and you adopt the approach of skimming the passage, you could pace yourself as follows:
If you skim all the passages and answer each question in one minute, you would need 77 minutes to complete the section. This is a fairly quick pace, but the advantage is that you have 23 minutes of additional time that you could use for longer passages or trickier questions. We recommend saving the most difficult questions until the end as it’s smarter to lock in marks with easier questions first.
You should work on your pacing with practice questions and during every practice test, as it’s easy to fall into the trap of spending too long on more complex questions. It’s also critical that you don’t leave any questions unanswered. You must leave yourself enough time to answer every question, even if you have to make a logical guess for some. If you guess, you have a 25% chance of getting the answer right, compared to a 0% chance when leaving the question blank.
Learn more about this section in our ultimate guide to GAMSAT Section 1
How do I manage GAMSAT Section 2 timing?
Written Communication Section (previously Section 2)
- Minutes: 65
- Questions: 2
In Section 2 of the GAMSAT, you’ll be required to write two essays in approximately 30 minutes each. This section can become tough when you move onto your second essay as you may begin to become fatigued, and it’s easy to lose momentum. To help combat this, you should plan your essays properly so you know what to write, and can do so within the time limit.
1. Assess the task (2 minutes)
Start off by identifying the theme and selecting which comments to address. This will ensure that you display the quality of thought that’s expected from you.
2. Plan your essay (8 minutes total)
Planning is made up of two tasks – you should spend equal time on each:
Brainstorm ideas (4 minutes): Think about key points on both sides of the theme and come up with a couple of examples for each side based on the comments you want to discuss. In this step, you should also decide what your own opinion is, which will be included in the conclusion.
Outline your essay (4 minutes): Before you begin writing your essay, it’s essential that you organise your thoughts logically and coherently. We recommend structuring your essay as follows:
- Introduction (identify the theme and topic)
- Body paragraph 1 (explore one side of the issue with examples)
- Body paragraph 2 (explore the other side of the issue with examples)
- Conclusion (state your own opinion)
3. Write your essay (17–18 minutes)
After 10 minutes of preparation, you’re ready to spend the next 17–18 minutes writing a clear and logical essay. Take care to structure each paragraph appropriately. For example, you should start each paragraph with a key point, followed by a citation of your evidence (your reasons or examples), followed by an explanation of your evidence.
4. Review your essay (2–3 minutes)
Allow two or three minutes reading time at the end of the 30 minutes to go over your essay and check you’ve written exactly what you meant to say. This is also an ideal time to check for any obvious spelling, grammar or language errors, such as missing words.
Learn more about this section in our ultimate guide to GAMSAT Section 2
How do I manage GAMSAT Section 3 timing?
Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences Section (previously Section 3)
- Minutes: 75
- Questions: 150
Section 3 is the longest section with the most questions, so you may find it tough even if you have a science background or strong problem-solving skills. Also, by the time you've completed Section 1, it's likely that you'll be mentally exhausted. This means it's critical that you dedicate enough time to perfecting your pacing. Here are some key tips to keep in mind during practice sessions:
- Use the time stamp technique – With 75 questions to answer in 150 minutes, you have around two minutes per question. You should use this as a rough guide to pace yourself. For example, after an hour, you should aim to have answered 30 questions. We recommend writing this down on the paper or whiteboard provided at the beginning of each section as a reminder. It’s likely that you won’t be able to get through all the questions in time, so adjust your time stamp to match your general performance level.
- Practise triaging – Learn how to recognise simpler and ‘easier’ questions and answer these first before moving onto more difficult questions. With this technique, you could potentially answer two or three easier questions in the time it would take you to answer one challenging question. Remember, all questions are worth equal marks in the GAMSAT. It doesn’t make sense to waste time on harder questions if you can secure marks on easier questions first.
- Don’t be misled by ‘two minutes per question’ – Reading and understanding the stimulus is included in those two minutes, so make sure you factor this in when practising. Set yourself a more realistic target, such as a minute and a half per question, to allow enough time to fully grasp the stimulus. Note that you may be able to save time by skim reading long stimuli if you can work out the answer based on a small amount of text.
- Bookmark questions that cause you to freeze – With enough GAMSAT practice, hopefully there won’t be any questions that make you freeze on test day, but there is always a risk that this can happen. If you find yourself staring at a question for longer than 10 seconds without any idea of how to answer it, you can lose valuable test time. It’s better to bookmark it and move on immediately, and then revisit it before you finish the section.
- Save time at the end to answer every question – The GAMSAT is so time-intensive that it’s unlikely that most students will fully solve all questions. Make sure you leave time at the end of the section to go over any unanswered questions. Ideally you should be able to make a logical guess, but if not, a blind guess is better than no guess at all as there is no penalty for wrong answers.
Learn more about this section in our ultimate guide to GAMSAT Section 3
How can I improve my pacing during GAMSAT preparation?
You can’t be in control of the GAMSAT without both accuracy and speed. To achieve this, we recommend practising questions untimed first, then timed. When you first start studying for the GAMSAT, your focus should be on experimenting with different strategies and techniques to increase your accuracy. Once you’re comfortable with answering questions, your aim should be to improve your pacing within practice sessions.
As test endurance is necessary for success, it’s essential that you practise with full mocks during your preparation period, and simulate the exam as much as possible in each practice test. For example, if you always practise Section 1 and 2 on the same day, or complete Section 3 on its own first thing in the morning, this wouldn’t mirror the actual GAMSAT test day experience.
Succeed in the GAMSAT with Medify
We understand that pursuing graduate entry medicine or dentistry can be a difficult and exhausting journey for many students. Dental and medical schools expect you to jump over several hurdles to prove your ability, as well as your commitment to succeed. At Medify, our aim is to help you overcome every hurdle, so you can achieve your dream of studying medicine or dentistry.
If you’re struggling to increase your GAMSAT score, our GAMSAT Online Course can enable you to take control of the exam:
- Practise with 2,800 original GAMSAT-style questions
- Simulate the exam with 7 realistic and unique GAMSAT mocks
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- Access Medify’s science syllabus with key topics for biology, chemistry, and physics
Not ready to jump into our GAMSAT preparation course just yet? Check out our sample questions (Section I, Section II, Section III) and free cheat sheets to get a flavour of what to expect.
What should I do one month before my UCAT?
Keep practising! A month sounds like a long time, but time will quickly vanish. Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goals such as reaching a certain score by a certain date or time.
Niche down even further on your weaknesses – by this stage you should just be focusing on what you find hardest. Make sure you factor in breaks and days off into your schedule, as well as any important events which you need to attend.
Read the 'Good medical practice' by the Medical Board of Australia if you haven’t already. It will inform you about the different duties of healthcare professionals and how they should respond to different scenarios, which is essential for the Situational Judgement Test section of the UCAT.
Try Medify's Skills Trainers, such as inference scanning for Verbal Reasoning, to maximise your score (these are included in our UCAT ANZ Online Course). Make sure you've also completed plenty of UCAT practice tests.
The UCAT exam is two hours with no breaks in between, so practise at least two hours each time to build your mental stamina. You should also simulate the exam environment as closely as possible – this means treating every mock test as if it were a real one.
For instance, you should sit mock exams at the same time of the day as your actual UCAT exam and ensure there are no distractions. By mirroring the test conditions, not only will it prepare you for what to expect on test day, it should also help to decrease any anxiety leading up to the exam. Otherwise, your brain has to process the ‘new’ way of completing the test.
What should I do one week before my UCAT?
At this point, you'll know the format of the exam inside out and will have practised the questions enough times to get used to UCAT timings. Don’t give up – keep preparing in an environment where you cannot be interrupted.
Remember, a lot of your preparation will have been done in the weeks and months before this final week, so be careful not to overdo it and become too fatigued. Your motivation may drop or you might ‘peak’ before the test. Your body needs rest too.
Now is a great time to introduce or increase self-care in your regime. Whether it’s watching Netflix, gaming, or just running a bath, it’s important to detach yourself from UCAT revision from time to time to avoid the risk of burnout.
In this week you should also prioritise your nutrition and sleep. Eat well, do not miss meals and keep hydrated. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep in the days before the test by avoiding late night cramming or staying awake into the early hours.
If it puts your mind at rest, you can check last year’s UCAT scores, but remember that this is all about your personal journey and performance, so don't get hung up on that information!
What should I do one day before my UCAT?
We do not advise doing a mock this close to the exam. Revision won't help you much at this stage and can actually leave you worse off. Instead, use this time to wind down and get yourself into a relaxed state. This will enable you to perform at your best on test day.
Try to get to bed early and avoid things that can affect sleep, such as looking at your phone before bed. If you think that you will struggle to sleep on time, you could try doing some exercise during the day to tire yourself out.
Exercise can boost your brainpower by oxygenating your brain, helping you learn and aid sleep. Plus, activity makes your body release endorphins, which can reduce anxiety and stress levels.
Make sure you double check your UCAT test centre information, the travel route to the test centre, the time of your UCAT exam, and so on, so you’re well prepared for test day. If someone else is giving you a ride to the test centre, it’s worth reminding them.
What should I do on the day of my UCAT?
You should start the day off with a nutritious breakfast and give yourself enough time to arrive early to the test centre to avoid feeling flustered, rushed or stressed.
Remember that buses and trains can be late and that traffic may be heavier than you had hoped, so allow extra time whichever way you are travelling. Find out how to choose a UCAT test centre.
Make sure you know how to get to the test centre – for instance you could consider taking a map with you. If you’re using your phone for directions, make sure it’s sufficiently charged and that you have spare data (otherwise you can download the map ahead of time to use offline).
On test day you will be expected to arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled test time to complete the check-in process.
You need to bring:
- Your test confirmation email
- Photographic ID from the approved list
When you arrive at the test centre, it’s likely that you’ll be experiencing a heightened sense of adrenaline. This is completely normal, but it could be helpful to learn some mindfulness tricks to reduce your stress levels. For instance, you could focus on your breathing to help you relax.
Don’t forget, during your test there are one minute introductions between each subtest. You can skip these, but we recommend using the time to mentally refresh yourself.
If you’ve stuck to your revision plan, and followed our advice above, the best thing you can do on test day is to try and keep as calm as possible. Take solace in the fact that you have prepared for weeks/months to get to this point, and channel any nervous energy into doing the best you can during your UCAT test.
What should I eat and drink leading up to the UCAT?
You should think about your diet well ahead of UCAT test day. Focus on foods that release energy slowly (that is, which have a low glycaemic index, or GI) which will stop you from feeling hungry. These are ideal for UCAT preparation, as well as on test day itself.
Try eating protein and low-GI carbohydrates, such as meat or baked beans, brown (whole grain) rice or pasta, or wholegrain breakfast cereals or muesli. However, do not stray far from your usual diet on the day of the test in case you feel sick. You may want to try these foods out at the same time of day a few weeks in advance.
Be wary of energy drinks and coffee. If you’re not used to them then don’t drink them, especially in large quantities. Caffeine can acutely increase anxiety, and the sugar rush of an energy drink is soon followed by insulin slamming on the brakes, leaving you feeling worse than before. These products are no substitute for a good night’s sleep, eating properly and exercising.
No food or drink is allowed in the test room so eat a healthy meal before your UCAT test and ensure you’re hydrated. While you should make sure you’re drinking enough water, do not overdo it, otherwise you might need the toilet while the timer is ticking.
Please note, access arrangements are available if you have a disability, learning difficulty or long-term medical condition. You may be entitled to extra time and/or rest breaks, and allowed certain items, such as water, at your test centre workstation.
What happens at the UCAT test centre?
- At the registration desk, you will be asked to show a valid photographic ID and a printed/electronic copy of your confirmation email from Pearson VUE.
- You will be asked to sign a signature pad and take a photograph.
- You will be given spiral bound laminated sheets and a black marker pen. You may also request earplugs.
- Do not take anything other than your ID into the examination room. A locker or a coat hanger will be available.
- Go to the bathroom if you need to.
- Once the staff have prepared your exam, you may enter the exam room. You may be asked to undergo a body check (e.g. turning up your pockets and rolling your sleeves).
- The staff will guide you to the seat, or you may be able to choose your desk. Take some time to prepare yourself and relax. Your two hours have not yet started.
What is the UCAT test environment like?
This image shows a typical UCAT test environment:
There is no audio element to the test, but you can request earplugs to block out any noise that might disrupt your concentration.
You will have access to a basic onscreen calculator which may be useful for the Quantitative Reasoning and Decision Making sections.
You will be given a laminated notebook and marker pen. Consider using these for:
- Quantitative Reasoning: Noting down numbers during multi-step workings
- Abstract Reasoning: Writing down mnemonics for pattern recognition
- Decision Making: Noting calculations and drawing diagrams
If you require an additional notebook and pen, you can raise your hand and ask the invigilator. Although the invigilator will check that your pen is working before the test, we advise double-checking this to avoid seeking assistance during the test.
What happens during my UCAT test?
- Once you are ready, follow the on-screen instructions.
- Your exam will be in the following order:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Decision Making
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Abstract Reasoning
- Situational Judgement
- You will have one minute before each section to read the instructions. You can skip it, but this will not give you an extra minute to answer the questions. Use this time to give your mind a quick break.
- If you have any issues, such as requiring a toilet break, you can quietly raise your hand. However, your time will continue running.
- After your exam, there may be an opportunity to answer a short optional survey on UCAT ANZ preparation and the quality of the venue.
- Raise your hand when you've finished and the examiner will guide you out of the exam room. You need to return your laminated board and marker pen.
- Collect your belongings and leave the test centre.
- Your UCAT ANZ results will be emailed to you shortly (usually between 30 minutes and one hour). All results will be delivered to UCAT ANZ Consortium universities automatically.
- If you’ve achieved the scores that you desire, well done.
- Even if you haven’t achieved the scores you wanted, congratulate yourself for getting through a really tough process. You've done exceptionally well just to get to this point. Plus, you can always take the UCAT again next year or consider graduate entry to medicine – do not give up on your dream!
Do you need help preparing for the UCAT ANZ? Head over to our UCAT ANZ Online Course and we’ll get you signed up to guide you through the whole process.
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