Live Updates: COVID-19 and Medical School Admissions in Australia and New Zealand

Last updated Thursday 28th May 2020 5.45 AM AEST

Updates on the UCAT ANZ

On 12th May 2020, Pearson VUE has advised that face masks are required to be worn during testing at Pearson VUE-owned test centres. You are also advised to be mindful of any travel restrictions when travelling to your test location. Check the full health and safety requirements here.

On 20th May 2020, an official announcement was made that the UCAT ANZ will go ahead in July 2020. Visit the official UCAT ANZ website for further information, including rescheduling notification and instructions for students who have missed the late booking deadline.

For further information, read our blog article: COVID-19: UCAT ANZ FAQ.

In response to COVID-19, Medify has rolled out a COVID-19 guarantee scheme for those purchasing a UCAT ANZ season pass. This means that even if the UCAT ANZ exam is delayed, we will guarantee access to the Medify platform until your exam date.

Updates on the GAMSAT

On 23rd March 2020, ACER announced that the GAMSAT exam that was planned to be set on 21st March 2020 will be run online at the end of May 2020. You will be sitting this at your home or a private location.

On 30th March 2020, ACER released a follow-up announcement that the online registration is open for the new online GAMSAT exam that will be delivered between 28th May to 1st June 2020 under remote proctoring. Read our blog article to find out what we know and what we can expect for the online GAMSAT.

On 12th May 2020, ACER has sent out a reminder email to the online GAMSAT candidates to complete the technical readiness check with ProctorU and to check test their booking time. Check this link or your email inbox for details.

On 21st and 26th May 2020, ACER has sent two further reminder emails about the May online GAMSAT (21st May/ 26th May).

For further information, visit the official ACER GAMSAT website for advice on COVID-19 and online GAMSAT FAQs.

Updates on medical school admissions process in Australia and New Zealand‍

The University of Sydney has made an announcement on 17th April 2020 that its admissions process and application timeline has been revised for the 2021 entry. A notable change includes removal of multiple mini interviews for domestic students, with a few exceptions (e.g. as an additional selection tool for equally-ranked applicants). The full details of the changes can be found in the following links: domestic students / international students.

The University of Notre Dame Fremantle has advised on 29th April 2020 that if interviews are not possible to be held, notification regarding any changes will be posted on their website.

Monash University has advised on 15th May 2020 that they are evaluating admissions procedures for 2021. International applicants will now have their interviews online. Graduate entry applicants will be allowed to choose whether 2020 Semester 1 grades contribute to the weighted average mark or not.

The University of Wollongong has advised on 20th May 2020 that there will be changes to their admissions procedures for 2021.

The University of Auckland has advised on 20th May 2020 that they are 'working on a process to accommodate changes to assessments for Semester One 2020, the UCAT-ANZ (if applicable) and any impact changes may have on selection for Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) or final offers of a place'.

It is possible that other medical schools will also make changes to their admissions process and application timeline. We will provide detailed up-to-date information on the medical school admissions criteria and process on this page.

GEMSAS has released the 2021 medicine admissions guide and will be opening registrations and applications for all GEMSAS medical schools on Thursday 7th May 2020 (with a deadline of Thursday 11th June 2020 5pm AEST).

Updates on high school examinations in Australia and New Zealand

No changes have yet been proposed for external high school examinations planned for October-November 2020 in Australia and New Zealand.

In New South Wales, NESA has confirmed in their latest update on 24th April 2020 that the HSC exams are going ahead in 2020, with the timetable for the written exam to be released by 15th May 2020.

On 22nd May 2020, it was announced that the VCE examination periods have been rescheduled for 2020.

Updates on university assessments in Australia and New Zealand

University classes are continuing to run in Australia and New Zealand (offline or online) and you should receive your grades at the end of each semester for calculation of GPA. Do keep an eye on your university website and your university email inbox for any changes to the delivery of classes and assessments.

Updates on the ISAT

On 27th May 2020, ACER has advised that registration for ISAT 2020 cycle 2 and 3 will open later this week.

Updates on the MCAT

In the latest update (24th March 2020) from the AAMC, it was announced that the 27th March and 4th April MCAT exams have been cancelled globally. AAMC has extended flexible rescheduling for candidates who are taking exams through the end of May. 
For more information, visit the official AAMC website.

‍

Please bookmark this page and keep checking back here for regular updates.

Be well,

Medify

‍

Studying for the UCAT UK instead? Here is the link to the UK Live Update page.

‍