5 Tips for writing a great GAMSAT essay

For me the pivotal moment in my GAMSAT game came when I visited my best friend who was in second year medicine at Deakin down in Geelong at his mid semester test part on a Monday night. We went to Beav's bar for a few beverages and I met so many of his awesome med school friends. One of them knew I had been struggling with the GAMSAT and asked me how I was going and what my approach was for next time. She told me she had come from a nursing background and she wasn't too great with section 3 either. What she told me next changed everything for me.

She said she focused on her strengths to get into medical school - she concentrated on her essays!

This literally blew my mind as I'd never heard anybody say this before (mind you not a lot of people were open about their GAMSAT experience back then either) I had always been told to focus on weaknesses and turn them into a strengths, a tactic that hadn't worked for 5 years already.

So I decided to give this new advice a try and see if it worked for me - and it did! I got high enough section 2 scores to pull up my crappy section 3 score enough to finally get an interview and eventually into medical school at my top preference school Deakin!

Here are a few essay tips I used to improve my score in the last two out of seven years of sitting the GAMSAT (the last two years I got scores high enough to land interviews)

This advice is still valid for anybody trying to improve their essay even if they are not their strength for the GAMSAT!

1. Understand what section 2 is actually for - be yourself

Section 2 is the only time to show who you are, what you are about, the characteristics that will make you a good doctor and some of your personality!

DO NOT WSTE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT!

The examiners are reading these essay trying to decide from what you have written "will this candidate make a good medical students and doctor?"

So what do you need to show them to prove you will be a good doctor?

Good communication skills

If at any point in your essay your examiner has to GUESS what you mean or what you are thinking with ANY of your statements - you've lost huge marks

A doctor can not communicate with their patients or peers by letting them GUESS what they mean or fill in any blanks - that could be a life threatening miscommunication!

You need to be EXPLICITLY CLEAR with every single point you put on your page.

Don't ever put a single idea or sentence on that page if it isn't fully explained or has an example to back it up.

This can be a hard habit to change. When we read our essay back to ourselves we often read it under the same context in our heads that we just wrote it in. So we automatically fill in any blanks we have left and glaze over the fact that there are parts missing to link our thoughts up or make it clear to anybody reading it from outside our own heads.

To begin fixing this issue find a friend who will read your essays for you, swap essays and mark each others HARSHLY (but kindly). You would rather your friend mark harshly now then your examiner on test day. Alternatively rather than a friend find someone on paging doctor that you can rip to shreds and not worry about your friendship lasting through the ordeal - you'd rather them be brutal about your writing to help you to improve rather than sugar coat it and then the examiner giving you a low mark because your feelings were spared instead of your writing improving - trust me!

This way you can read each others and highlight and sentences or phrases that are not FULLY EXPLAINED and brainstorm ways to help them better and more clear. Helping each other improve your unexplained parts helps you both improve your writing and communication in the process.

Doing this with someone else not only helps you see the parts in your own essay you previously missed, but you now also gain a lot of ideas and view points from your friend that you might not have considered before. Letting you enter the exam with double the ammunition you had alone.

I did this with my friend Athol, we spent months swapping out essay and thoroughly going over them together and re-writting them together until they were undeniably better. Both or us agree our writing has never been the same since. Our thinking and verbal communication has greatly improved since as well.

It can be hard looking at your own essays and admitting to yourself "I didn't do well enough in this part and I should take the time to reflect on this and then fix it" it takes time we feel we don't have, training and humility for many of us to be able to do that. Many of us start this process wanting to argue that we are right and its obvious what we mean - but the faster you accept that you need to improve the faster you can actually improve and reach that better score!

Try reading your essays as if you were a younger person or just someone with absolutely no experience what so ever in the topic you are writing in - or better yet as if you were a very angry frustrated person who has the exact opposite of all of your view points - your going to have to explain your view points thoroughly and gently (more on this in the next section). You will need to be respectful and understanding of differing levels of experience or knowledge in the area and even of a very strong differing opinion.

It is good to bring up multiple view points to show that you have a good understanding that your view point, although might be what you strongly believe, isn't the only view point out there.

This is an important trait for doctors to have in practice with patients of all different walks of life. Bringing us to our next point.

No strong discrimination or bias toward other peoples views

A common piece of advice going around for GAMSAT essay and medical school interviews is "it doesnt matter what your opinion is, only that you stick to it and aren't swayed, because doctors need to stick to their diagnosis etc". This is utter crap. Throw this thought out of your head immediately if its somehow gotten stuck in there, its only doing you damage.

Doctors need to be adaptive. every single patient is going to be unique and require a different approach. Each patient will come from a different background, different life experiences, different health literacy and you have to be prepared to work with that.

In Australia (and most western countries) we dont have a paternalistic way of practicing medicine. that is to say the doctor doesnt always have the last say, the patient does.

This is why communication is so freaking important.

If you have a patient just diagnosed with cancer and you want to suggest to them to have a surgery to help save their lives but they want to try a more holistic approach they saw somebody doing on social media with a naturopath - at the end of the day ITS THE PATIENTS DECISION!

All we can do as physicians in a situation like this:1 support the patients decision and work with it the best we can, and 2 make sure they are making a fully informed decision. Your communication in this instance needs to be at its absolute best because a patients life is on the line. If you dont take the time to be on the patients level, acknowledge their views, be understanding and supportive while giving them the vital information - they simply will to listen to you.

If you are overly direct and blunt with them and refuse to see their side of view or just argue with them - they will not trust you, they will not feel validated or part of their own treatment plan and you could scare them off and when they come back it might be too late.

Similarly you never know why your reader might be for your exam, they could have a PhD in the topic you are talking about so if you say something wrong and you are not budging on this idea, they're going to roast you. You might say soemthing really absolute like "everybody love television" and yorue reader is the 1% of people that hate television with a passion and you just excluded them from your writing. How do you think they're going to mark you... probably to the top marks despite how well you've written it because you are being close minded and doctors can not afford to be close minded.

So - you can have a point of view but don't ever act like its your way or the high way, be open to the fact that other views exists and are equally as valid. Don't put other idea's down or make other beliefs out to be stupid. Dont be overly bias towards your own way of thinking and neglect other peoples views. Don't ever be discriminatory!!! - this is how you're going to act as a doctor so start acting this way in your essays - your essays are one of the tools you're using to show ACER you're fit to even apply for medical school in the first place!

2. Know your audience - tired grumpy over it

Like with any well written essay - you need to have you reader in mind at all times.

You need to have the GAMSAT essay marker in your mind.

Your essay could be the first essay your examiner reads that day or the 100th. yours could be he last one on the pile of essays they've been slaving over all day, they've been squinting and hard to read words (not this year as they'll be typed), wondering what a miswritten sentence was meant to say, reading the same ideas in 50 of the last essays over and over, they're running late for a date with their partner who will probably yell at them for it and they are disinterested and rushing to read through your essay so it better be good.

Unfortunately with anything run by humans - we are human. we get tired, we get emotional, we get over it. So when writing your essay remember this is what your essay is likely to be up against.

How to spell it out and make it easier for your examiner to give you the top marks you need:

Write neatly and clearly

(more important for handwritten essays in past years and potentially future years)

If they cant read your handwriting they won't stop to spend the time to figure it out they're on a deadline and have enough crappy essays to get through - so if that sentence was your main point, you just lost your reader.

If your sentences don't make sense, the reader won't stop to think "I wonder if the student possibly meant to say this..." and connect your missing dots. they will just continue to skim over it and not really have a clue what you are saying or what you mean. How are they going to mark your communication then?

Make sure you have written neatly and get your points across clearly.

You don't know if your reader is a man or a woman, young or old, from a medical background, an engineer, an English teacher, and athlete, a scientist. We don't know if they have been abused, raped, had a loved one killed, come from another country, were an immigrant, been given a terminal diagnosis yesterday, spilled coffee on their shirt this morning, be a Trump supporter, broke up with their partner recently, their cat is missing etc. You don't know what your reader has or is going through and their personal context will always be a bias to how they read your essay.

So, again, do not write in a discriminatory or arrogant tone because your reader might not be in the frame of mind to agree with your views under the circumstances. It is safer and more effective to get your points across calmly, smoothly, with understanding of other views in mind, with kindness. As it would in most situations with a patient in the hospital needing your advice.

3. Build your structure

Most of us did high school English and learnt the generalised structure of an essay. This works well in a GAMSAT essay situation for most of us.

These essays are marked fairly with the understanding that the topics were not pre-prepared and under the 30minute time limit. They are not expecting exemplary works of literature here. The old year 12 English structure is therefore perfect in this case - quick, easy, reliable.

You can of course switch it up freely but for the most part this structure can not do you wrong:

ESSAY A - argumentative

Title

Always put a title that orients your reader to your essay, even if it is only one word. if you can think of a fun phrase to add thats awesome, just make sure its relevant to your essay - I usually title mine at the end in case my essay take an unexpected turn midway through

Intro

Clearly outline to the reader what you essay is going to be exploring - the end sentence of your intro can literally say "this essay will therefore be looking at the..." the reader need to be spoon fed for you to get your top marks. do not make it hard to follow along. make this essay easy to read, interesting and keep the reader on your side throughout.

Paragraph one and maybe two (and any other paragraphs you might have time to write depending on how fast you can write and the topic given)

I like to start with a side of the situation/argument that isn't necessarily my belief or the point I want to get across.

I do this with my patients as well. When I need to explain something to someone I like to ask what they know, what their belief are and where they are coming from before I start. this was I have fully explore all of their concerns by the end of our discussion and taken all of their important views into consideration and avoided and bias.

It is the same for your essay. showing that you know that there are multiple views, opinions and sides to every story shows that you are not going to be a bias doctor.

I like to explore other options and view points thoroughly to begin with so that I can address all of these points with my retort in delivering my view point in the cling paragraph(s)

Every paragraph should be backed up with a specific example from your life, something in the media or statistics - make this your aim.

This makes sure the reader knows EXACTLY what you mean and isn't left guessing.

The retort

This is where I put my view point. I line it up with everything that was mentioned before to address all of the previous ideas alongside my point. I do no argue or say that the previous view points were wrong I just highlight why in my case they are not for me and explain this thoroughly.

Again needs to have an example to back it up from your life experience, something in the media or statistics!

Resolution/conclusion

The part of your essay you bring all of your thoughts to a close - dont bring up new ideas but also dont just repeat what youve already said. If possible end on an emotional note either positivity for the future or with the urge that something is left unjust and something needs to be done to rectify it. Taking the reader on an emotional rollercoaster often means they have kept on your side throughout your piece and likely to agree with your views by the end of your writing.

You want to bring all of your points to a neat close and potentially provide the closing solution to the problems suggested.

ESSAY B - reflective

Pretty much the same but trying to be more reflective and add as much personal experience as you can into every paragraph - you are showing the examiner the parts of you life, the experiences that are going to make you the best doctor! USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'VE GOT and how your experiences have shaped you into the future doctor you're going to be!

Don't be afraid to be yourself in these essays - in my top scoring essay about negative views cast in the media effecting society, I quoted the black eyed peas song "where is the love". Because for me theres a soundtrack to everything in life and music helps me express things. Use your strengths and find how you best express yourself.

4. Build your vocabulary and ideas

To build your vocabulary and ideas for your essay you need to delve into as much reading as you possibly can - there is a previous blog posted about resources for this that you can check out for more details!

My favourite advice is just reading - anything that interests you - even if its the twilight series, its still improving your reading time and comprehension skills for sections one and two and building your vocabulary and writing style for section 2!

My other favourite advice is getting on Ted Talks - google the top 10 most watched Ted Talks - such a phenomenal list of short videos with absolutely BRILLIANT ideas for your essays and life! Ted Talks are great for when your brain couldn't possible read another word, they quick and punchy, they're interesting and fun, and the way they build their speeches also applies to your essay structure in most cases!

5. Practice

Nobody mastered anything without a hell of a a lot of practice.

Even for people naturally gifted at essay writing, can still see massive improvements if they continue to practice!

Below I have attached for your a list of topics the GAMSAT is renown for. I want you to watch a Ted Talk on each topic, or a podcast, or read an essay you googled or an article in the paper relating to that topic what ever - learn something new about that topic you didn't know before - then write an essay on every single one!

After writing your essays and learning something new I want you to get a book or folder dedicated to this task - write your favourite quotes from other authors or your own essays in this book and read them regularly - this way they will be in the forefront of your ming for test day should these essays pop up and yore ready to go!

The 73 essay titles below are for extra practice - if you can do an essay for each title - even if most of your essays are terrible - you will improve your writing and knowledge for the real exam exponentially and have so much background information ready to write down on test day and wow the examiners with all you know and have thought deeply about.

Start this list with your friends and I promise the more you do the better your score will become!

GOOD LUCK!!!!