Beat the Curve - Gamsat Essays

8/17/2019 Beat the Curve - Gamsat Essays

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Introduction

GAMSAT Section 2 (S2) is called Written Communication, because that's what it's a

test of.

ou !ut words on a !a"e and #our $alue as a med school candidate isdetermined b# how the e%aminer feels after readin" them.

&or man# this is the most stressful as!ect of the e%am. thers lo$e it. The

o!!ortunit# to communicate with the marin" machine and influence him directl# is

e%citin" to the student confident in his written e%!ression.

n Sections and * of the e%am there is no room for fle%ibilit# or creati$it#.

our answers are unambi"uousl# ri"ht or wron". +ut in S2 the onl# limits are what

#ou can do with a !en and !a!er. ou ma# use an# means #ou can muster to !ersuade

the reader to "i$e #ou more mars than #our com!etitors. And the# are #our

com!etitors.

ssa#s are not "raded in isolation, the# are mared on a cur$e b# com!arison

to one another. S2 has a $er# wide marin" cur$e. That is to sa# the difference in

-ualit# between the best essa#s and the worst ones is massi$e. And the mean is low.

t is a $er# small minorit# who de$iate from the mean and mo$e be#ond it.

Without !ro!er !re!aration it's unliel# that an# "i$en student will do e%ce!tionall#

well on Section 2, but for the same reasons a little effort e%!ended in the ri"ht

direction can "o a lon" wa# towards raisin" #our o$erall GAMSAT result.

The !rocess of !roducin" a winnin" GAMSAT essa# is entirel# different to how #ou

beat Sections and *. Strict anal#tical !rocesses and tem!lates can be a!!lied to

sol$in" the !roblems of the other sections, and while demand b# students has resulted

in the commercial !roduction of man# such 'tem!lates' for !roducin" GAMSAT

essa#s, the best students alwa#s mae their own.

Althou"h "eneral rules ma# emer"e based on what successful !eo!le ha$e


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done in the !ast, the best communicators do not adhere to an# !articular structure.

The# start b# o!enl# asin" the -uestion 'What do want m# reader to understand/'

and from there the# sol$e for the most effecti$e and efficient method to communicate

it. f #ou wanna be in the to! !ercenta"e of GAMSAT a!!licants #ou need to "et into

the habit of thinin" for #ourself, and e%!ressin" those e%!eriences in a wa# that

creates em!ath# and understandin" with #our readers.The !ur!ose of this boo is not to in0ect #our brain with the abilit# to !roduce

outstandin" wors of literature. t is to hel! #ou reco"nise that #ou alread# ha$e the

abilit# to do this. ou don't need to s!end #ears in uni$ersit# stud#in" communication

to master it. All #ou need is a little self awareness, coura"e and !ractice.

The contents of this boo are based on the author's own e%!erience of writin" and

successfull# sittin" the GAMSAT. scored an 11 on S2 when sat the e%am in 22,

and ha$e since re$iewed and corrected hundreds of essa#s worin" with "raduate

entr# medical school a!!licants from all o$er the world. ha$e a "reat record of !redictin" how a student will fare on the written !ortion of the e%am once '$e seen

their wor and re"ularl# s!ea with new medical students who ha$e been throu"h the

GAMSAT to confirm that AC3 ha$e not suddenl# chan"ed the wa# the# mar their

!a!ers.

The aim of this boo is to hel! #ou "et clear on what #ou need to accom!lish when

#ou undertae GAMSAT Section 2. t contains a series of ti!s and instructions to hel!

#ou a$oid common !itfalls and mistaes in #our written communication, and to

dis!el an# false rumors #ou ma# ha$e heard about how this !art of the e%am needs to

be done.

t is m# ho!e that throu"h readin" this boo and ado!tin" some of its $alues #ou will

become more comfortable and confident in e%!ressin" #ourself !recisel#, honestl#

and effecti$el#.

Devin Anderson

www."amsatsam!leessa#s.co.u

www."amsatsam!le-uestions.co.u

Copyright 2016

http://www.gamsatsampleessays.co.uk/http://www.gamsatsamplequestions.co.uk/http://www.gamsatsampleessays.co.uk/http://www.gamsatsamplequestions.co.uk/


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Table Of Contents

Instructions and Objectives 1

Technical Details 10Which 4uote To 5ic

5re!arin" &or 6ne%!ected To!ics

Tas A $s Tas +

7e!th of Thou"ht And 8ow To 7isect An# Ar"ument

8ow Misunderstandin"s 8a!!en

8a$in" A +i" 9ocabular#

Writin" &rom our wn 5ers!ecti$e

When To 6se 4uotes

Word Count

n 3eadin" Around

n Tain" our Time

n Generalisin"

Catchin" The 3eader's Attention

Exercises 31&reewritin"

7escribin"

%!lainin"

Transcribin"

ditin"

General Tips 35

Final Note 3


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Part 1 - Instructions and Objectives

About e$er# two wees meet a new student who is totall# sur!rised to hear that the#

can a!!roach S2 an# wa# the# lie. There seems to be an im!ression amon" a lar"e !ro!ortion of the GAMSAT !o!ulation that there is a s!ecific essa# format that needs

to be followed in order to succeed. This is not true.

The instructions on S2 are as follows:

Consider the following comments and develop a piece of writing in response to

one or more of them. Your writing will be judged on the quality of your response

to the theme; how well you organise and present your point of view. and how

effectively you express yourself.You will not be judged on the views or attitudes you express.

There is a hu"e amount of conflictin" information online about what these

instructions mean, and how #ou should res!ond to them. 3umors are !ro!a"ated in

!art b# commercial entities sellin" their own brand of solution to the !roblem of

Section 2, and in !art b# confused students discussin" the to!ic in forums. 8ere 'm

"oin" to tr# and brea this down so we can mae a bit more sense of what is actuall#

re-uired of #ou.

!Develop a piece o" #ritin$%%%

A '!iece of writin"' does not necessaril# mean an essa#. t is true that the ma0orit# of

students who sit the e%am resort to writin" essa#s to "et throu"h Section 2. This is in !art due to the strai"htforward nature of the format, and in !art because it is what all

the commercial "uideboos recommended the# do.

8owe$er, 0ust because the essa# format is the most !o!ular does not mean it is

the onl# wa#, or e$en the most effecti$e method. ha$e wored with students in the

!ast who sim!l# couldn't "et their head around essa# writin". The# had no !roblem

strin"in" words to"ether to mae sentences, but their ar"uments and discussions

sim!l# made no sense. &or wees we'd be ban"in" our heads to"ether tr#in" to fi"ure

out where and how the# were "ettin" so confused, and then it finall# came out.

;7o have to write an essa#/<


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;=o< said, ;#ou can write whate$er #ou lie<

;W8AT>/<

Sill# me for assumin" the# new. A!!arentl# all this time the# had been

#earnin" to write a stor# or somethin" a bit more !ersonal and loose, but the# had

been forcin" themsel$es to !roduce essa# after essa# in the ho!e that the# would

e$entuall# find their muse. +ut their muse was elsewhere loced u! in chains.ne such student was worin" with for a lon" time ended u! writin" diar#

entries on the e%am. ;7ear 7iar#...< 3emember those/ ou mi"ht ha$e done them in

!rimar# school. Well it turns out the#'re still effecti$e. The consistenc# with which

she could !roduce an insi"htful and interestin" diar# entr# blew her essa#s out of the

water.

'll tal more about alternate writin" st#les later on, but 0ust for now bear in

mind that it is !ossible, and that #ou don't need to confine #ourself to writin" in one

!articular st#le if #ou are naturall# inclined towards another.

The definition of an essa# is itself a $a"ue one. Another word for an essa#mi"ht be an article, or a rant. An essa# about somethin" is reall# 0ust '8ere's what

thin about it'.

5art of what maes the essa# a !o!ular format is its fle%ibilit#, and it's

im!ortant to retain that fle%ibilit# as #ou !ractice. Great writin" starts with an o!en

mind. The more rules #ou burden #our written e%!ression with the more difficult it

will become.

Rule 1 is that there are no rules; write what you want. Say what you need to say.

%%% in response to one or &ore o" the&%

Rule 2 – respond directly to one o the !uotes.

can't stress this enou"h. ou absolutel# must res!ond to at least one of the "i$en

-uotes. t tells #ou to do so on the !a!er.

The first ste! is to mae it clear to the reader which -uote #ou are

res!ondin" to. normall# recommend that #ou write #our chosen -uote at the to! of

the !a"e as #our title to mae it ob$ious. t is eas# to briefl# refer bac to the s!eaer

in $arious wa#s once #ou'$e made it clear which author #ou are referrin" to. ou

won't need to transcribe the -uote a"ain mid?essa# if it's written at the to! of the

!a"e.

ou don't "et more mars for res!ondin" to more than one -uote. And #ou don't "et

e%tra mars if #ou somehow mana"e to include all of them and tie them all to"ether

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in a nicel# wra!!ed summar#.

=ormall# when students feel inclined to res!ond to multi!le -uotes it's because

the# are afraid the# won't ha$e enou"h to sa# if the# !ic out 0ust one. This is a

dan"erous fear?tra! to fall into that more often than not results in lon"?winded rambl#

essa#s that don't reall# sa# much and ne"lect to enli"hten us at all about the dee!er

meanin"s behind an# of the "i$en -uotes.

The best students '$e come across "enerall# res!ond to 0ust one -uote. The# tae

their time and e%!lain what the# thin it means and what the# thin about it in "reat

detail. The# ma# brin" in a second -uote to hel! e%!lain the meanin" of the first one

b# contrast or com!arison, but the intention is to use that second -uote as a tool for

understandin" the first @ not as an brid"e of esca!e onto a different island of thou"ht

alto"ether.

7e!th of thou"ht and s!ecificit# is the e#. +readth of discussion, writin" a little bitabout lots of different thin"s, will not "et #ou as "ood a result as if #ou wrote

intensel# and dee!l# in res!onse to one !recise idea. Which brin"s me to m# ne%t

!oint...

'our #ritin$ #ill be jud$ed on the (ualit) o" )our response to the

the&e*

The word 'theme' is the one want to di$e onto here. To as what is the theme of a

stor# is to as what it is about. The res!onse to this -uestion can be either $a"ue or

s!ecific. The stor# mi"ht be about lo$e. +ut e-uall# it mi"ht be said that the stor# is

about what ha!!ens when a bo# breas the law to tr# and im!ress a "irl, not nowin"

that she is a !olice officer and she catches him out and he has to "o to 0ail all alone.

r !erha!s the theme here is 'miscommunication'.

The theme can be an#thin", de!endin" on #our inter!retation. The trouble is that man# students tae the mention of this word as an e%cuse to s!ea

$er# "enerall# about a to!ic and not actuall# en"a"e with the s!ecific meanin"s of the

-uotes.

The# loo at the fi$e -uotes as a unit and then infer the e%istence of some

underl#in" "eneral element such as '!olitics' or 'the en$ironment' or 'ha!!iness' or

'crime', then res!ond to that instead.

t's not that it's incorrect to do this. The issue is that once #ou distil and

summarise the information on the !a"e lie this, #ou are drawin" #ourself awa# from

the material itself and into a se!arate world of #our own isolated construction. 'll

e%!lain what mean...

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"#o have once $een a cri%inal is no disgrace. #o re%ain a cri%inal is the disgrace.&

'(alcol% )

f want can loo at this -uote and sa# the theme is 'crime'. can then res!ond to

the theme of crime with a candid or !re?written essa# on the sub0ect.

The core !roblem is this: +a$ue #ritin$ pro&pts sti&ulate va$ue outco&es%

T#!icall#, when a student res!onds to a "eneral statement, lie 'crime', rather than a

s!ecific statement, lie the abo$e, the# end u! lost for what to sa#.

;Crime>< sa#, ;Tell me e$er#thin" #ou now on the sub0ect in * minutes or

less><

8ow do #ou react to that/ What do #ou sa#/ 8ow do #ou determine what is

$aluable and worth writin" about and what is uninterestin"/ n res!ondin" to such a

$a"ue and o!en re-uest #ou are left with no s!ecific "oal. =o ob0ecti$e. The reader

cannot hel! but !ic u! on this as it will be reflected in #our writin". 8e will be left

at the end of #our essa# wonderin" what, if an#thin", was #our !oint. What was this

student tr#in" to communicate/ don't now, and it loos lie she didn't now either.

ha$e no choice but to mar her down for ha!haard communication.

nstead of fallin" into this tra!, loo at the -uote itself. The -uote is #our theme.

=ow, in this case, ha$e a $er# s!ecific tar"et to tal about. ha$e some $er#

s!ecific -uestions to answer in order to mae sense of what Malcolm B said.

What is the difference between bein" a criminal and remainin" a criminal/

f crime is not a dis"raceful act, then what about the continuation of it is so

dis"raceful/

s it dis"raceful that a man should wish to continue li$in" as he alwa#s had/

7oes the nature of the crime matter, or is the law the standard of "race/

deas start to flow once #ou !ro$ide #our mind with a s!ecific writin" !rom!t.

ma"ination and creati$it# does not wor in a $acuum. t is a reacti$e !rocess that

relies as much on the stimuli that ic it off as on the writer that enables its

e%!ression.

%%% ho# #ell )ou or$anise %%%

r"anisation and !resentation are listed as !art of what determine the '-ualit#' of #our

essa#. A"ain, there is no !articular structure or order im!lied b# this re-uest.


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r"anisation is not about adherin" to a !redetermined !attern, it's about enablin" the

reader to easil# mae sense of #our writin" and follow a linear circuit of lo"ic.

8a$e #ou e$er had a !arent wal into #our room and declare that it's a mess and that

#ou need to tid# it u! and or"anise/ t's frustratin" to hear, es!eciall# when #ou nowe%actl# where e$er#thin" is. To an obser$er it a!!ears disor"anised, but to #ou it

maes !erfect sense.

f #ou ased #our !arent as #ou went alon" tid#in", where should !ut m# red

0um!er/ Where should ee! m# !ens/ Where does this chair "o/ The# would

-uicl# lose !atience. n asin" #ou to tid# the#'re not asin" #ou to fit #our room to

an DA tem!late, the#'re asin" #ou to !resent it in a wa# that is eas# to loo at.

A!!ealin" to the e#e.

This is what or"anisation in writin" is about. nablin" the reader to obser$e a

!attern and mae sense of it.

The tric is not to worr# about it. f #ou tr# too hard to fit #our e%!ression into a ri"id

structure #ou can end u! hamstrin"in" #ourself and lea$in" out im!ortant !oints

because #ou didn't now where to !ut them.

Get clear on what it is #ou want to communicate. Set a headin", identif# #our

!ur!ose, then tae the reader alon" for the ride. f #ou now what #ou want to sa#,

and see to communicate that as efficientl# as !ossible, then the !attern will be

ob$ious. The reader want s to understand. f #ou focus on main" understandin" eas#

for him then he will naturall# obser$e a method in #our madness.

%%% and present )our point o" vie# %%%

5resent your !oint of $iew.

7on't "eneralise on behalf of others or tell me what other !eo!le thin. S!ea for

#ourself. t's #our o!inion the reader is interested in. =ot an#one else's. S!ea for

#ourself and write from #our own !ers!ecti$e. %!lain what #ou thin and how #ou

came to associate with those ideas. Tell us what #ou belie$e, and e%!lain how we

mi"ht understand those beliefs to be true. Gi$e us conte%t and e%am!les to show how

#ou came to thin this wa#. Guide us towards understandin" and ado!tin" #our

!ers!ecti$e.

7on't be afraid to use the !ersonal !ronoun '', as in ' thin' or ' belie$e'. This is

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"enerall# easier and more accurate than main" claims lie 'it is widel# thou"ht

that...' or 'some !eo!le mi"ht thin that...'

As a writer #ou are under no re-uirement to defer to what other 'e%!erts' sa#. While

writin" or e%!lainin" a thin", there is no need to mention what someone else has said

on the to!ic, unless it's hel!ful to borrow their words for the !ur!oses ofcommunication.

&or the ne%t half hour #ours is the most authoritati$e $oice in the uni$erse. Whate$er

#ou sa# "oes. $er# definition #ou mae we shall assume, for a time, to be true.

f #ou sa#, *+et*s assu%e or a %o%ent that ra$$its are secretly in control o the

,S govern%ent* , the reader will a"ree with #ou for the sae of ar"ument to see where

this "oes. Fust be aware that e$er#thin" #ou sa# be#ond this !oint relies on whether

or not this assum!tion is actuall# the case.

our success in Section 2 hin"es on #our abilit# to enable #our reader to understand

the !ers!ecti$e #ou !resent.

our o!inion can ne$er be wron", onl# misunderstood.

%%%and ho# e""ectivel) )ou express )oursel",

ou can e%!ress #ourself in man# wa#s. What maes e%!ression 'effecti$e' is when it

results in #ou achie$in" #our "oals. n S2, that "oal is communication.

5erfect communication is achie$ed when an idea !asses unchan"ed from #our mind

into the mind of the reader. When two !eo!le acce!t the same idea in their minds the#

are said to be in a"reement or understandin".

The outcome of effecti$e communication is understandin".

The ne%t -uestion is the interestin" one: how do now when '$e been understood/

Since words and sentences ma# be inter!reted in different wa#s, how do #ou now

that #our words ha$e been recei$ed as intended/ The answer is #ou don't now. And

#ou can ne$er now. Without feedbac (which #ou won't "et on the GAMSAT) the

writer can ne$er now if he has been understood correctl#. The reader is the one who

e%!eriences the understandin".


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After readin" these words #ou will ha$e constructed an idea of what the# mean. ou

don't necessaril# now that that idea is what intended to communicate, but if as

#ou if #ou understand #ou will still be able to sa# #es or no. Ho"icall# #ou ha$e no

basis to claim #ou ha$e understood, and #et it's one of the easiest -uestions to answer.

7o #ou understand/ Thin about it.

The root of understandin" is the feelin" that #ou ha$e understood. When #oudon't understand somethin" #ou feel confused b# it. 6nderstandin", on the other

hand, has a certain clarit# to it. ou now what it feels lie. And that*s what #ou need

to mae the e%aminer feel.

The e%aminer can't now for sure if he has correctl# a!!ro!riated the meanin" of

#our essa#. ou ma# ha$e intended to communicate one !articular idea, and #et he

has drawn an entirel# different conclusion from it. What !er$ades, howe$er, is the

feelin" that he has understood. Without this feelin" he has no other basis for

determinin" whether or not #our essa# maes sense to him. $er#thin" de!ends on

the creation of this feelin" in the reader. Mae him feel this and #ou win. Confuse

him and #ou lose.

Instructions and Objectives - .u&&ar)

f was to summarise m# entire method for S2 in a sin"le sentence it would be this:

&ocus on e%!lainin" what #ou thin the -uote means.

7emonstratin" that #ou'$e understood #our chosen -uote is an im!ortant !art of the

res!onse !rocess. The easiest wa# to show that #ou'$e understood somethin" is to

e%!lain it. %!lain how it could be true, and discuss an# im!lications that come from

assumin" it to be so. i.e. f this statement is true, what else is true/ What else is not

true/

This is how ar"uments are born. This therefore that.

So if the statement is ;All do"s are brown


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Another !robin" -uestion to as is /in #hat context &i$ht I understand this

co&&ent to be true/ an )ou thin2 o" one

- All 7o"s Are +rown how do - eplain those ti%es when - have seen $lac/ or grey

dogs - a% sure they were dogs. #hey had all the !ualities o $eing a dog ecept that they were a dierent colour. onetheless i all dogs are truly $rown then there %ust

$e an eplanation or %y %isperception.

3erhaps - i%agined the dierent colour o the dog. 3erhaps it was a tric/ %y

$rain played $y changing the colours to help %e distinguish $etween ani%als. - /now

in painting you can %a/e an o$4ect appear to $e urther away $y tinting it in lighter

colours. 5or sure colours are a helpul distinguishing eature.

ut %ay$e - hallucinated the dierence o colours in accordance with coloured

i%ages o dogs -*ve seen on tv and in cartoons. - saw what - epected to see.

+i/ely or unli/ely eplanations aside it see%s %y own perception andeperience o dogs is in conlict with the stated truth. - - a% to accept that all dogs

are $rown - %ust to a large etent discount and distrust %y own perceptions o

the%.

-t %ay $e true to say that all dogs can $e $rown i the situation is right $ut to

say they are all $rown is certainly not a rule that relects %y eperience o the way

things are.

ou see where 'm "oin" with this/ 7raw on #our own e%!eriences to mae sense of

the -uote and e%!lain for #ourself how it could be !ossibl# true. There's no need to

rel# on forenowled"e of the sub0ect (do"s) in order to write about #our e%!erience

of it. ou can alwa#s brin" in stuff #ou do now about to reframe the discussion. n

the abo$e e%am!le the writer mentions !aintin" as an e%am!le. our fa$ourite

hobbies can be a hel!ful lens throu"h which #ou mae sense of the stor# #ou'$e been

"i$en.

nce a"ain. our instructions are to !ic a -uote and res!ond to it in de!th. our "oal

is to ha$e #our reader feel lie he has understood somethin". n order to mae this

ha!!en #ou need to ha$e a s!ecific messa"e in mind that #ou wish to send to him.The messa"e is what #ou thin the -uote means. &ocusin" on e%!lainin" this

ser$es a dual !ur!ose:

) t ee!s #ou on?theme and forces #ou to thin dee!l# and s!ecificall#

2) t demonstrates to the e%aminer that #ou ha$e understood the -uote

ou can't be wron" this wa#. our inter!retation of the -uote is as "ood as an#.

=ow all #ou ha$e to do is e%!lain that inter!retation in detail to the reader. The

!rocess of e%!lainin" what is true will re-uire #ou to "o into detail on #our sub0ect. t

ma# draw #ou into constructin" e%am!les or describin" conte%ts in which #our

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!ers!ecti$e ma# be considered to be true. The or"anisation and structure of #our

essa# will come naturall# to #ou since #ou ha$e a s!ecific "oal in mind. ou will not

be lost for thin"s to sa#, or find #ourself wanderin" off theme, since #ou now what

#our conclusion will be.

The rest of the boo will be focused on hel!in" #ou to "et out of #our own wa# andenablin" #ou to achie$e this "oal.

J


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Part 2 - Technical Details

$er the !ast few #ears m# role as a GAMSAT tutor has been less about teachin"

students new sills as it has been about enablin" them to e%!ress abilities the#alread# had.

$er# student is different. ach ha$e their own !ersonal reasons for wantin" to

be doctors, and each ha$e their own han"u!s and unhel!ful !atterns of thinin" that

the# need to resol$e. Without seein" someone's wor it's im!ossible for me to mae

hel!ful statements about how the# should write or what the# need to chan"e.

=onetheless, '$e noticed that the same -uestions ee! comin" at me a"ain and

a"ain.

The funn# thin" is that so often, after '$e answered these familiar -uestions

and alla#ed the concerns of the students, the# "o awa# and come bac with awesome

!ieces of writin" @ without me e$er ha$in" to instruct them on the !rocess of writin".

The fact is #ou'$e alread# had #ears of !ractice communicatin". %!lainin" thin"s,

describin" thin"s, main" sense of thin"s... The di"ital nature of communications

these da#s means #ou'$e also had lots of !ractice communicatin" in writin". The e#

to succeedin" in S2 is 0ust allowin" #ourself to communicate with the same fluenc#

and ease that #ou would with #our best friend.

The tas at hand could not be sim!ler. And #et it seems com!licated b# the

im!ortance of the mission.

This !art of the boo is about remo$in" the blocs that sit in #our wa# and sto! #ou

from doin" what #ou were born to do @ communicate.

hich 4uote To ic2

The first instruction in S2 re-uires #ou to mae a choice.

Consider the following comments and develop a piece of writing in response to one or more of

them.

ou will be !ro$ided with E different -uotes and #ou ha$e to !ic one to res!ond to.

ou don't "et e%tra mars for res!ondin" to multi!le -uotes, and recommend #ou


15/41

stic to 0ust one. 9er# rarel# does the inclusion of an additional -uote?res!onse

actuall# im!ro$e the essa#. More often it maes the whole thin" a!!ear as two

se!arate dis0ointed ranbles.

Which -uote should #ou choose/ The one )ou "eel )ou understand &ost

clearl). The one #ou understand will be the easiest one to e%!lain.

7on't fall into the tra! of !icin" a -uote 0ust because #ou feel lie #ou ha$ethe most to sa# about it. 9olume of e%!ression is not an indicator of success.

5recision and clarit# is more im!ortant.

A clue that #ou understand a -uote is feelin" inclined to a"ree with it. f #ou

disa"ree with a -uote it's !robable that #ou don't full# understand it. The authors that

"et featured on the GAMSAT are not stu!id !eo!le. n man# cases the comments

dis!la#ed on the !a!er for #our selection ha$e been thou"ht about and de$elo!ed

e%tensi$el# b# their authors o$er a lon" !eriod of time. t's inad$isable that #ou

should -uestion the $alidit# of the statements unless #ou are certain #ou can

demonstrate that the# are talin" out their holes. 3ather tr# to e%!lain how thesestatements mi"ht be understood to be true. 6nder what conte%t mi"ht this comment

be true/ When is this statement most rele$ant, and to who mi"ht it a!!l#/

+rilliant essa#s ma# come from disa"reein" @ and do "o that wa# if #ou feel so

inclined @ but more often it is easier 0ust to !ic the -uote #ou a"ree with.

f #ou ha$e -uestions in #our mind about the meanin" of the -uote, wor it out

on the scra! !a!er before writin". Translate or redefine an# words #ou don't now.

ou don't need to be held bac b# a lac of $ocabular# at this !oint. f #ou don't

now, for e%am!le, what the word 'eccentric' means, #ou ma# redefine it. +rea it

down and ha$e a "o at e%!ressin" what #ou thin it means.

#o %e an eccentric person is one who runs in circles a lot. Again and again they ind

the%selves struc/ $y the sa%e eperiences and ideas that they can*t see% to get away

ro%. #o $e eccentric is to $e gripped $y recurring ideas.

That's not what eccentric normall# means, but it doesn't matter. &rom now on the

reader will understand what mean when use the word, and he will not be confused

so lon" as maintain a consistenc# in m# use of it.

f #ou don't understand a -uote #ou are free to translate it. The im!ortant thin" is that#ou "et clear in #our head about what the -uote means before attem!tin" to

communicate #our understandin" of it to the e%aminer.


16/41

reparin$ For 6nexpected Topics

There's an e%tract of a sam!le GAMSAT !a!er floatin" around online that's been

scarin" the shit out of students for #ears. t's a set of E Section 2 -uotes, of which the

common theme is 'Modern Art'.The $er# e%istence of this as a sam!le !a!er is misleadin", because AC3

would ne$er !ublish such a to!ic on the GAMSAT. t's too restricti$e and it sews the

cur$e b# "i$in" an ad$anta"e to a $er# small minorit#.

AC3's "oal is to !ro$ide a balanced and fair means of enablin" students to

com!ete for entr# to "raduate med school.

At no !oint in the GAMSAT are #ou re-uired to now thin"s that are not written on

the !a!er in some wa# or other. n Section *, all the maths formulas #ou need are

!ro$ided. All the scientific facts on which the answers de!end are written on the !a"e. While nowin" some of them in ad$ance and understandin" the e%!ressions

used is $er# hel!ful, it is theoreticall# !ossible to "et all the -uestions ri"ht without

'nowin"' an#thin" beforehand.

Section is the same. n fact the less nowled"e a student brin"s to Section ,

the better. A!art from misreadin" the -uestions, the ne%t bi""est cause of mistaes on

Section is !ro0ectin" #our own nowled"e onto the !a"eK usin" information and

nowled"e of the sub0ect that wasn't mentioned on the !a!er to answer the -uestion.

&or e%am!le, if the !assa"e is about "olf and mentions Ti"er Woods. Then the

-uestion ass what ind of !ersonalit# he seems to ha$e. f #ou ha!!en to now loads

about "olf and be a bi" Woods fan #ou mi"ht "et e%cited and answer the -uestion

strai"ht awa# from memor#. This causes #ou to "et it wron" while bein" so sure #ou

were ri"ht.

$en thou"h, in the real world #ou mi"ht ha$e been ri"ht in #our descri!tion of

Ti"er's !ersonalit#, there was no e$idence for #our answer in the !assa"e !ro$ided.

The answer to the -uestion is based on the information that's on the !a"e, not the

information that's off it.

=ow ob$iousl# '$e di$er"ed a bit from talin" about S2, but the !oint is that

#ou are not re-uired to now an#thin" on the GAMSAT.

The nature of the E -uotes on modern art made it im!ossible to understand orres!ond to an# of them without ha$in" some idea of what modern art is, or ha$in"

some e%!erience of it. t is an unrealistic set because it demands nowled"e of the

student.

Also. modern art is a niche to!ic, and art students are a $er# rare minorit#

amon" GAMSAT a!!licants. There's !robabl# onl# one or two in an# "i$en e%am

hall. ou can be sure those two "u#s would be deli"hted to see such a to!ic come u!,

but e$er#one else in the hall would be forced to waffle. This has the dual effect of

!roducin" a slew of incredibl# borin", re!etiti$e and meanin"less essa#s for the

e%aminers to distin"uish between, as well as !roducin" two winnin" students who,

2


17/41

under normal circumstances, would not be miles ahead of e$er#one else.

t is in AC3's interest to ee! the to!ics as o!en as !ossible. The !ur!ose of the

-uotes is to enable #ou to write, not to restrict #ou. The s!ecificit# of the -uotes

!ro$ided is a creati$e stimulus. t is the ho!e of the e%aminers that e$er#one be "i$en

a fair shot, and that nobod# should ha$e an unfair ad$anta"e due to the luc of ha$in"read the autobio"ra!h# of +arac bama or whoe$er in the wees beforehand.

And, of course, if somethin" twisted lie Modern Art does come u!, as alwa#s #ou

are free to redefine the meanin" of those two words howe$er #ou see fit.

"-n %y %ind %odern art is 4ust another phrase or technology...&

Fust mae sure #ou mae sense of the rest of the -uote in the conte%t of #our chee#

new definition>

Tas2 7 vs Tas2 8

There are two writin" tass on GAMSAT Section 2, but the marin" scheme is the

same for both. t is widel# su!!osed that Tas A should be an ar"umentati$e essa#and Tas + is su!!osed to be a reflecti$e one. ou don't actuall# ha$e to do it this

wa#, it's 0ust that's often the easiest wa# to "o about it.

This !o!ular tradition of doin" one ar"umentati$e and one discursi$eLreflecti$e essa#

"oes bac to the -uotes themsel$es.

Tas A -uotes tend to be statements of fact. ". ;7o"s are bad<

Tas + -uotes tend to be statements of o!inion or e%!erience. ". ; hate do"s<

The "eneral theme of 'do"s' ma# a!!ear in either column, but it's the wa# the

statements are !resented and e%!ressed that defines them as either Tas A or Tas +.

The nature of the Tas A -uotes are such that the# tend to lend themsel$es towards

ar"umentati$e confrontations. t is eas# to come u! with reasons to su!!ort or

contradict a Tas A statement. The comment almost seems to be in$itin" it.

Tas +, howe$er, is usuall# more sub0ecti$e. f sa# hate do"s #ou can't

reall# ar"ue with me. n a similar wa#, if describe m# e%!erience of football as

'borin"' who are #ou to tell me !ercei$e it an# other wa#/ All #ou can do to en"a"e

with these -uotes is reflect on whether or not the statement is true for #ou, and in

*


18/41

what wa# it is so.

f sa# somethin" lie ;lo$e is a flower that dies too -uicl#< #ou're hardl#

"onna feel ins!ired to fi"ht with me about it, or stand $aliantl# in defence of this

statement. t's too $a"ue, it's too floof#. nstead of 0ud"in" the comment as true or

false, "ood or bad, tell me what it means for #ou. That's #our best bet. What does this

remind #ou of/ Tell us a stor# that mi"ht hel! me understand this analo"#, or e%!lainit in some other wa#.

+oth Tass can be a!!raoched the same wa# @ with the intention to e%!lain what the

"i$en -uote means and to describe an# im!lications and !redictions we can mae off

the bac of it.

ou don't lose mars on Tas + for omittin" !ersonal e%!eriences from the

discussion. Fust lie in Tas A #ou don't lose mars from brin"in" them in.

=ow #ou mi"ht sa# that sub0ecti$e e%!erience is no basis for a rational ar"ument, and

#ou'd be ri"ht, to an e%tent.

n an ar"ument, if claim that 'all do"s are brown' ma# be e%!ected to "i$e reasons

or e$idence in su!!ort of this claim. must e%!lain how this can be nown, or wh#

we should assume it to be true.

f sa# 'because all the do"s '$e seen are brown', that won't sound $er#

con$incin". n order for m# claim to be true would ha$e had to ha$e seen all the

do"s there are. t seems lie 'm "oin" to need more than m# own e%!erience to

$alidate this claim.

The !roblem is not with the wa# ha$e su!!orted m# claim, howe$er, it's with the

claim itself. t is too "eneral, and di$orced from m# actual e%!erience. A more

accurate claim would be 'do"s can be brown'. 8ow do now/ +ecause ha$e seen

brown do"s. n this case it's not im!ortant how man# do"s '$e seen, and m# claim is

no less im!ortant to the discussion about the colour of do"s for bein" less "rand.

"uess m# !oint is don't tr# too hard to mae rules of thin"s. Tal about what is

!ossible, rather than what is certain or what is nown. f #ou tal about what can ha!!en rather than what always or oten ha!!ens, #ou o!en #ourself u! to talin"

about the sub0ect in different wa#s.

When looin" for thin"s to sa#, focus on what ma# be !ossible, rather than what #ou

now to be im!ossible. Aside from the fact that it is im!ossible to !ro$e a ne"ati$e,

these !ositi$e t#!e of statements draw the reader in and encoura"e him to acce!t #our

!oint of $iew and e%!erience. The# also enable #ou to tal about the sub0ect in

different wa#s.


19/41

f #ou sa# 'do"s can be brown', #ou can then "o on to e%!lain in anal#tical or

scientific terms how this is !ossible (t#!ical tas A st#le) or #ou can 0ust tal about

#our e%!erience and direct !erce!tion of the brownness of do"s (tas +).

Communication is not about winnin" an ar"ument, it's about culti$atin" an

understandin".

Whether on Tas A or Tas +, as of the -uote @ how is this !ossible/

8ow mi"ht this !ers!ecti$e be understood to be true/

Depth o" Thou$ht 7nd 9o# To Disect 7n) 7r$u&ent

7e!th of Thou"ht (7oT) is a term use to describe a $er# im!ortant as!ect of the

winnin" GAMSAT essa#. t's a somewhat elusi$e -ualit# that #ou nonetheless now

once #ou see it.

There are numerous wa#s to demonstrate to #our reader that #ou'$e thou"ht dee!l#

about the sub0ect. ne !o!ular method is the Thesis?AntiThesis a!!roach which is

cham!ioned b# man# online in GAMSAT forums and in a number of commercial

"uideboos.

The method is as follows:

Ste! : A"ree or disa"ree with the "i$en -uote

Ste! 2: Gi$e 2?* reasons wh# #ou a"ree

Ste! *: n the other hand... "i$e reasons wh# #ou mi"ht disa"ree

Ste! : Conclude on #our !oints of difference between the two sides

The !ur!ose of this method is to demonstrate that #ou'$e thou"ht dee!l# about the

sub0ect b# addressin" two alternate sides of the same discussion. Althou"h there's

fundamentall# nothin" broen about this method, ha$e a cou!le of !oints 'd lie to

raise in relation to it.

The first is that the !o!ularit# of this a!!roach is such that a lot of students ha$e

become con$inced that this is somethin" the# ha$e to do. The# come to belie$e that

the# cannot do a !ro!er GAMSAT essa# without ar"uin" both for and a"ainst a !oint

and in belie$in" so the# limit themsel$es.

E


20/41

Similarl#, since this a!!roach is so !o!ular, #ou can bet #ou're not the onl# one

in the room writin" an essa# lie this. +# and lar"e the essa#s !roduced b# this

method are homo"enous. Consistent but a$era"e scorin" essa#s abound. ntentionall#

structurin" #our essa# in the same format as man# other !eo!le is safe to a de"ree,

but unless #ou're a science "od #ou ma# need more than safet# to "et #ou that !lace

in "rad entr# medicine. While it can be hel!ful to ha$e a !rocess lie this in mind, itis im!ortant to sta# fle%ible and allow #ourself the room for a creati$e di$er"ence if

the feelin" taes #ou.

M# final !oint is that followin" this method creates a number of tra!s that man# an

unwar# student falls into. Tra! the first is not nowin" how to dismantle an ar"ument

that the# fundamentall# a"ree with. The# ar"ue one side, but don't now how to

disa"ree with themsel$es, so the second half of the essa# a!!ears lacluster and a bit

stu!id. Some students, in antici!ation of this ha!!enin", intentionall# write $er#

wea or seethrou"h ar"uments in order to mae it eas# for themsel$es to !ic thema!art in the second half. 8o!efull# b# the end of this cha!ter #ou'll ha$e an idea of

how to dismantle #our own ar"uments and won't fall into these holes.

The other tra!, which seems to catch the most students out, is ar"uin" too

"enerall# the !oint where the# ha$e no actual conclusion to mae. The ar"uments for

the motion share no common relation with the ar"uments a"ainst it, so no !oint of

contention or difference e$er arises, and the result is that there's no wa# to sa# which

one is more $alid or a"reeable.

8ere's an e%am!le of what mean:

lai&: Dogs are $ad

7r$u&ent: Dogs can $e considered $ad $ecause they are dangerous. #hey have

sharp teeth that can severely in4ure a person and %ay$e even /ill a s%all child. 7n

the other hand dogs are good $ecause they are %an*s $est riend. #hey can help /eep

rodents and oes away and are good or guarding your house.

onclusion: Dogs are good so%eti%es $ut other ti%es they are $ad. #here*s no wayto say deinitively which they are so it really 4ust depends on your perspective.

To conclude that sub0ecti$e e%!erience e%ists is hardl# news. This is the most

common co!?out endin" on the GAMSAT. The ideal conclusion should be as s!ecific

as !ossible, not as "eneral as !ossible. And it should be drawn from the interaction of

the ar"uments for and a"ainst the leadin" claim.


21/41

8ere's an e%am!le of ar"uments that interact with one another !roducti$el#:

lai&: Dogs are $ad

Argument: Dogs can $e considered $ad $ecause they are dangerous. #hey have sharp teeth that can severely in4ure a person and %ay$e even /ill a s%all child. 7n

the other hand dogs are easily trained to o$ey co%%ands and can $e socially

engineered to $e riendly and sae around /ids.

Conclusion: Dogs are potentially dangerous when let loose in the wild $ut %a/e

great sae co%panions when trained appropriately.

The resultin" conclusion is more s!ecific and hel!ful. 6!on readin" this the e%aminer will see that there was a !oint to the essa# after all, and will feel lie he has

understood since there is a clear taeawa# messa"e. t should be !ossible to

summarise the main messa"e of #our essa# in one sentence. This e%am!le maes it

eas# to do, whereas the former does not.

=ow that we'$e "ot that out of the wa#, let's loo at how #ou mi"ht "o about

deconstructin" an ar"ument that #ou'$e alread# made.

The fundamental !oint to be aware of here is that ar"uments are built on assum!tions.

The truth of an# statement rests on the assum!tions made or im!lied b# its

construction.

A fact is another word for an assum!tion. &acts are well nown and sociall# acce!ted

ideas that are assumed to be true. Whene$er #ou obser$e or state a fact, be aware that

it is also an assum!tion. &acts are eas# tar"ets for -uestionin" because the# hide in

!lain si"ht.

An# ar"ument or !ers!ecti$e can be turned on its head b# sin"lin" out one fact and

asin" what if it's not true. Christo!her Columbus is a classic e%am!le of a "u# whochan"ed a "lobal !ers!ecti$e when he challen"ed the assum!tion that the earth was

flat. 8e too one widel# nown fact and ased 'what if'. The result was the disco$er#

of an entirel# new !ers!ecti$e and a lot of sore indians>

8ere's another e%am!le drawin" from our earlier ar"ument:

Dogs can $e considered $ad $ecause they are dangerous. #hey have sharp teeth that

I


22/41

can severely in4ure a person and %ay$e even /ill a s%all child.

Fact: 7o"s ha$e shar! teeth

hat i": The# don't.

Ne# perspective: f we could find a wa# to dull the teeth of the do"s we ee! as

house!ets then it wouldn't matter who the# bite. 5erha!s some sort of do" food could

be in$ented which subtl# wears awa# the shar! ti!s of their teeth... What would

ha!!en then/ What else would chan"e/

+it cree!#, but there #ou "o. A new wa# of thinin" about the same issue. With this

a!!roach #ou're not so much ar"uin" a"ainst #ourself as disco$erin" another wa# to

loo at the same issue. Also, b# isolatin" a fact that #our ar"ument hin"es on, #ou

demonstrate an awareness of how #our ar"ument is constructed. ou're showin" tothe e%aminer that #ou'$e thou"ht about what #ou'$e said.

ou don't need to ar"ue both sides of an ar"ument 0ust to show #ou'$e thou"ht

about an issue. 7emonstratin" 7oT can be as sim!le as hi"hli"htin" and -uestionin"

some of #our earlier assum!tions about the truth or meanin" of thin"s

9o# ;isunderstandin$s 9appen

A fact is an ob$ious ind of assum!tion. A belief is another ind of !ersonal

assum!tion that is not so eas# to s!ot.

A belief is somethin" #ou assume to be true about the world, but which #ou

don't necessaril# state. Writin" down what #ou belie$e is often a $er# difficult thin"

to do, since we are not consciousl# aware of what most of our beliefs are.

Man# of our core beliefs are formed in res!onse to earl# childhood

e%!eriences. t's also !ossible to retain a belief while losin" the memor# of the e$ent

that warranted it's construction.". ou could be in the habit of settin" an alarm e$er# mornin". $en when

#ou don't ha$e an#where s!ecific #ou need to be. t's hard to rationall# e%!lain wh#

#ou do this e$er# da#, or what #ou are tr#in" to achie$e b# doin" it, without an

awareness of #our own beliefs on the matter.

The ori"in of this !attern of beha$iour ma# "o bac to a da# in school when

#ou were late and had a $er# traumatic interaction with one of #our teachers. ou

!referred not to thin about the e$ent so o$er time #ou for"ot it, but the belief and

trust in the im!ortance of #our alarm cloc remains.

;f don't set m# alarm, bad thin"s will ha!!en


23/41

Seems lie a ridiculous thin" to belie$e, but beliefs b# their $er# nature are

ridiculous. The# are rules we in$ent to li$e b# in res!onse to $er# !recise and limited

e%!eriences. The# can also be formed in res!onse to information we ac-uired from

other !eo!le which we then assume to be true.

ntensel# ne"ati$e e%!eriences often lead to the construction of a belief or ruleto li$e b# which, based on what we now, will hel! us to a$oid it ha!!enin" a"ain.

The alarm cloc e%am!le is im!ortant because it shows how beliefs can be both

influential and elusi$e.

=ot onl# do unconscious beliefs influence our beha$iour, the# also influence the

sense we mae of the words we read.

Misunderstandin"s arise from unstated differences between beliefs of the

author and the reader. n other words, when #ou assume the reader shares the same

belief as #ou. r when #ou assume the# now somethin" #ou do.Sometimes it's the most ob$ious thin"s that #ou for"et to mention. Het's loo at

the followin" ar"ument to see what mean:

"8itler was responsi$le or the deaths o %illions. 8e was thereore an evil person.&

At first "lance it mi"ht loo lie this maes sense as an ar"ument, but it actuall#

doesn't. t's missin" somethin". The belief is the bit that's missin". t is the unstated

assum!tion in the mind of the author that lins illin" with bein" e$il. f the reader

does not share this belief he will not be able to mae sense of the statement. f the

author continues after this !oint, thinin" the reader is with him, he will soon

confuse.

The abo$e assum!tion (a !o!ularl# held belief) is that to li$e is better than to die, and

to ill is wron" and e$il. The lo"ic is that 8itler illed lots of !eo!le, and since illin"

is bad, he is too b# association with his actions.

That he illed lots doesn't on its own mae him bad, until #ou s!rinle on the

sub0ecti$e belief that illin" is e$il. t's a sub0ecti$e belief because the truth of it

de!ends on #our !ers!ecti$e.

Sometimes illin" is "ood. Dillin" animals for food is widel# considered "ood.n some !arts of the world fi"htin" to the death is considered "ood s!ort. And the

e%ecution of $iolent criminals is still a ri"hteous !rocess in man# !laces.

=ow #ou ma# stron"l# o!!ose all of these e%am!les and sa# that illin" is bad

no matter what wa# #ou slice it. +ut that is 0ust #our o!inion. t's no less im!ortant

for bein" '0ust' #our o!inion, but the burden falls to #ou to e%!lain in what wa# illin"

is alwa#s bad. Misunderstandin"s will ha!!en if #ou assume the reader share's #our

o!inion. Communication is about buildin" an understandin", and that !rocess ceases

0ust as soon as #ou assume it to be finished.

J


24/41

$er# statement conceals an assum!tion about the wa# thin"s are. These assum!tions

are subtle and often hard to s!ot. Hoo at this ne%t one for e%am!le. The statement is

an e%!licit comment about the nature of do"s. The -uestion is what else is this

statement im!l#in"/ (nce we assume it to be true)

"All dogs are $rown&

n order for this statement to be true, it must be !ossible for a do" to $e brown. &rom

m# own e%!erience it's certainl# !ossible for a do" to appear brown. Man# do"s ha$e

fur of $ar#in" shades of brown. At least the# loo that wa# when the li"ht meets m#

e#es. !ercei$e the do" as brown, but does that automaticall# mean that the do" is

brown/

8ow do now that we both see the do" the same wa#/ 8ow do now that

the colour #ou see of the do" is not a com!letel# different shadeKone #ou 0ust ha!!en

to also call 'brown'.8ow do we now the do" e$en e%ists inde!endentl# of our !erce!tion of him/

5erha!s the 'do"' as we now him, is 0ust our brain's renderin" of a com!letel#

different realit#. So then the do" is not actuall# brown at all. +rownness is 0ust a

-ualit# we infer and describe of him due to the wa# we !ercei$e him.

t seems then biarre to su""est that an# animal that isn't a little bit brown is

not a do", since his de"ree of brownness or not?browness is entirel# !redicated on m#

!erce!tion of him. And m# !erce!tion can chan"e.

f wear funn# "lasses with coloured lenses ma# !ercei$e the do" as #ellow

or blue. s he no lon"er a do" while 'm wearin" the "lasses/

Ma#be '$e "one too far with this one but ho!efull# #ou "et the basic idea.

&or the !ur!oses of communication, assume #our reader is a toddler. 8e's a 2

#ear old with an e%ce!tional $ocabular# and mi"ht# command of the n"lish

lan"ua"e. 8e doesn't assume an#thin" unless #ou tell him to. 8e shares none of #our

life e%!eriences and has no s!ecific nowled"e of the outside world. 8e won't

necessaril# belie$e e$er#thin" #ou sa# to be true, but he will at least a"ree to consider

#our !ro!osals for the sae of ar"ument.

=othin" is too ob$ious or basic to mention if it's rele$ant to the !oint #ou want to

mae. Sim!licit# is the essence of effecti$e communication. Sim!le writin" is ne$er

stu!id writin".

2


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9avin$ 7 8i$ +ocabular)

This is an interestin" -uestion. Should #ou tr# to use bi""er or better words in #our

GAMSAT essa# to demonstrate a broad $ocabular#./

The answer is no, not necessaril#.The GAMSAT is not lie Scrabble, where different words are worth different

mars. 6sin" obscure words is not necessaril# an# better than usin" common and

well nown words. The !ur!ose of words is not to demonstrate how cle$er #ou are

and how man# of them #ou now, their $alue is as tools of communication.

There are so man# different words because the# all ser$e a different !ur!ose.

=o one word is better than another. The common words are common !recisel#

because the# are used so often. The# are used often because the# are hel!ful. And

the# are hel!ful because the# re!resent common ideas which are re"ularl# re-uired in

con$ersation.Mendacious is an uncommon word, which describes someone who is l#in" or

not tellin" the truth. This is an uncommon word, lar"el# because 'dishonest' is more

well nown and communicates more or less the same idea.

Sterlin" is another word for '"ood'. A"ain, it is less common to hear because,

for the most !art, we use words with the intention of communicatin" ideas to other

!eo!le, and it's a bit awward when someone misunderstands #ou because the# didn't

now about one of the words #ou said.

The e%aminer can be assumed to now all the words, but he !laces no

e%ce!tional $alue on an# !articular "rou! of them.

n m# e%!erience the students who ha$e n"lish as their first lan"ua"e do not alwa#s

do better than the ones who tae it as their second. The# ma# now fewer words, but

their sill in usin" them is not necessaril# an# less for it.

8a$in" a lar"e $ocabular# can be a hel!ful tool to ha$e when constructin"

com!licated sentences, but it is not a necessit#. And #ou certainl# don't "et more

mars for con$incin" the e%aminer #ou ha$e one. 8e onl# "ets to see a few hundred

of #our words an#wa#. 8ow is he to now these aren't all the words #ou do/

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ritin$ Fro& 'our O#n erspective

Students as me e$er# month @ *Should - write ro% %y own perspective*

And sa# absolutel# #ou should> 3emember, the "oal is to communicate with #ourreader. ou want him to understand #our !ers!ecti$e. t is much easier to "et the

reader to understand #our !ers!ecti$e when #ou write o!enl# from it. When #ou write

in accordance with what #ou belie$e, rather than su!!ressin" #our own beliefs in

fa$or of more !o!ular ones, the words automaticall# come out more clearl#.

8umans lo$e to e%!ress themsel$es. And we lo$e to be heard. Sometimes we

don't allow oursel$es to be heard thou"h, because we are worried about what others

would thin if the# heard what we want to sa#. This is e%actl# the ind of stiflin"

attitude that results in writer's blocK not ha$in" an#thin" to sa# because #ou're not

allowin" #ourself to sa# the thin"s that come naturall#.f #ou ha$e stron" feelin"s about a sub0ect allow #ourself to e%!ress them.

f #ou'$e e$er had to tell a com!licated lie #ou'll now how much harder it is to

e%!lain than somethin" that's true. t's harder because #ou are tr#in" to do two thin"s

at once. ) n$entin" a stor# and 2) communicatin" it. When #ou write honestl# #ou

automaticall# cut #our worload in half. And as Mar Twain famousl# said 'if #ou tell

the truth #ou don't ha$e to remember an#thin"'.

There is no reason not to endorse #our own !ersonal !ers!ecti$e on the GAMSAT. tdoesn't matter what that !ers!ecti$e is. ou don't "et more mars for successfull#

e%!lainin" how im!ortant $accinations can be, and #ou don't "et less mars for

e%!lainin" how 8itler could ha$e been ri"ht to ill the Fews.

Too harsh/ =ot on the GAMSAT it isn't. t e$en sa#s so on the !a!er:

"9ou will not $e 4udged on the views or attitudes you epress&

n fact, there ma# e$en be some merit to nowin"l# inflictin" a $er# sensiti$e to!ic

on #our e%aminer. f #ou are aware that what #ou are sa#in" is a bit touch#, #ou ma#

be more inclined to !a# attention to how #ou are constructin" #our ar"ument. f #ou

now illin" the Fews is an un!o!ular o!inion #ou're "onna wanna mae sure #our

e%!lanation of its $alidit# is airti"ht. (At least ho!e this would be #our natural

inclination. m!ath# is a hel!ful tool...)

Misunderstandin"s ha!!en when the writer assumes the reader shares her belief about

somethin". %!lainin" the sim!lest thin"s is sometimes the hardest because #ou are

inclined to lea$e critical information out. b$ious stuff that is so ob$ious to #ou wh#

would #ou e$en mention it. This ha!!ens es!eciall# often when #ou consciousl#

write within the bounds of normal social con$ention. n adherin" to a con$ention #ou

22


27/41

are automaticall# main" assum!tions about what the reader does and doesn't

belie$e. To write what #ou thin the reader wants to hear is to mae more

assum!tions about him.

So don't worr# about it. Assume #our reader is a blan slate. 8e's not 0ud"in" #ou on

the thin"s #ou thin are "ood, he 0ust wants to understand wh# #ou thin that wa#.

8onest communication is effecti$e communication. Write what #ou thin. =o matter

how offensi$e, insensiti$e or un!o!ular #ou thin mi"ht be. n the GAMSAT, as in

life, #ou'll be sur!rised at how well #our bold words are recei$ed.

hen To 6se 4uotes

6nlie in the world of academia, #ou don't necessaril# "et more mars for -uotin"

authoritati$e sources in #our GAMSAT essa#. t is !erfectl# !osssible to "et full

mars in written communication without -uotin" an#one at all. (5ro$ided #ou

res!ond directl# to at least one of the ones !ro$ided on the !a!er).

The $alue of brin"in" in -uotes is not to show off #our e%!ertise in an area, but to

hel! communicate #our main !oint to the reader. 4uotes are "ood when the# hel!

e%!lain what #ou were tr#in" to sa#. 3emember how -uoted Mar Twain in the last

cha!terK 'if #ou tell the truth #ou don't ha$e to remember an#thin"'/ That's what 'm

talin" about.

Twain's words weren't e%actl# the !oint wanted to mae, but in a wa# the#

contained the essence of what wanted to "et across. i.e. Writin" honestl# is easier

than not. Twain's comment is an e%am!le of one wa# in which bein" honest maes

thin"s easier. don't "et mars for -uotin" Twain, "et mars for effecti$el#

borrowin" his words to communicate another as!ect of m# claim.

%am!les are the same. ou can brin" in real world e%am!les to e%!lain what #oumean, or #ou can 0ust mae them u!. Made u! stories are 0ust as "ood as ones that

e%ist in the !ublic domain. Sometimes the#'re e$en better because #ou can twist and

turn the analo"# to ser$e #our needs.

;7o"s are scar#<

8ere's the -uote we're res!ondin" to. =ow the -uestion, what the reader needs to

com!rehend, is how are do"s scar#/ 6nder what circumstances mi"ht we consider a

do" to be scar#/ What maes them scar#/

2*


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8ere's one wa# we mi"ht use an e%am!le to e%!lain how do"s are scar#:

#here are %any reasons why dogs are scary. 5or ea%ple the :87 ound that up to

0< o do%estic dogs screened in 201 had the capacity to transer %icro$iological

inectants to their owners on contact. #hat*s pretty scary.

r:

#here are %any reasons to $e araid o dogs. 7nce - saw a wo%an get $itten $y a dog

when she went to pet it. She screa%ed in terror due to the shoc/ o suddenly $eing

attac/ed and the awul pain on her hand.

r we can e%!lain without e%am!les or -uotes:

#here are %any reasons why dogs are scary. #hey have sharp teeth pointy toenails

and can $ar/ very loudly and suddenly. Dogs oten use their $ar/s and snarls to

inti%idate $oth other dogs and people.

=one of these se"ments is less $alid than the other. ach is a different method of

e%!lainin". The student -uotin" the World 8ealth r"anisation doesn't "et an# e%tra

!oints for correctl# doin" so, thou"h he ma# lose mars for incorrectl# doin" so if the

e%aminer ha!!ens to be familiar with the comment or statistics cited and his

e%!lanationLar"ument leans hea$il# on the fact.

f #ou're inclined towards -uotin" !eo!le in #our writin", recommend #ou -uote

authors #ou lie or stories #ou lo$e. 4uote #our fa$ourite son"s and mo$ies because

the# are the ones #ou understand the best and will therefore ha$e the easiest time

e%!lainin" and relatin" to what #ou're talin" about.

=o material is too childish, sill#, unim!ortant or unscientific to be useful when it

comes to main" sense of thin"s for #our reader.

&or e%am!le, let's sa# this -uote a!!ears on the !a!er:

;Those who are remembered ne$er die


29/41

"round between #ourself and #our reader. Fust bear in mind when drawin" e%am!les

from the real world that #our reader doesn't necessaril# share the same !ers!ecti$e or

belief about e$ents as #ou do.

So -uote to re!hrase what #ou want to sa#, not to e%em!lif# #our own broad

nowled"e.

ord ount

The ideal word count for S2 is another !o!ular to!ic amon" headless students.

The fact is that there is no word count. our essa# can be as lon" or as short as

it needs to be in order to communicate whate$er #our main !oint is. ha$e seen students dro! absolute bombs in 0ust 2E words, and '$e seen

others waffle on for almost 1 and still fail to sa# an#thin" in !articular.

The best essa#s, on a$era"e, tend to be around the *E? word mar.

This should not be understood as a tar"et, howe$er. t is merel# a result of

e$er#thin" else "oin" ri"ht.

=ormall# when someone di$ul"es a ?I word monster of an essa# it's not

because the# ha$e so much to sa#, it's 0ust because the# are inefficient in their

e%!ression and use of lan"ua"e. The sentences are lon". Too lon". And the e%am!les

tae a"es to "et to the !oint.

=ot all essa#s are that wa#, howe$er. new one student last #ear who

consistentl# wrote $er# lon" essa#s but he ended u! "ettin" a $er# hi"h score on his

final e%am. t was 0ust his st#le.

f #ou ha$e an# sense #ou will stri$e to write as few words as !ossible. t sa$es #ou

time. t sa$es the reader time. Short sentences are easier to read, and easier to re$iew

and chec for clarit#. f #ou are considerin" and e%!lainin" #our chosen -uote in

de!th it is hi"hl# unliel# #ou will fall short of * words unless #ou are an absolute

sur"eon with words.

A bi" word count is not a tar"et, but if it's $er# low it mi"ht be a clue that#ou're !robabl# not "oin" dee! enou"h into #our sub0ect. As #ourself more

-uestions. 4uestion some of #our assum!tions. What if % is not true/ 8ow would

feel if this ha!!ened to me/ 8as it ha!!ened to me/ Can "i$e an e%am!le from m#

own e%!erience that would hel! clarif# the !oint am tr#in" to communicate/

Dee! !osin" -uestions to #ourself and the words will come. f #ou're sufferin"

from a chronic issue with "ettin" words onto the !a"e #ou ma# ha$e a case of

Writer's +loc @ in which case, carr# on. There will be e%ercises to hel! #ou loosen

u! further on in the boo.

2E


30/41

On


31/41

will be !ercei$ed to be structured and or"anised if each line follows lo"icall# from

the ne%t in a clear direction. This is onl# !ossible when #ou ha$e (at least) a "eneral

idea of where #ou want to end u!.

ou should be buildin" towards #our conclusion, not realisin" it

retros!ecti$el#. The realisation of what #our conclusion will be comes at the end of

the scra! !a!er session. That's when #ou now it's time to start writin". ourconclusion is the !ill #ou want the reader to swallow. The scra! is there to hel! #ou

identif# this !ill and then de$elo! a method of deli$er# into #our sub0ect's brain.

Allow #ourself the time to !lan. 7on't 0ust force #ourself to start writin" out of

fear. 5ractice writin" essa#s under time constraints so #ou "et comfortable with the

cloc.

When first started !racticin" for the GAMSAT was s!endin" E minutes on the

scra! !a!er and 2E minutes writin". Then found this wasn't enou"h time to reall#

fi"ure out what wanted to sa#, so allowed m#self minutes instead. n the actuale%am ended u! !ushin" this to E minutes brainstormin"L!lannin" and E minutes

scribblin" lie a lunatic. M# ad$ice is don't let fear of the cloc hold #ou bac.

There's an e%ercise further on in the boo for increasin" #our writin" s!eed.

On Generalisin$

A "eneralisation is a broad statement, ain to a rule, about the wa# thin"s are.

A$oid main" "eneralisations when #ou can. There is no need. Generalisations

weaen #our ar"ument structure and mae #ou a!!ear daft. The best #ou can ho!e for

when "eneralisin" is to mae a "rand swee!in" statement that #our reader ha!!ens to

a"ree with.

8ere's a seemin"l# harmless "eneralisation from an essa# about charit# saw this

wee:

"#he act o giving has long $een viewed as a /ind one&

Seems lie a reasonable statement to mae, but it is im!recise and im!ersonal. t

would be more accurate of the writer to sa# ' thin "i$in" is ind'. This sentence is

shorter, and more direct in its e%!ression. The writer is now statin" what she actuall#

thins, rather than !ro0ectin" her o!inions onto other !eo!le and then "eneralisin"

them o$er time in order to bi" u! the statement into somethin" worth mentionin".

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32/41

5a# attention here because this is an im!ortant !oint: $er#thin" #ou feel lie sa#in"

has $alue. our words are im!ortant enou"h as the# are. ou do not need to mae

#our statements more "rand than the# are. f #ou mean to communicate that beans are

a fa$ourable food source, then sa# ' lie beans'. ou don't need to "o bi" and declare

that beans are a much lo$ed food source and ha$e been 'since the dawn of manind'.

The tendenc# to "eneralise, more often than not, arises from a student's lac of

confidence in themsel$es. t is a lac of confidence in e%!ression their own o!inions

and direct !erce!tions of thin"s as the# see them that lead them to mae e%a""erated

claims.

A stiff !ortion of essa#s read be"in with meanin"less statements lie this:

"=insert the%e here= is a very topical issue especially nowadays when

pollution>cli%ate change>chronic disease>technology>whatever is so prevalent.&

t's as if the students are attem!tin" to 0ustif# the e%istence of their own essa#. t's

totall# unnecessar# because it doesn't matter how to!ical an issue is. t doesn't matter

if #ou s!end thirt# minutes writin" about an a!!le #ou ate for lunch #esterda#, or if

#ou de$ote all #our time to sol$in" world hun"er in words or less. The social and

"lobal rele$ance of #our essa# is not !art of the marin" scheme. ou don't "et more

mars for t#in" #our writin" into whate$er is "oin" on in the media ri"ht now, and

#ou don't "et more mars because #our to!ic is one that stretches all the wa# bac to

the dawn of time.

The essa# writer rea!s no benefit from the !re$alence of the issue he discusses.

ou are mared on #our abilit# to communicate, not on what #ou communicate.

When #ou "eneralise #ou undermine the foundations of #our ar"ument, because

"eneralisation is a broad assum!tion that is $er# eas# to !ro$e wron".

Whene$er #ou feel inclined to mae a broad statement about the wa# thin"s are, as

#ourself, can be more s!ecific/ What e%!erience or belief am concealin" behindthis brand/

&or e%am!le, if someone sa#s:

"?veryone /nows that (usli%s are etre%ists $y nature&

or

"(any %usli%s are /nown to $e terrorists&

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We should as, what are the# reall# tr#in" to sa#/

5erha!s the# mean to sa# ' am afraid of Muslims because ha$e come to associate

them with terrorism. 8ere are some stories heard about muslims bein" terrorists...'

+ein" s!ecific is challen"in". 5eo!le often !refer to s!ea "enerall# rather than admit

that their e%!ression of belief is founded on setch# obser$ations of a small $olume

of !ersonal e%!eriences. The# mae an im!ersonal statement about ob0ecti$e realit#

and !ro0ect the awareness of it onto other !eo!le. Their fact is safe, concealed in the

mind of these absent others. Trust me, reader, these "eneralisers e%ist. And 'm

certainl# not one of them.

atchin$ The


34/41

Sometimes #ou're 0ust in a distracted mindset and other thin"s are !ullin" #our

attention awa#. Ma#be that's how the e%aminer is feelin". +ut if so there's nothin"

#ou can do about it.

Hie said at the start, the a$era"e is !oor and !er$asi$e. f #ou are "enuinel# writin"a "ood GAMSAT essa# the e%aminer will tae notice. t will stand out automaticall#

b# $irtue of not bein" rubbish. And if #ou are writin" rubbish, then the best #ou can

ho!e for is an a$era"e mar handed out absent?mindedl#. (+ut let's not ho!e for that>)

f #ou are !lannin" on a hi"h mar #ou cannot o!erate under the assum!tion that #our

reader is not readin". The winnin" student alwa#s assumes his reader is listenin"

intentl#.

So for"et the 'catch#' title and write down the -uote #ou are res!ondin" to at the to!of the !a"e. Mae that #our title. This wa# there can be no confusion about which

-uote #ou are talin" about. The dan"er of creatin" a different or catchier title is that

#ou ris misleadin" #our reader, or "eneralisin" and dilutin" the content of #our

thesis. f #ou title about one thin", then write about another, #ou're "onna lose mars

for confusin" #our reader throu"h inconsistenc#.

$er#thin" #ou ha$e to sa# is interestin". 7on't worr# about tr#in" to sa# somethin"

e%citin" that nobod# else has e$er said before. ou are uni-ue as #ou are. Write

honestl# from #our own !ers!ecti$e and #ou cannot hel! but sa# somethin" different.

7on't worr# about sa#in" somethin" a"reeable or reflectin" the most a!!ro!riate

res!onse to a nown "lobal issue in the ho!e of "arnerin" the e%aminer's !ersonal

!raise. ou don't need to blow his mind or iss his ass. 8e's a worin" man. All he

wants is to be able to read #our essa# once and understand what #ou said without

ha$in" to loo it o$er a second time. f #ou can mae this ha!!en #ou are "uaranteed

a to! mar.

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Part ! "#ercises

8ere are a cou!le of basic writin" e%ercises #ou can do which can dramaticall#

im!ro$e #our GAMSAT essa# writin" techni-ue. The first two are for "ettin" o$erWriter's +loc @ that feelin" #ou "et when #ou 0ust can't thin of an#thin" to sa#.

The third e%ercise is to !ractice the art of communication, without ha$in" to

ee! writin" GAMSAT essa#s.

The fourth e%ercise is for an#one who feels lie * minutes 0ust isn't enou"h

time to write an essa#.

And the fifth e%ercise is for addressin" !atterns in the wa# #ou write and

findin" more efficient modes and methods of e%!ression that a!!eal to #ou.

=1 > Free#ritin$

&reewritin" is one of m# fa$ourite e%ercises for "ettin" o$er writer's bloc and

loosenin" #ou u! for a brainstormin" session. The source of Writer's +loc is not a

shorta"e of ideas, but the !resence of a subconscious filterin" s#stem in #our mind

that's throwin" them all out. t's not that #ou don't ha$e an#thin" to sa#, it's 0ust

nothin" that's comin" to mind feels "ood enou"h to warrant sa#in". t's not that #ou

can't write is 0ust #ou're not allowin" #ourself to.

So here's the e%ercise: !ut #our !en on the !a"e. Gri! it comfortabl# and rela%

#our wrist and 0ust lea$e it there. ou don't ha$e to tr# to do an#thin" or thin about

an#thin" at all. Fust sit and watch. 5rett# soon #our hand will start to mo$e and write

all on its own.

The most im!ortant thin" is to not worr# about what comes out. Fust write

whate$er comes naturall#.

+# !uttin" #our !en to the !a"e #ou are "i$in" #our subconscious mind an

outlet. ou don't ha$e to acti$el# thin of what to sa#, #our mind will do it for #ou.

f #ou find it more comfortable #ou can do this with a e#board as well. Fust

!lace #our hands on the e#board and wait for the words to start !ourin" out.The difficult# is not in findin" thin"s to sa#, but allowin" #ourself to sa# them.

&reewritin" can be a bit scar#, so #ou ha$e been warned. find that whene$er do it

m# hands automaticall# resort to s!illin" m# dee!est darest secrets onto the !a"e.

=e$er a !rett# si"ht to see, but it nonetheless maes writin" about normal stuff come

a bit more easil#.

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=? > Describin$

This is a "reat e%ercise '$e niced from en And The Art f Motorc#cle

Maintenence. The rhetoric teacher in the stor#, when his students are lost and don't

now what to write about, instructs them to s!end an hour writin" about one side of a

coin.

ou don't necessaril# need to write about a coin. ou could write about the bac of

#our thumb, for e%am!le. r the underside of #our shoe. r the sounds #ou can hear

in the room #ou're in.

The !oint is to !ic a $er# s!ecific tar"et that #ou !ercei$e directl#. This is an

e%ercise in translatin" !erce!tion into words.

The more s!ecific the tar"et, the better. t's !robabl# best 0ust to stic to a coin, or liethe corner of #our des. A car is no "ood, for e%am!le. Cars ha$e brands and lots of

different interestin" !arts. The idea is to !ractice writin" about somethin" #ou now

nothin" about. To describe somethin" #ou ha$en't thou"ht about until now. 5icin"

somethin" entirel# mundane is what #ou wanna do.

Gi$e #ourself a definite tar"et and focus on translatin" e%!erience into words.

t's a sur!risin"l# hel!ful e%ercise that "ets #ou into the habit of s!eain" for #ourself

and describin" thin"s e%actl# as #ou see them. +e"innin" essa# writers oftene%!erience a bloc whereb# the# feel the# ha$e to tal about onl# what other !eo!le

ha$e said. s!eciall# students who come from a science bac"round can ha$e

difficult# with this, since the# are not encoura"ed "enerall# to ha$e o!inions or

e%!lain their own !erce!tion of thin"s. Citin" authoratiti$e sources becomes the basis

for their reasonin" and inter!retation of e%!eriences. And as we discussed earlier,

that's not a hel!ful limitation to e%!erience while sittin" the GAMSAT.

=3 > Explainin$

%!lainin" stuff is what communication is all about. The more #ou !ractice

e%!lainin" the easier it will "et.

5ic a word, an# word #ou see around #ou, or the first one that comes into #our

head and tr# to e%!lain (without looin" to the dictionar#) what #ou thin it means.

ha$e a can of coe here. The word multi!ac is !rinted around the to! of the

label.

*2


37/41

What's a multi!ac/ 'm so "lad #ou ased.

A multi!ac is a !aca"e that contains multi!les of the same !roduct.

Sometimes cans of coe are sold indi$iduall#, but sometimes the# come all wra!!ed

u! to"ether in "rou!s of si% or twel$e or twent#?four. These bundles are called

multi!acs.

There, that's one e%am!le of e%!lainin".

ou can !ractice with words or ideas, feelin"s or stories. Write about what #ou now

and focus on e%!lainin" it to someone who mi"ht now nothin" about the sub0ect.

=@ > Transcribin$

8ere's an e%citin" one... &ind #ourself a chun of te%t. 1 words is ideal. t doesn't

matter what the#'re about, #ou're "oin" to co!# them b# hand onto !a!er. The "ame is

to see how fast #ou can le"ibl# write 1 words.

The "oal is to im!ro$e #our handwritin" s!eed. &ast writin" is a $er# basic sill, but

the faster #ou can write the more time #ou will ha$e to !lan #our essa#s. 1 words is

!robabl# wa# more than #ou'll need to write a sin"le awesome GAMSAT essa#, but

it's "ood to wor on endurance as well.

The more handwritin" #ou do the faster #ou will "et at it. f #ou're concerned about

the le"ibilit# of #our s!eed# scribbles, "i$e the !a"e to someone else and tell them to

read it bac to #ou. 7on't worr# about it if the# comment that #our writin" is mess#,

it's !robabl# a si"n #ou are destined to be a doctor. The im!ortant thin" is that the#

can read out the same words #ou wrote down.

=5 - Editin$

ditin" is one of the most challen"in" writin" techni-ues. The "ame is to tae an

essa#, stor# or e%!lanation that #ou'$e written alread#, and com!ress it down to half

as man# words without sub$ertin" the meanin" of it.

Shorter sentences are easier to read and understand. Around 1 words is o!timal.

An#thin" o$er words and #ou'll be startin" to mae thin"s difficult on #our

readers. Sentences that li$e !ast the 2?word mar are $er# challen"in" to read all the

wa# to the end without ha$in" to "o bac and start a"ain. s!eciall# if the#'re

!receded and followed b# more beastl# sentences.

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The "oal is to be as efficient in #our e%!enditure of letters as !ossible. f #ou

can im!ro$e the clarit# of #our communication b# substitutin" in more !recise or

accurate words that's brilliant too. $er# edit #ou !erform should mae #our wor

easier to read and understand.

ach sentence should ser$e a !ur!ose and hel! lead #our reader towards the

messa"e #ou want to communicate. f a sentence is not hel!ful then cut it out.

What do want to communicate/ This is the -uestion #ou must ee! asin" #ourself.

Chec what #ou'$e written a"ainst #our !ur!ose. The more #ou do this the more #ou

will refine #our automatic writin" !rocess.

ditin" is not somethin" #ou will do much of on the e%am itself. f e$er#thin" "oes

ri"ht #ou won't ha$e the time or the need to "o bac o$er #our essa# and edit thin"s

out. This is an e%ercise #ou do in the months before the test to de$elo! "ood writin"

habits. As #ou disco$er shortcuts and wa#s to use fewer words, these techni-ues willwire themsel$es into #our brain. ou'll find #ourself ada!tin" to these newl#

disco$ered !atterns and e$en de$elo!in" #our own uni-ue writin" st#le further.

t's lie a basetball !la#er !racticin" his throwin" techni-ue durin" trainin" time. 8e

thins carefull# about how he's doin" it and watches for an# mistaes in !osture and

mo$ement to correct. Then when it comes to "ame time he can unleash himself and

0ust do what comes naturall#. All the self?re"ulator# wor has been done in ad$ance

and now all he has to do is !la#.

This is what #ou should stri$e for in #our !re!aration for writin" the

GAMSAT.

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Part $ - %eneral Ti&s

We're "ettin" to the end so 'm driftin" a little bit off to!ic here, but recon it's worth

mentionin", for an#one not aware, of a few thin"s #ou can do to im!ro$e #our !erformance without ha$in" to do an# writin".

Exercise

%ercise is "ood for lots of !h#siolo"ical reasons. t reduces stress, it shaes #ou u!,

and it can hel! #ou "et into a !ositi$e com!etiti$e mindset. The GAMSAT is a

com!etition whate$er wa# #ou slice it. n S2 #our writin" will be mared directl#a"ainst that of #our ri$als. And #ou wanna win. So !ractice winnin".

Trainin" with wei"hts or a"ainst hea$# resistance of an# ind aids in the !roduction

of testosterone @ the com!etitor's secret biolo"ical wea!on. 3unnin" or similar

endurance e%ercises trains !h#sical as well as emotional stamina. An essential trait to

ha$e durin" the GAMSAT marathon.

%ercise im!ro$es the cardiores!irator# s#stem which raises the o%#"en su!!l# to

#our brain ? the most im!ortant or"an in the bod# (accordin" to the brain). And

efficient blood su!!l# under!ins successful !erformance.

swear '$e ne$er been as fit as was when was sittin" the GAMSAT. M# fa$ourite

s!ort at the time was 0udo, which was en0o#in" about ?E times a wee bac then.

found it reall# hel!ful for "ettin" out of the GAMSAT stud# hae. t's !rett# hard to

worr# about an e%am loomin" at the end of March when there's a burl# man tr#in" to

throw #ou u!side down ri"ht now>

;editation

f !h#sical acti$it# is reall# not #our thin" ma#be #ou could "i$e meditatin" a "o

instead. Gossi!# health science 0ournalists are now callin" it 'the new e%ercise', and

this is one !ractice #ou should not a$oid if #ou're interested in "ettin" the most out of

#our brain this GAMSAT season.

Meditation increases the blood su!!l# to #our brain, reduces stress and im!ro$es

o$erall ener"# le$els. 8a$e a "ander throu"h #our future?fa$ourite medical 0ournals if

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#ou don't belie$e me.

Meditation has also been shown to im!ro$e concentration, o$erall co"niti$e

!erformance and self awareness.

The sim!licit# of the e%ercise is belied to a de"ree b# the sheer $olume of

information a$ailable online about it. t's actuall# $er# sim!le to do.

+# definition, meditation is effortless obser$ation. t's about sittin" still, rela%in", and

lettin" "o of #our attention. Then 0ust watchin" to see what ha!!ens. f a new

thou"ht, feelin" or idea comes u! 0ust let it ha!!en. ou don't need to 0ud"e or react

to an#thin" that ha!!ens for the ne%t E minutes, 0ust watch and obser$e.

Meditation is about lettin" "o of the rei"ns of #our mind for a short while and

allowin" #our bod# to 0ust be the wa# it is. f #ou're worin" towards !assin" the

GAMSAT #ou're !robabl# s!endin" a lot of #our da# concentratin" and tr#in" tofocus on thin"s. t's worth tain" some time out each da# to do the o!!osite @ to let

"o of #our attention and 0ust loo at or listen to or feel whate$er ticles #our fanc#.

Diet

A consistent diet can "o a lon" wa# towards ee!in" #ou on the ri"ht trac,

com!etiti$el# s!eain". The onl# thin" 'll sa# is that #ou're alread# under !ressure

with this e%am. +e careful not to add to #our stress b# forcin" #ourself into

uncomfortable dietar# re-uirements.

+ein" on a diet to lose wei"ht while com!etin" for the GAMSAT maes it harder, not

easier, as #ou're tr#in" to accom!lish two thin"s at once.

Gi$e in to cra$in"s now and then. =ow is not the time for "i$in" u! smoin"

or that chee# *?in? on Wednesda# ni"hts. f #our bod# is cra$in" somethin" salt#,

let #ourself ha$e it. t ma# be 0ust what #our bod# needs after a lon" da# of

concentratin" and sweatin" o$er !ractice !a!ers.

at well when #ou can, but don't worr# about it if #our tem!tations !ull #ou

towards bold foods. Su"ar and chocolate are im!ortant sources of ener"# and ha$e

been directl# lined b# !s#cholo"ists to the e%!ression of will!ower. @loo/up eau%eister i interested.

f #ou find stud#in" to be a "ruelin" and off!uttin" e%!erience, #ou ma#

benefit from a su"ar# will!ower boost. Then a"ain, !erha!s #ou are !ushin" #ourself

too hard/ Chill out now and then. ou ma# be closer than #ou thin to "ettin" what

#ou want.

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Final Note

ou can do this.

Documents

Beat the Curve - Gamsat Essays