Test Strategy - Making the Most of Reading Time

The Gamsat allows a block of reading time at the start of each section. Ten minutes are permitted for Sections I and III and five minutes for Section II.

For the MCQ sections, sections I and III:

- Firstly, quickly flip through the book and check the page numbers are all sequential and that the diagrams all printed correctly.

- As you do so, keep an eye out of the questions. Are there questions on subjects you aren't as strong on, or with long and/or complicated prompts? You may want to skip these on your first attempt and come back to them later. This will give you a good feel for where you are up to in the test and how much more work you have to do at any given time.

- During your reading time, you are not allowed to actually record answers or make notes either on the question book or on the answer sheet. I find that having read through the question and decided on the correct answer, it is very easy to simply remember the answer when I come back to it as soon as reading time finishes. You can easily get an extra 5-10 questions completed this way, giving you more time for those questions (like, say, organic chemistry) where being able to diagram and make notes is a must.

- Can you make notes? No. It's for reading only. Do so, and they will take away your answer booklet and provide you wil a clean one. I have done this before by accident, being used to uni exams where writing in the question book was fair game. I have heard of people developing systems - pencil placement or tiny indents in the book - to mark correct answers. I find it's just as easy to remember them. We're only talking 5-10 questions here, and the answers are easily remembered.

For section II, the essay section, you are allowed five minutes of reading time. I use this time to look over both sets of prompts and allow my natural response to surface. In most cases you can find a position to support or argue against that you feel strongly about that relates to the test materials. I then think of three to five book quotes, studies I have read, or examples from my own life that I can include. These, the stimulus material, and the fact that I have chosen an idea I feel strongly about allow me to write continously for around 25 minutes each essay.