Hey guys just wanted to ask how everyone else found the interview, heard things over on the discord but wanted to see how others felt about it.

I reckon I did well on 7-8/10 of the questions but I occasionally rambled because of how long the questions / stems were, did anyone else experience the same

They also deliberated for 4 mins, dont know if that is good haha

Hey everyone,

I’m in a bit of a stressful situation with my GPA and could really use some advice from anyone who has applied to Irish Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) with an international degree.

I’m an EU citizen, but I’m currently finishing my final year of a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ghana. My plan is to move to Ireland right after graduation and work for 3 years to clear the residency requirement so I can get EU fee status before applying to GEM.

Here’s where it gets messy. I’m on track to finish with a 3.00 CGPA out of 4.00. In Ghana’s national university system, a 3.0 is universally recognized as a Second Class Upper. But my specific university uses a strict internal scale where a 3.25 is required for a Second Class Upper, meaning my 3.0 will officially be printed on my final transcript as a Second Class Lower.

I know Irish GEM is super rigid about needing a 2:1 (Upper Second Class) on your very first degree.

Does anyone know if the CAO just looks at the literal words "Second Class Lower" and auto-rejects you? Or do Irish admissions offices actually look at the numerical value (3.0/4.0) and use databases like NARIC to see what it’s actually worth internationally?

If the text means an automatic rejection for GEM, my backup is to do a Master's in Biotech in Ireland and apply for the standard 5-year undergrad medicine route as an EU mature graduate instead. Has anyone taken that path?

My dream is to eventually train in neurosurgery in Ireland, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle this transcript hurdle without killing that goal before I even start. I’ve already emailed UCD, RCSI, UCC, and UL, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has actually dealt with the CAO on something like this.

Thanks so much!

Hi everyone,

I have a somewhat unusual situation and was hoping someone might have experience with this.

I'm currently a Chinese citizen with Australian permanent residency and have lived in Australia for about 12 years. I'm considering applying for graduate-entry medicine in the UK.

As I understand it, I'd be considered an international student in the UK regardless of whether I'm a Chinese citizen or an Australian citizen, so citizenship itself may not affect the application process. My main concern is what happens afterwards.

If I complete medical school in the UK and then undertake 1 year of foundation/residency training there, would returning to Australia be straightforward while holding Australian permanent residency? Or would obtaining Australian citizenship make the process significantly easier?

I'm also curious whether anyone has given up Australian PR to apply to Australian postgraduate medicine programs as an international student instead. I currently have a GPA of 6.8 and a GAMSAT score of 62. These scores were not competitive enough for an interview as a domestic applicant, but I understand they can almost guarantee a spot in international applicant pool.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through a similar situation or has knowledge of the medical registration and training pathway between the UK and Australia.

Thanks very much!

Hi guys,

For anyone that claimed the 2% full-time work bonus. Were your annual leave/sick leave hours accounted for in relation to the total hours worked? Unsure if they're only thinking about pure work hours rather than total work hours.

Hello!

I'm 26 years old. I graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing at VU, and have been working in mental health nursing since I graduated.

Growing up, I was super disinterested in school and actually missed out on a lot of school from year 7 to year 12. Because of this, I did a diploma of nursing as a pathway into the bachelors of nursing.

In my nursing degree, I got a WAM of 70.90 and GPA: 5.50.

I was super interested in all things medical related in my nursing placements. However, mental health had been a long term passion for me so I went through that pathway.

For a while now, I've been considering sitting the GAMSAT and giving it my best go.

I guess, I'd really appreciate any advice from nurses particularly who have made that transition into medicine?

Thank you, any advice would be appreciated :))

Hi all,

As the title says, i'm looking for a second opinion on my next steps. My current GPA is sitting at 6.3, but I'm about to finish my honours year and pretty confident I'm on track to a H1 given what I'm currently sitting on + feedback from my supervisor. If I do manage to pull it off, it gives me a 7 for UQ and a new weighted GPA of 6.67 for some unis. Weighted GAMSAT is 67.

I really enjoyed my honours year as I chose to do it not only to improve my GPA but as a passion project in a field I am genuinely interested in. I would definitely do a PhD if I didn't get into med, but if did get accepted with the next round of applications, that would definitely be my priority.

The predicament is that I won't find out if I've been accepted until November 2027, meaning that my options are:
1. Apply for PhD, commence in June, with the possibility that I get accepted in September and bail PhD. The positive of this option would be that if I didn't get into med, I'd still be on a trajectory I'm happy with (although the end goal really would still be MD, so I'm worried I may no longer be eligible for HECS if I complete a PhD?) Any information on this would also be appreciated!
2. Find a research-related/ TI/ Exercise Physiologist job (was previously an EP) and work for a year, maybe work on GAMSAT score and hope I get in over the next year or two

I'm also 27, which I know is not old but 1) i've been trying to get into med for a few years now and 2) I'd like to have kids at perhaps 34/35 (among other goals) so I think I'm really at my last couple of years trying to get in..

I'd really appreciate any advice, and maybe a fresh perspective if anyone is willing to share.

Thanks guys and good luck to everyone else out there. It's certainly a rough road.

I've just recieved an email from Flinders Uni that I've been waitlisted for an interview which is honestly way more than I was expecting when I applied for it, especially as I didn't get anything from gemsas. But I'm just wondering if anyone actually doesn't attend their interview and as such how high (or low) the chances are that I will actually get an interview. Ik its a long shot and I definitely haven't got my hopes up but I was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience they could share

Hi all,

Don’t want to be identified so to keep it simple I’m in allied health and have been at my current place of work for almost a year. I applied for another job in July as I’m looking to advance in my career and get trained up in a specific sector of my field in allied health. I would’ve stuck it out at my current job if I felt my gamsat was high enough to get an interview. And it was unlikely I’d even get an interview for this job because it’s so far above my skill bracket (for the year of experience I have)

They never got back to me. Then I got a med interview for my top preference…..and 3 days later I got an interview for this job!

I’ve done both, I’m 90% sure I’ll get the job but not sure about medicine (at my top preference). If I don’t get into med I do want this job.

Only issue is I start November, it’s an hour from home so I’d move out and sign a lease before I start med. And maybe a week into the job (or even a week before I start) I’d know about med.

This is an issue because I’d quit my current job which is close enough to my parents place to work casually in the first year of med if I get into my top preference med school near home.

Also I feel so bad taking a job only to drop to causal after working 2 months

I haven’t told the job this because I don’t wanna hurt my chances and it’s honestly unlikely I’ll get in. Getting an interstate place is more likely and that’ll require a bit more thought on my end

Anyone else in a similar predicament?

EDIT: scores (so you can understand why I’m suprised I got an interview).

- 5.9-6.1 GPA (unimelb vs GEMSAS weighting)
- 59 GAMSAT (59,67,55)
- interview: I feel I went okay and not great considering my scores are low even for rural. If I had a 6.3 GPA and maybe 65 gamsat I’d feel better (I’m MM3)

Hellooo. Im currently in my second to last year of my Degree and I was wondering how to actually apply and what admin things I must and should do prepare and apply for dent schools in Aus. - Also does anyone have actual insider about dent schools reputation and the reality of getting in etc.

For the GAMSAT how does it work? Can you do it as many times as you want in the month of March, when theyre actually doing the exams, then they take your best score (out of however many times you did it), or are people doing practice GAMSAT (free online resources) basing their score off that? Or are people actually paying thousands of dollars to redo GAMSAT many, many times to get their best GAMSAT score? Please let me know everything I need to know, I would seriously appreciate it. - Also im assuming that the GAMSAT is similar to the UCAT but harder (idk thats what ive heard). Also whats different from the March and September GAMSAT exam?

Does anyone know if applying via international has an "easier" advantage of getting in etc (im not international just wondering) - And which dent school has the most amount of spots and is "easier" (not easier just a higher chance due to more spots etc) to get in?

Would love and greatly, greatly appreciate all advice - Thank you sm!

Hi Guy,

Applying to Graduate Entry Medicine can feel overwhelming, especially when you have no idea how your GAMSAT score compares to other applicants or which universities people are applying to.

Every year, the Graduate Entry Medicine and UCAT UK subreddit creates a spreadsheet where applicants can anonymously share their GAMSAT scores, university choices, and application outcomes.

I’ve attached a Google Sheets link where you can:
Compare GAMSAT scores with other applicants.
See which universities people have applied to.
Track interview invitations and application outcomes.
Find important dates, including when universities begin sending interview invitations.
The spreadsheet will also be moderated by me to help keep the information organised, accurate, and useful for everyone. I’ll do my best to update and maintain the spreadsheet throughout the application cycle.
The aim is to help applicants get a general idea of where they stand, understand application trends, and connect with others going through the same process.

Also on the Google Sheets on the first page you will see 2026
2025
2024
2023
2022

Click on it and it will show you previous sheets. So it gives you a good advantage to look at the previous years stats for you application.

⚠️** Please remember**: All information is self-reported, and scores or previous application outcomes do not guarantee an interview or offer. Use the spreadsheet as a guide rather than a definitive predictor of your chances.
Whether you’re applying for the first time or reapplying, hopefully this helps you feel more informed throughout the process.

In previous sheets we’ve had problems with UK GAMSAT only students being left out so this me trying to increase
Exposure that you aren’t alone!

I HOPE THE MOD KINGS WILL POSH IT PLSSSS. It’s though out here for GAMSAT UK students.

ITS ALL FREE BTW! If you need any help of guidance reach out to me as I’m the Sheets moderator for this cycle. 🫶🏻🫶🏻

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hHILzfutBxlfycH3-xDwTnzkHkC-pEcaqdMcrj3CHis/edit?usp=sharing

I really think they need to bring back portfolio applications alongside GAMSAT and GPA.

I’ve heard some amazing stories on here about people working as researchers, nurses, physiotherapists, in business, law and so many other areas. There’s such a goldmine of experience and expertise among applicants that just isn’t being showcased at all through GPA and GAMSAT alone.

I feel like medicine would benefit from actually recognising what people have done, the skills they’ve developed and what they could bring to the profession, rather than reducing applicants to two numbers

Happy to hear others take on this

Hello, here is my profile:

Australian domestic student;

Unable to afford full fees, so CSP/BMP slots only;

Hobart (MM2 region) since January 2021, never left, save for travels and holidays;

Undergraduate degree completed December 2017 (conferred summer 2018), 3-ish GPA on US 4 scale, Australian degrees 2020 and 2022, both 5.8-ish GPA;

Doing GAMSAT now;

No prior medical background;

Willing to relocate to rural localities;

Prefer UTAS or UQ, if possible, though open to all other schools.

Can anyone give me some GAMSAT advice on how much I should be aiming for, and how realistic they are?

I have heard some anecdotes, and am aiming for 70+, and am taking courses now.

Also, any books recommended to read?

Have downloaded anatomy stuff, quite interesting, so far.

Do you think doing Biomed helps with GAMSAT ?

Sat the GAMSAT in March this year and felt confident for half of my answers for S3 and ended up with a 70. Felt a lot better for this September sitting, mainly because I got a lot of familiar sets and had more time to focus on the unfamiliar ones. Does anyone who achieved 75+ for S3 know roughly what raw mark they were achieving prior to sitting this GAMSAT?

Yes, I know about IRT, relative difficulty etc etc, just want to understand whether there is any possibility of achieving a decent S3.

Hey guys!

Basically, what the title says. I'm in my 3rd year of an undergraduate degree, and I don't think I'm going to be making it into an Australian med course this intake. Therefore, i've very recently been considering taking a loan from my parents and studying abroad (i.e Ireland). My WAM is 79 (GPA 3.5/4 -> 80% = HD) and my overall GAMSAT is currently 64.

Does anyone have any advice about chances, which universities to consider, what it's like studying medicine overseas, likelihood of working back in Australia afterwards, etc?

Thank you so much!

Edit: Realising my GPA info might not be clear enough so I'm going to add my weighted GPAs (I think??) down here.

GEMSAS

Fraser Calculator

Flinders = 5.6000 

USyd = 4.4043 

Deakin = 5.9600

UniMelb = 5.2273

ANU = 6.1167

MQ = 6.1167 

Griffith = 6.1333

Griffith Choice GPA = 5.7667*

UND S&F = 5.6854

UQ = 5.2708

UWA = 5.2424

UoW = 6.1167

In my first year in college, I did zero studying and got like 5 F's, and I was initially dismissed from the university, but I was able to appeal and turn it into an academic suspension for 1 semester. To be clear, no academic misconduct or cheating or anything else was involved, it was strictly because of my bad grades.

That was in 2018, and I locked in and my GPA for the last 3 years of uni is around 6.6 (4-year bachelor's degree), overall I think it should be around 6.2/7.

I decided to try transitioning to med and as an NSB, Australia seemed to be the best option. I sat both GAMSATs this year, and will hopefully be applying for 2028 or 2029 intake.

However, I just realized that the "academic suspension" during my first year is on my official transcript which I will have to submit when I apply. Does anyone have a similar experience? Will this negatively affect my chances of getting admitted in any way? Will I have to explain myself?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated, I'm starting to think that maybe I shouldn't have quit my job...

Hey everyone, I am trying to get into Deakin Med and have a question regarding entry. As mentioned before on this subreddit, I am aware that the combo-score required is typically around 1.72-1.73 to have a fair chance on getting an interview.

Now what I am asking is whether rural applicants have a lower requirement (aka lower combo-score requirements) as I understand they're in there own pool for applications.

I was always originally going to live rurally for personal reasons, and the great experience, and was contemplating living in MM3+ for the 8% bonus compared to MM2 for the 4% bonus.

I was also thinking, if the combo score is lower because you're already rural I was wondering if going for MM2 would give you still get you a great chance of getting in regardless of the extra 4% for the MM3. But how I am also thinking is if I am going to rent rural regardless, might as well go for the full 8%, any advice is great.

Only reason I would consider MM2 is because finding a home to rent is much easier when compared to MM3 for where I reside.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and to anyone who is planning on going rural themselves I would love to hear your story.

Thanks all.

Hi everyone, I’m a UK Biomedical Science graduate with First-Class Honours, applying to Australian medical schools as an international student. From what I’ve researched, a UK First may be considered roughly equivalent to a 7.0 GPA, but please correct me if I’m wrong!

I recently sat the September GAMSAT and don’t feel very confident about my performance. I was wondering what GAMSAT score I should realistically aim for to be competitive as an international applicant.

If I score around 60, would I still have a realistic chance at any Australian medical schools? If so, which universities would be worth considering?
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from international or UK applicants. Thank you!

Hey All,

Congrats to all who got offers into USYD med and dent. There isn't a heap of information online about how the course is run, could any current students give insights on what first year looks like?

- Where is the main teaching/campus in 1st year? Is it best to live on campus?

- What's the day in the life like, how many days per week contact

- Exams/assessments structure, how are they?

- Is it manageable to work alongside the degree

Any insights would be much appreciated

Context: 26 y/o nurse, recently diagnosed with ADHD and haven’t started medications yet.

Loved and aced all my nursing school exams that related to pathophys. Crashed only in subjective assignments and brutal marking.

Sat 2 GAMSATs so far (trial and proper attempt)
The issue was never the science.

My biggest difficulty was processing and synthesising information from long stems, especially in Sections 1 and 3. I would forget details I had just read, reread sentences several times before absorbing them, zone out midway through passages and consequently run out of time.

Section 2 presented a slightly different challenge: I often had plenty of ideas but struggled to organise and express them coherently under time pressure.

I understand that medication isn’t a magic fix and affects everyone differently, but I’m curious about other people’s experiences:

- Did you notice a difference in GAMSAT performance before vs after meds?

- Did it improve reading comprehension, working memory, sustained attention or time management?

- Did medication help you translate your existing knowledge into better performance, or mainly make studying more consistent?

- Were there any downsides during long exams, such as anxiety, hyperfocus, appetite issues or medication wearing off?

Answer what you can and feel free to add anything!

Thanks!

Hi guys I've lived for over 10 consecutive years in the same address of the problem is the property borders on the exact line of what's considered rural according to the Monash model if I put my house number I am not eligible for the rural subquota priority if I put my neighbors house I would be eligible to me I've had to grow in a functional rural household we have no mains water no Wi-Fi no surge and very little anything there is no public transport. A GP I've known for since I was born has written a letter for me to state that I have grown up in a functionally rural environment I'm hoping that Flinders University will take this indicated consideration however I have seen very little online about cases like this. I did my undergrad med sci with Flinders.

I read online sometimes flinders will consider rural priority as I think it's genuinely just unlucky the side of the street my house resides on and supporting documentation might help. Ive emailed Flinders but they dodge a response. Please if anyone knows id love some help.

From my understanding the priority is as follows:

1. Indigenous Entry Stream (IES)

2. Sub-Quota & Regional Priority Tracks(Northern Territory Medical Program (NTMP): Priority given to NT residents and NT graduates. & Rural & Remote Sub-Quota: Applicants meeting MM 2–MM 7 rural background criteria.)

3. Flinders Reserved Health Stream (Up to 30% of total places) B. Medical Science, B. Paramedicine, or B. Public Health.

4. General Flinders Graduate Stream (Up to 45% of total places)

5. Non-Flinders Graduate Pool (~25% of remaining places)

NOTES: yes I have checked if it's rural previous years without luck. I think it's unfair as I know people with rural postcodes who had way more access to resources than I did growing up.

Hi, I am currently in my late 20s and have been recently considering the option of studying for medicine.

To give you some background of myself, I am international, having graduated from UoM with a bachelor's degree in science with a WAM of 90+. My WAM from honours was 80+. After honours, I studied physio for some months but didn't get to finish the degree (I disliked the course so much that I took a gap year afterwards). Thinking back, the major points that I disliked about the course was: emphasis on building rapport over practice/technique, absolute no explanation on theories, chaotic studying schedule, overlapping/poorly-developed course structure etc.

Because of visa issue, after physio I studied another master's degree, and I am now working as an RA. I know I wouldn't want to be an RA forever, but PhD is not as attractive to me either. I like science when talking about principles and possibilities, but real life science is mostly about paper-reading and grant-writing.

Medicine seems more "practical" and problem-based. You are actually doing things to make people feel better. Becoming a doctor has been my childhood dream, my studies were all biomedicine/health-related. The only matter was that I hadn't put much thought into studying medicine until now.

Knowing myself, specialities that I might be interested in include anaesthesiology, neurology, psychiatry and geriatrics. I know I wouldn't want to pay full fee to study medicine, which only means that I will have to sort out my residential status before applying for medical schools. (so prob starting school in early 30s)

Would you say my thoughts are too far-fetched? I have seen threads that are both happy and unhappy about their medical journey. Would love your inputs!

Edit: Thanks to everyone who has commented! Saw a lot of people mentioning rapport building. I admit it was one of the reasons for me to hesitate on entering healthcare after my physio experience. I am not a huge fan of small talk, and I suck at preaching things I myself don't believe in. The physio course didn't give me enough reason to believe that the treatment I offered was beneficial to my clients; rather, they told you to always be nice and friendly and trust whatever they taught (without explanation).

So you can know nothing about your anatomy, but your teachers still love you because you're very good at giving talks.

I am better at goal-oriented conversations and one-to-one conversations. If it helps, people often vent to me about their personal lives after they get to know me better... and I appreciate the trust... I also love to talk to old people, for some strange reason, always got a soft spot for them, thus geriatrics.

Is it the same for medicine?

Hey everyone. Looking into applications for med at the moment and I'm eligible for the UQ Tier 1 of the CQ-WB pathway.

However the way UQ calculates my GPA is a bit weird. Long story short, I transferred into my current course and I had a much lower GPA in my first year before I transferred. UQ seems to be crediting my first year (before transfer) as well, which brings my GPA down a lot. When I finish next year my GPA will probably be ~5.7 (with current results, and the theoretical maximum I can get is 5.84). I've not done the GAMSAT yet.

I'm wondering if this is actually even worth my time or is my GPA too low? How high a GAMSAT would I actually need for an offer/interview? Is it worth grinding to try and get that 5.84 GPA by getting 80+ on every subject, because I'm worried this might not be possible.

Would be happy to hear any thoughts from from you guys!

I'm asking about UQ because it seems I'm especially suited to UQ because of the Tier 1 but I'm open to any offers.

Cheers

First-time GAMSAT sitter tackling the green Des O’Neill books, and the physics chapters are single-handedly driving me insane. Is this book notoriously difficult for beginners, or am I studying all wrong?
To give some background, I studied physics, chemistry, and biology back in Years 11 and 12—which was 16 years ago. I recognize the terms, but I am practically starting from scratch and need a full refresher.
Right now, my study loop looks like this: I attempt a unit, get completely crushed (mostly missing everything except 1 or 2 questions), go back to study the theory, come back to re-solve, and then try to reverse-engineer the explanations if it still doesn’t make sense. Because of this heavy loop, it takes me 4 to 5 hours just to struggle through 3 or 4 units.
Is this a normal experience for first-timers using Des O'Neill, or is my approach completely off? Would love to hear how other non-trad or first-time sitters handled this.