GAMSAT preparation courses

[Max Peters]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this here but I was wondering what some of the better courses for GAMSAT preparation are and if they really do help with preparation. Also does anyone know where I can get access to some GAMSAT style questions?

[Tomw2]

I was wondering what some of the better courses for GAMSAT preparation are and if they really do help with preparation.

There is virtually no valid or reliable answer to that question given how different GAMSAT candidates are. In my experience they are certainly not worth the money.

Also does anyone know where I can get access to some GAMSAT style questions?

There is stuff all over the net and P2P. MCAT-oriented materials are actually useful too.

[Max Peters]

Thanks for the help. Also do you know any good resources for Section 1 and 2?

[Tomw2]

Thanks for the help. Also do you know any good resources for Section 1 and 2?

MCAT stuff available online is particularly good IMO for section I. I reckon Examkrackers - 101 Passages in MCAT Verbal Reasoning is a decent resource to practice SI-type questions. Poetry analysis books are good too - where you can see how different types of prose are discussed.  Reading novels with unusual writing styles is a good idea too - for example Cormac McCarthy's books, which have a engaging, complex prose (and they're a good read too! Check out The Road to start with).

I found some value in analysing complex diagrams/charts that illustrate a humanities concept or phenomena; a good source for these being humanities journal articles - particularly social anthropology (which seems to be a common topic in SI stimulus materials), economics and political science publications.

An example of exactly the type of diagram that turns up in the GAMSAT is this chart below which portrays a social system of what living and migration arrangements a particular culture makes before and after they marry (source: http://etudesafricaines.revues.org/135):


A number of questions were asked about a similar diagram in SI of the 2011 GAMSAT - specifically about avunculocal and matrilineal societies IIRC. Practicing comprehension of the relationships and information in such diagrams was quite useful in my case.

[Max Peters]

Thanks for all the info. Any tips on how to do well in section 2 as I have seem some of those quotes and they have me really worried. Also any resources for section 3?

[Tomw2]

Any tips on how to do well in section 2 as I have seem some of those quotes and they have me really worried. Also any resources for section 3?

IMO section II is a good score-booster. Basic preparation for SII is to simply write 30min text responses to random quotes relating to socioeconomic issues, and then get people to critique your prose, argument and reasoning. Reading example essays helps too.

What you need to work on specifically will depend on what your weaknesses are in relation to written expression, theme analysis and expressing a contention. Some people have trouble writing fluid prose, some have vocabulary issues and some struggle to keep their response logical.