I am unsure if your Programs will get me into Medicine
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If you are a student who approaches their studies with vigour and is willing to work hard to achieve your goals, then you are a great match for our preparation services. Our team has extensive experience in guiding students in their exam preparation, medical school applications, and interviews. Sometimes entry into Medicine occurs on the first attempt; however, more often than not, further attempts are required.
Of course, sometimes students work very hard and still miss out on a place in Medicine as it is a competitive endeavour. In these cases, we continue to work with students to help them improve and to realise their goal of becoming a Doctor.
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I am too old to study Medicine
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The average age of the Australian medical student lies between 24–27, depending on the school. However, this is just an average and there are many students in their thirties, forties, and even later. It really is never too late to follow a career in Medicine!
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I completed my last university degree over 5 years ago. I don't know if I am eligible for entry into medical school
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GAMSAT is available to any person who has completed a Bachelor or an undergraduate honours degree, or who will be in the penultimate (second-last) or final year of study, at the time of sitting the test.
At most medical schools, your degree must have been completed within 10 years of the projected medical degree commencement date. Applicants whose degree was completed outside the 10 year period must contact the relevant school for eligibility requirements.
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I'm not smart enough to score well in the GAMSAT
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Most people have the capacity to perform in GAMSAT and in a medical degree. The challenge for most lies in developing the necessary competencies for success in the GAMSAT and then applying these competencies. If you have completed an undergraduate degree with a GPA of > 5.5/7, you can achieve a competitive score in GAMSAT and enter Medicine. From this point, it is a matter of working hard to build proficiency in the domains of GAMSAT and applying your skills in the exam.
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I don't have time to study for the GAMSAT
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Do you have a spare four hours per week? If so, you have time to study for GAMSAT! All our GAMSAT courses can be completed with minimal impingement on your current work, study, or lifestyle commitments. Additionally, our Programs can be commenced at any time, and completed online from anywhere in the world.
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My GPA is too low or not competitive enough
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Provided you have a GPA of above 5.0 (on a 7.0 scale), you are eligible to enter most Australian postgraduate medical schools. However, there are implications for how universities use your GPA.
Some universities use the GPA criteria as a hurdle: if you have a GPA > 5.0/7, you are eligible and the actual magnitude of your GPA from this point is irrelevant. For example, if you have a GPA of 5.2 and your friend has a GPA of 6.9, such schools would see you both as equal.
Most other universities consider the magnitude of your GPA. They do this in combination with your GAMSAT score when making offers. Though the actual formula may vary, a common way to consider this is as follows.
Say you have a GPA of 6.5, and your friend has a GPA of 6.0. If you both achieve a GAMSAT score of 70, your combined scores will be calculated according to the following:
Your score = ((6.5/7) x 100) + GAMSAT score of 70 = 162.85
Your friend’s score = ((6/7) x 100) + GAMSAT score of 70 = 155.71
It is these combined scores that are used to rank candidates for interview. In general, to be competitive you should be aiming for a combined score above 155.
Given the calculations above, it is also worth considering which type of school favours your GPA. In general, we suggest that those with a GPA in the range of 5.0–6.0 aim for schools that use the GPA criteria as a hurdle. Those with a GPA of > 6.0 will be more competitive in the schools which rank GPA, and in these cases the higher your GPA, the greater your combined score and with it the chance of an interview. It must be stressed however that those with a GPA < 6.0 are still capable of being competitive at a school which ranks GPA, especially where other criteria such as portfolios or rurality are involved.
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Some medical schools require a portfolio of personal and community experience for admission. I doubt my portfolio is good enough for Medicine entry
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Do not fall into the trap of believing you are not the ideal Medical student. In reality, you are just as qualified for entry into Medicine as the rest of the cohort. Write down all your accomplishments — whether big or small — and rank them in order of importance. Next, try to "sell yourself" — the key to a successful portfolio submission is persuasion. Try convincing the committee that the skills learnt from your experiences mirror those required of a medical professional. In addition, students enrolled in a GAMSAT or UCAT Program can liaise with a member of the IME Academic Faculty to develop a strong portfolio and will receive constructive feedback for improvement.
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Your programs are expensive, I could just watch educational videos online for free
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The IME Academic Faculty comprises a team of qualified and experienced tertiary educators. We offer intensive, detailed, and comprehensive one-stop resources. Once enrolled in the correct course or program, students will not require any further materials to prepare. Moreover, all student progress is tracked and support is always available.
In addition to quality, our GAMSAT programs deliver time savings while you study by teaching you both what to study, and how to study it. In the long-term, we save you time and effort by helping you achieve your best score faster.
Finally, it is important to consider the cost of not enrolling in a preparation course. For instance, delaying your progression into Medicine by a year or two subsequently delays your entry into the medical profession with a resultant downstream impact of hundreds-of-thousands of dollars of lost earnings. In this context, even the most comprehensive preparation programs like the GAMSAT Premier Program (course fee $5,997) seems a modest investment.
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I don't have a background in science nor mathematics and I am sure I will score poorly in the GAMSAT because of this
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The IME offers intensive and detailed resources for prerequisite GAMSAT science units. Our Academic Faculty comprises a team of experienced university educators who can guide your learning through personal tutorials and provide expert advice on areas of concern.
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Are all classes online or will there also be in-person seminars
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IME Pre-Medical programs are interactive and provide students with unlimited support. For ease of access, all courses and inclusions such as personal tutorials and Q&A Webinars can be completed online. We are currently based in the Gold Coast and also offer in-person tutorials to students at their convenience. Additionally, live Medicine Admissions Interview workshops are held in capital cities across Australia in preparation for Medicine/Dentistry interviews. Pending COVID-19 restrictions, live GAMSAT/UCAT workshops will also run on-site in the Gold Coast.
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Does IME provide UCAT example questions and practice tests
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The UCAT Consortium provide free example questions and practice tests representative of the live test on their website. The IME provides five personalised one-on-one tutorials with a member of our Academic Faculty and focuses classes on the five key domains of the UCAT exam. We also provide five, on-demand recorded lectures that teach students specific approaches to each of the question archetypes seen in the UCAT.
It is recommended you use official UCAT material in conjunction with the IME UCAT Premier program to prepare for your test.
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