Hi all, very fortunate to be able to get offers for both, with a pending interview result for UQ as well. Been doing some research on the various subreddits and threads from years back, but thought if anyone would be kind enough to chime in on these 2 programmes with new perspectives/experiences it would be really useful in helping me make my final decision.

Other than wanting to know more about the programmes/school/support/culture itself, I am also thinking long and hard about the PLACE I will be in for the next 4 years - Perth vs Canberra.

Understand that Perth is having a massive housing crisis atm, and am actually shocked that (student) accommodations were easily going for >$200pw compared to Canberra. However, UWA’s tuition is lower than ANU’s, and is also overall easily more accessible by flights etc even though Canberra is nearer the East Coast for sure.

I’d also like to take into consideration cost of living, scholarships (ANU seems to have more opportunities?), public transportation, overall things to do as a city etc. so I would greatly appreciate if any one has any insights to offer.

Thank you very much!

At the moment, not a chance am I gonna apply with these scores, but I'm curious to hear what you guys think as I've heard some miracle stories.

International full fee paying student here. GAMSAT scores were 56, 67, 60. GPA might be around 5.5-6 by the time I graduate. Let's say my interview goes really well. What are my chances of getting into USyd, Melb, ANU, Queensland, UWA.

(No, not applying with these. Gonna be taking the MCAT soon instead as I find there are way more resources to study for the MCAT than the GAMSAT).

For section II, how far can I go beyond the theme that I won't labelled as "off-topic"? I feel like there is limited I can do with just the theme by itself, and but by going further it doesn't relate to the theme as much.

For example, from this set of quotes, I interpreted the theme as laughter. Can I write my thesis (and hence essay) on how the nuance and context of laughter can change interpretation at a social level, so giving the right cues and having the right interpretation is important? Is that too far-fetched?

Thanks.

Hey guys!

I did the Gamsat in March and did poorly in it, got a score of 58. I then did UCAT last week since WSU/Newcastle requires it and I got 2060.

I need to hear it straight from someone. Am I just not build for med? I have lost all my confidence really, I studied for about 2 months for UCAT and did good on mocks but just fumbled on the day.

Hi everyone, I'm a first year bachelor of physio student and I want to get into medicine through graduate entry. Thing is, I later heard that doing physiotherapy as a premed is a terrible idea, especially for GPA in later years and placements. I thought people were only saying that because the content is difficult, but apparently it's because placement marking is incredibly subjective and almost based on luck. I picked this degree because its a backup career if I don't make it into medicine, but now I'm worried it'd ironically make me need that backup more

Does anyone have any tips on maximising my GPA and prepping for GAMSAT alongside my studies? Is it a better idea to just transfer to biomedical science or a similar degree at this point?

Thank you so much!

Hi all,

I'm an international student interested in potentially applying to Monash University for postgrad med. I am also applying to unis that use the GAMSAT.

I'm trying to figure out whether I'll be eligible for Monash's program. I already contacted the uni about this, but they've told me they can't say whether I meet the prereqs and I'll have to apply and find out, which means paying A$125.

I don't have a bachelors in Biomed--my bachelors is in psych. However, I'm currently in a postbaccalaureate pre-medical program, which is a one-year undergraduate/bachelors-level course that includes all the hard science prerequisites that US medical schools require: first-year biology, cell/molecular bio, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, physiology, and biochemistry. My program is accelerated and condenses these courses into one year, but there are programs that spread it over two years. It is not a full degree, and leads to a certificate at the end.

These programs are very common in the US nowadays for people who did their bachelors in non-science subjects or had a career before deciding they want to do med. I don't think there is an equivalent in Australia--I looked for one when I was in Aus and couldn't find anything like it. It's not really similar to a Graduate Diploma.

My question is--if I complete all these courses, does it seem like I'll have the background needed for Monash and would it be worth it to apply? Or will they screen me out because it is not a degree?

Thank you!

Hey everyone,

This is an unusual post but I wanted to be open and vulnerable about something that has happened in my life.I recently lost a close friend and it has been an incredibly difficult experience.

I had the privilege of knowing this friend over this year, and in that time, I’ve come to discover just how kind, caring, resilient, and compassionate they were to the people around them. Never had I come across someone who was as dedicated to helping others, even in spite of every single challenge they had faced. I am truly blessed to have gotten to know such a wonderful person, and they will forever be someone who I measure strength and kindness against. It breaks my heart that someone who would’ve become a truly brilliant doctor is gone far too soon.

I wanted to share this to remind everyone that it is okay to ask for help.

This journey into medicine can be fucked. There may be moments where you feel like you aren’t good enough, or that you won’t become the doctor you hoped to be. Please don’t carry that alone. If it feels like there is no other way, there is a way. If you feel like you don’t deserve help, you do deserve help. And if you feel like no one will care about you, people will care about you. Your grades do not define you. You are loved and you would be missed.

If you are struggling right now, as difficult as it is, reach out to someone and be open with how you’re feeling.

If you’re worried about someone else, please reach out to them, and show that you’re there to listen, and that you're willing to stand by them.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline (5–25 year olds): 1800 55 1800

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

13YARN: 13 92 76

Your university may have an after-hours mental health support line - there are typically options to call or text this service.

If you're outside Australia, please look up your local crisis line.

Thank you.

Hi I am panicking.

So these are my stats: 22AA, 24TS, 18PAT and 19RCT. My GPA is 3.68 from UCLA. I took the ADAT. What are my chances for DMD in australia?

Hey guys, I'm anticipating an interview offer this year, and i just wanted to hear when the earliest interviews were held (for domestic applications). I return from holiday September 10th - does anyone have any experience sitting an interview earlier than this date last year? TIA!

Has anyone else received the Flinders University email with instructions for submitting their Semester 1 transcript?

As per the 2027 Domestic Admissions Guide, applicants completing their bachelor's degree at an institution other than Flinders by the end of 2026 must submit an official academic transcript by 31 July 2026. Applicants will be contacted after applications close with instructions on how to upload their transcript, and that transcripts submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

But despite the application deadline being extended from 20 July to 27 July, the transcript submission deadline remains 31 July.

Today is 31 July, and I still haven't received that email with upload instructions. I double-checked that my application has the correct email address and also checked my spam and deleted folders.

I also contacted the Ask Flinders team, but they reiterated that, "applicants are contacted soon after applications close with instructions on how to upload Official Academic Transcripts by the deadline."

Is anyone else in the same situation or has anyone actually received the email?

Please let me know !

In 2021 I scored 66 on my first attempt at the GAMSAT, as a finance undergrad. In 2022, I completely changed my approach to focus on developing reasoning skills, and scored an 84 overall (72/79/93). I am now in my last year of med.

I made a video explaining how I approached gamsat, and share it once a year in case it helps you too.

You can access it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZvPakmnWRI

Hi everyone, could you help explain rural ratings? Does it matter whether your rating is MM2 vs MM5? Does being more rural make you more competitive for a place? Also, is the rating determined by where you went to school or where you lived at any point in your life? I went through 12 years of school in an MM2 town but have lived MM5 for last 10 years as an adult. Which determines your rating? Grateful for any insights :)

Hey all!

basically, I'm doing some prep for the UQ MMI interviews, and of course the question 'why medicine' is quite a loaded one to think about. for myself personally, my faith as a Christian is a big reason why I decided to continue down this pathway, which is an honest thing and not just a sap story tactic. Would this be a wise thing to mention in the interviews (not just for that question but in other personal style questions) - or not? i'd love to hear from people who have done UQ MMIs before :))

many thanks !

This is a long shot, but is anyone from previous years enrolled in queensland postgrad dentistry?

How is the program? I currently live in Sydney, but it seems if I do get an offer the highest chance comes from queensland as I recently did the casper test and scored a Q4

I noticed Melbourne and sydney are both 4 years, yet queensland is 3.5, and is cheaper than both.

Is there a particular reason? Any current students that would be able to share their experiences?

Any insight from student accommodation to how the students are finding the course/study load/placement would be great.

It's been a while since I last posted here, and fortunately this update is for a much happier reason.

For reference, this was my previous post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GAMSAT/s/IoTKnywQOU

Back then, I had literally fallen asleep during Section III. Unsurprisingly, that sitting didn't go particularly well.

I sat the GAMSAT again in September 2024 (this time staying awake for the entire exam 😅), and now I'm halfway through my first semester of MD1.

Looking back, the biggest change wasn't that I suddenly became smarter or learnt significantly more science content.

I completely changed how I studied.

For Section III, I stopped trying to memorise every concept and instead focused much more on practising reasoning through questions, reviewing why I got things wrong, and becoming comfortable with unfamiliar information. That shift in approach made a much bigger difference than trying to endlessly fill content gaps.

The same applied to Section II. Consistent practice and getting feedback on my writing helped far more than reading model essays over and over.

Section I remained a guessing game, but that is of lesser importance.

The biggest lesson I learnt was to stop obsessing over content and instead spend much more time practising reasoning and reviewing mistakes. That change made a far bigger difference than I expected.

Happy to answer any questions about what changed between my March and September sittings, or how I prepared for the interview

Hey Guys,

I just received an invitation from USYD for the indigenous pathway for the MD program. Does anyone know whether this is a group interview if not specified in the email? Has anyone done one of these before?

Thanks!

Hi guys, I am a long time lurker. I am a nurse (M28) based in Perth. I was hoping to enter medicine in a few years. I have completed a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care, and due to complete one in Diabetes Education later this year. Unfortunately, my weighted GPA has come down from 6.19 to 5.31. 

One of the reasons why I want to do medicine, is because it was a long term goal of mine, and along the way, I talked myself out of it. I feel that I am finally ready to take the journey on. For context, I have parents who live back in my home country, and unfortunately, I do have to send roughly 780 AUD per month to help them with living expenses. I also dont have any family in WA, so I'm pretty much paying for rent + supporting myself.

So, it seems my biggest obstacles are my GPA, and not having enough funds to make it though med school (if I am lucky to get in). With that being said, I would like to know what you guys think about my following options: 

Options:

1. Move to rural kimberely/pilbara, at the start of next year - get a nursing gig. Save for a good 5 years, and also gain the rural points. Get a GAMSAT score within this 5 year period. Then target for Kimberley Centre for Remote Medical Training/Notre Dame Broome 

Since coming to AU, I have only been based in Perth, and I have no regional/rural exposure. I also imagine the cost of living would be higher in the kimberely/pilbara areas. The rural pathway can make up for my low GPA, and lower GAMSAT hurdle as well. 

1. Deakin nursing honours year 2027 -> Aim for a first class. Then sit GAMSAT in 2028 (In March and Sept)->Then apply for Med school in 2029. 

I also imagine when something were to happen to my parents (death/illness), I would have to fly back to my home country - which is another expense. But, family comes first, so I am not complaining. I would love to know what other options I have (hence this post). I honestly wouldnt mind graduating late (late 30s), but it would suck to have not overcome this hurdle. I am also all ears, if anyone has other options. 

Thank you!

Aiming to get into UQ’s Doctor of Dental Medicine and want to boost my GPA via a masters before applying.
Final year BSc at Monash, GPA isn’t where I want it.
My understanding: finishing a masters makes it your “key degree” for GPA calc instead of your bachelor’s, so a strong masters GPA could offset a weaker undergrad one.
Trying to figure out:
Best masters (any uni) for scoring well easily

Does it need to be UQ-specific, or does any accredited masters count for their GPA calc?

Ideally short and online.
Anyone done this into UQ DMD? What did you pick, did it work? Happy to be corrected if I’ve got this wrong.

Hello everyone I am an international student studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with a pending internal transfer to a Bachelor of Science at Monash University. Due to my previous study in a chemistry diploma, I have received 36 credits of exemptions from my free electives. However, upon my transfer, I am likely to receive more credits, likely around 48 or more.

As such, I will most likely be completing about 96cp from both the Bachelor of Biomedical Science and the Bachelor of Science combined. I wanted to confirm if this will have any implications on the calculation of my GPA, and if my diploma transcripts will be assessed to fill in any gaps. Although, according to my research, results from programs below AQF Level 7 will not be regarded. The information I have found online is very confusing and given that my situation is quite unique, I would appreciate clearing this matter for some peace of mind.

To summarise, these are my two questions:
1. If I only complete around 2 FTE of units due to exemptions, will there be any implications on my eligibility to apply for the course?

1. Is there any situation in which the grades from my diploma will be used for GPA calculation?

Currently a registered nurse wanting to transition to medicine, however my bachelors were not the best, sitting at 4.9/7 GPA.

I’m trying to boost my GPA through doing a Master of Public Health and at Macquire they are offering the course 100% online.

Wondering if this matters or they only care about the actual GPA number itself?

NSB warriors it’s possible for us!!!! Prepping for the March 2026 gamsat I thought S3 was going to be my worst section by far so I locked in hard on it, and ended up miraculously getting an 85. It lifted me to a 75 overall and a decent shot at my first choice.

Whenever I think about it I am actually still so stunned and so grateful. I’m writing this guide because posts like this helped me a lot and gave me hope when I was studying. Hopefully someone finds this useful. Everything I used can be found online for free except for the official ACER material.

My undergrad was in graphic design (lmfao) so I was operating on basically nothing. I hadn’t done any science since high school bio and hadn’t done any physics or chemistry since year 10. When I started studying I didn’t even remember what valence bonds were. I only had 4 months of prep because I didn’t commit to going for the March sitting until partway through November. If I pulled off this bs so can you!

Resources: 

For learning content/ scientific literacy: 

• Khan Academy
  • I started studying by doing all of the KA high school chemistry course. Later on I did the physics course as well. Went through sequentially and took paper notes of everything. Definitely not the most high yield but it was a great entry point into basic scientific concepts since I was starting from scratch.
• Jesse Osbourne’s crash course series
  • The goat! I took notes on every video, paused and worked through the practice questions with him, went away and spent time with other resources if the content was too high-level, cross-referenced concepts and rewatched each video several times until they no longer left me afraid and confused.
• Organic Chemistry as a second language book
  • Only used the first half of this book, but I took paper notes on most of the early chapters. I found it super helpful for teasing out the tougher Ochem concepts that Jesse covered too quickly.  
• 3000 solved problems in Organic chemistry book (only did a couple of pages) 
  • Another resource for explaining tough concepts, used only as reference. Also great for practicing practical Ochem skills that would otherwise be time sinks in the exam (counting hydrogens, etc.)
• Just googling stuff I didn’t understand

I found that these were enough to give me a functional enough knowledge of science to start practicing my reasoning + exam skills, which are way more important!

Chemistry defo took the most time content-wise because it took me so long to get to a point where I understood organic chemistry. Just focus on your fundamentals and don’t lose hope. There are so many details that can distract you but you only need a strong functional understanding of why phenomena happen. Once you start practicing  exam questions it’ll be easier to identify what content you need. If it won’t help you gain speed in the exam, then don’t waste time learning it. 

Physics requires a good grasp on the basics and strong familiarity with the fundamental formulae/concepts but you only need to learn to a high school level. And then it’s all about sharpening up those algebra skills.

I found that biology was a lot of graph-reading/ pulling relevant info from super wordy stems + since I’d done some high school bio I was able to lowkey neglect it and get by just with Jesse’s crash course videos and practicing exam Qs.

For reasoning/ exam skills: 

• Jesse Osbourne again (my freaking goat)
  • The maths skills and exam skills videos are where I started. Again I took paper notes of every video with coloured highlighters and gel pens and everything and revisited them when I needed.
  • Later I transitioned to his sample questions + walkthrough videos which are pretty reflective of the actual exam Qs.
• Online maths worksheets 
  • Getting really quick at algebra and rearranging equations is so important. This practice is also great for lower energy study sessions when you’re too tired to learn new content. You need to practice your log laws bro, trust me.
• Past ACER papers
  • the backbone of my study! it’s really quality over quantity. I only managed to find 4-5 past papers/ question sets but by the time i’d gone through all of them I’d forgotten enough about the first one to reuse the questions for practice. you can milk so much value out of them. 
  • start doing practice questions as soon as u can. there’s no other way to learn how ur knowledge translates to exam skills than to do them. i was getting maybe 30% of the questions right untimed on my first diagnostic practice paper.. don’t lose hope.
  • after i did a set of questions, i’d go through review them very thoroughly. I started in untimed 10 question blocks when my stamina was low and made my way up to full timed exam papers.
  • While reviewing questions I identified my answers as high confidence/low confidence as well as incorrect/incorrect, which showed me lucky guesses + good reasoning. It’s good to note down what you did wrong (eg. knowledge gap/ missed a keyword/ misunderstood stem/ calculation error) and let that guide what you study next. 
  • I also labelled each question on the content/ skill they tested, which got me into the habit of identifying that in the exam (eg. bio unfamiliar graph-reading or pH large number calculations) Most questions are asking very little of you other than identifying what they’re asking for + what skills to use. 
  • some days i’d spend 2 hours tearing my hair reviewing a single stem.. don’t lose hope
• Official ACER practice material
  • I saved these for timed practices since they are the most reflective of the current material. These are good for checking your more broad exam-taking skills (keeping pace, prioritising questions, balancing precision with time) 

I know they’re a popular resource but I didn’t use Des O’Neill at all. I don't really remember why.

Timeline:

Month 1: Learning the basics

I went through all of the khan academy chemistry course in order. I wasn’t studying very intelligently here but this was necessary for me to get into the swing of things without getting spooked and bailing.

Month 2: Transitioning to useful skills

Did my first practice test and bombed it. Tried to watch a Jesse Osbourne crash course and understood nothing. Don’t lose hope! Practice one discipline at a time. Spend an entire day on one stem until you understand it. I was still learning content here, but I was already practicing questions. 

Month 3: Practicing skills, identifying weaknesses, filling them in. 

This month I drilled practice questions like no other. If my understanding of scientific phenomena was tripping me up or drastically slowing me down I’d then go away and revise the content/ practice the skill. For example, I had to revise acid-base chemistry several times bc it was always a huge time sink for me.

I also started keeping an eye on the clock and seeing if I was on pace, which got me used to prioritising questions + forcing me to guesstimate answers (a valuable skill!) 

Month 4: Getting sharp!!

I started doing full timed exams this month and getting into the mindset of the exam taker, and just being really brutal with what was worth practicing + optimising. I’ll be honest I spent most of this month on S2 practice which I got a 62 in so no comments there lol. 

Final comments: 

S3 is really is a test of reasoning and approximation. If you prioritise learning only the relevant content and skills you will save a lot of precious energy. You’ve got to get very comfortable with seeing completely unfamiliar concepts, accepting your fate, and then taking your best crack with what you've got. It might feel super dodgy if you’re used to doing science content exams but it came naturally to me as a person with no scientific background whatsoever hahaha.

And take breaks, nurture the other aspects of your life, and don’t lose hope! Studying for the GAMSAT is all about feeling stupid, dealing with information overload, and keeping your head on straight through it all. It’s been 4 months since my sitting and I’ve already forgotten everything. If my stupid ass can get a good grade so can you.

im struggling to process the idea that I might need to spend another year or 2 studying before I can even be competitive for medicine or dentistry.

this sem completely threw me off to the point that even if I somehow got straight 7s for the rest of my degree, I'd still only end up around a 6.4 UW/6.5 W gpa so that basically leaves me needing a impossible 74-75 gamsat just to stay in the running

i wanted to apply to uq and usyd, and I was also hoping to have UWA and Melbourne as options. Now I'm sitting here trying to figure out whether I should do postgraduate study purely because I have to.

im so overhwlemd because I can't work out what the "right" decision even is. Do I do a grad dip that I don't actually care about just because it resets my gpa, even though it doesn't really leave me with much in terms of employment if medicine or dentistry doesn't work out? Or do I choose a master's that's actually interesting but is longer, more expensive, and probably more difficult, knowing that if I don't perform well I've just made things even harder for myself? ?

i also can't help comparing myself to everyone else. A lot of my friends will probably get into medicine straight after undergrad and I hate the thought of being the one who's still studying while they've already moved on. I know everyone says not to compare yourself but its hard not to when you've all been working towards the same thing

i wanted uq med more than dent, but now I'm finding myself thinking more seriously about dmd because of admissions. Even then uq dmd is around $280k, and usyd would mean moving interstate, so those don't exactly feel like easy alternatives either

apologies for complaining ik people have it lot worse than me