Timing is everything...as is technique

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So imagine it's GAMSAT day. You have an exam lasting just shy of 7 hours ahead of you. Here's the breakdown.

Section I: 100 + 10 minutes for 75 questions
Section II: 60 + 5 minutes for 2 essays
Lunch: 60 minutes
Section III: 170 + 10 minutes for 110 questions

The average attention span in most adults is 15-20 minutes......you need to sustain it for nearly 7 hours!! The difference between good and bad technique can very realistically be the difference between an interview and having to repeat the whole process the following year. You will have to work smarter and harder than the average bear :)

You have about 90 seconds per question for section I (including your reading time) and just under 100 seconds per question for section III.

Here's some handy hints:

1-) Use your reading time! You can't mark the answer book, but you can read the questions and answer on your scrap paper. It takes about 2 seconds per question to transcribe an answer and it gives you the ability to answer an extra 6-7 questions more in the alloted time. It's not against the rules.....use the time!!

2-) Develop a system. Good technique can be make or break.I used a system that quickly sorted questions into 3 categories:

• Questions you can answer within 90 seconds: solve them immediately
• Questions you could solve if you had more than 90 seconds: flag them on your scrap paper and come back to them after you've done a FULL lap of the paper
• Questions you can't answer: you have to guess and you won't be penalised for doing so, but save these questions for last. You have a 25% chance of getting the right answer. Once you've gotten all of the points you can get by skill, it's time to get all of the points you can by chance!!

3-) Practice!! You WILL drift off during the exam whilst contemplating your navel. Develop strategies to deal with your inherent human-ness.

• Practice sustaining your attention for prolonged periods
• Learn to identify when you're distracted and tune back in quickly
• Allow yourself a few strategic seconds to stretch and refocus; do this every 1-2 vignettes and you'll find you're more efficient overall

4-) Learn to identify the key information quickly and efficiently. Each vignette will have a key piece of information that the subsequent question will test. The exam is full of "trick" questions whereby you will give the worng answer (but think you got it right) if you missed a key word or sentence in the vignette. Learn to identify these nuggets of information and develop the habit of putting mental 'post it notes' on them so that you can refer to them quickly and easily. This is particularly true for section I where there are often long vignettes and several questions to answer. Missing the word no or not in a long stretch of prose is the difference between getting the answer exactly right and exactly wrong!!

5-) Read quickly and efficiently!! If you're a slow reader, practice. If you're a quick reader, good, just don't miss anything important.

Good luck y'all

 http://www.emergencyone.com.au/