Finding your approach

There are no right or wrong answers in Section II — just essays that are more thoughtful and clear and essays that are less thoughtful and clear.

That means that there’s an almost infinite number of ways in which you might approach your response to the task comments.

As you prepare, work out which approach works best for you. Ideally, your approach should:

• Give you a structured framework so that you can go into the test with a clear strategy.
• Be flexible enough to allow a considered response, whatever comments you face.
• Feel natural enough for you that you can focus on producing a high-quality response.

At Medify, we recommend using the same approach for both Task A and Task B. Having a single approach that you use for both will mean you’re more familiar with it by Test Day and will keep your strategy clear.

However, you can try taking a different approach for each task. As always, if you do, the most important thing is that each approach allows you to respond thoughtfully and clearly.

Spend preparation time working out which approach works best for you.

You might repeat the same mock exam several times, taking a different approach each time. If you do, leave some time in between, so you can look at the mock with fresh eyes each time.

You could also look back at the essay you wrote for the first walkthrough in these Study Notes. Identify how you naturally addressed the task. As your first Section II attempt, the essay is likely to be quite rough around the edges, but it will point you towards the most natural approach for you.

At Medify, we find that the most successful and straightforward approach is to look at pros and cons.

In this approach, you first look at one side of an argument and then look at the other side. This often means looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the same premise.

We find that the approach works well for any topic and allows for both straightforward responses, and far more complex, nuanced ideas.

Looking at two opposing sides is the most obvious way of demonstrating that you can think flexibly and engage with perspectives you don’t share: a great starting point for a thoughtful essay.

You might start by looking at the side you agree with less, so that you can knock it down in the next part of your essay. This will build a sense of increasing momentum, since you’re more likely to write more convincingly about the side you agree with.

Alternatively, you could start with the side you agree with and then move onto opposing perspectives. This might open up more nuanced avenues for discussion, since presenting your own opinion first will give you a solid basis to start from.

Some students like to follow a specific framework, often a medical framework. This means responding to the task comments in the context of what the topic means for doctors, the medical profession as a whole or for patient care.

You might use examples from famous medical case studies or your own medical work experience (making sure to follow any regulations around confidentiality).

Alternatively, you could consider the topic in light of the four pillars of medicine or the ethical guidelines and responsibilities set out by national medical councils.

Although the GAMSAT is an exam for prospective medical students, there is no requirement to frame your response through a medical framework.

If this structure works best for you, use it. If not, you can use any other approach that allows you to respond thoughtfully and clearly.

You could approach your response as a personal reflection on the topic. Many students particularly like this approach for Task B, though there’s no indication that the personal themes in Task B require a particularly personal response.

You might discuss the significance of the topic to you personally. Alternatively, you might narrate how your own experiences shaped your current perspective to give structure to your response and show the development of your own thinking.

Whatever approach you use, the fundamentals remain the same.

You still need to:

• Correctly identify the core concepts from the comments.
• Spend time planning your response.
• Structure your response clearly.
• Show clear, nuanced and complex thinking.
• Review your response after writing.
• Remain disciplined in splitting your time evenly between Tasks A and B.

Remember: the most important thing when picking an approach is to find one that facilitates a thoughtful and clear response.

That’s what markers are looking for and what will ultimately determine your score.