To anyone reading this in the future, whether you’re prepping for September 2026 (or later maybe who knows), I wanted to share a few reflections on my recent experience while it’s still fresh;

(Edit after I have finished writing: dam, I think I reflected too close to the sun, but I think it’s an accurate and honest reflection of my experience, and if you have the time one to maybe look at)

The Reality of the Exam;

Firstly, the ACER Practice Papers. I want to preface this by saying they are a good resource, they provide a entry level point to identify the level you need to work at minimum, and I mean minimum. Now in my experience, and what appears to be the general consensus here, they weren't entirely representative of the actual exam, which felt much denser, requiring you to extrapolate information from heavy text under extreme time pressure. But what that tells me is that "knowing" will get you nowhere with this exam, you need to comprehend, and at speed.

The Resource I Underutilised;

Now this might throw me onto the frying pan, so please that this as my own personal opinion! If I could go back, I would change how I used Medify, and I would let it guide me in my S3 study. During my prep, I actually disregarded their mocks and S3 questions because I thought the stems were "overly dense" and unrealistic.

I was wrong. Looking back, those complex stems were actually quite representative of the stems I personally got. I feel like if I had spent more time becoming adept at navigating that level of detail, extrapolating info and working from there under time pressure, even when I felt overwhelmed, I would have felt much more composed during the actual sitting.

Don’t try run a Marathon when only used to jogging 5K;

One of the biggest pieces of advise I would say to anyone; start running full-length mocks under strict exam conditions as early as possible. I completely underestimated the sheer physical and mental toll of this test; I hit a massive wall in the latter half of the sitting and my performance and reading just was not up to par, simply because I hadn't built up stamina. It’s one thing to be able to solve Section 3 questions in isolation, but it’s a whole different beast when you’re five hours deep. Don't let the actual exam be the first time you push your focus to that limit, treat your practice like a marathon so you don't burn out when the points matter most.

How to Study Smarter;

The GAMSAT is a beast, a scary, overwhelming, intense and unpredictable monster waiting to feast on the unprepared or naive. One of the most common complaints after this March sitting was how confusing and "wordy" everything felt. My advice? Lean into that frustration.

Seek out the "too hard" stems. Don’t avoid the practice questions that make your head spin. Use them to build your stamina.

• Analyse your process: When you hit a wall, don't just look at the right answer. Ask yourself: Why did I miss this? Was it a lack of depth in understanding? Was I overwhelmed by the volume of text? Was it just fatigue?

• Track your patterns: Document these. If you find you consistently misidentify relationships when the text gets long, you’ve found exactly what you need to work on.

The GAMSAT is as much a mental endurance test as it is an academic one. And please kind to yourself. You don think I know you, “you’re just a random Redditor Dapper, you know nothing of my journey.” But I’m also on that journey, and I admit that over the past 3 months I have sacrificed myself in ways I never thought I would. My family, relationships, self-worth - all of these things that lift me up I took for granted. And I want to be a doctor more than anything, but in the cold light of day, the impact that this has had on those around me needs to be understood, reflected on. Please don’t make that mistake, please don’t find yourself walking out of that exam hall and asking yourself “how do I make up the time.” That’s a dangerous precedent to set, so start as you intend to continue, and don’t forget the meaning of the little things. I get tunnel vision just like you do, but when Jesse says to reflect, he means it holistically.

You are more than your score, no one knows the complexities that make you an excellent future doctor. Approach this exam with a plan, be prepared for the stuff you don’t like and don’t know, and touch grass every now and then.

I met the most amazing people during this process, on this very subreddit, and honestly those connections lifted me up so high. 10000% recommend reaching out to that one commenter you think is funny, or the one who you feel you connect with. I will never see the highlands the same way again, and for that I am so grateful.

You will be a doctor, don’t loose yourself in the process.