Ep 15: What No One Is Telling You | GAMSAT State of the Union – September Exam 2025

Welcome back to a brand new season of Nurses Doing GAMSAT by ThankFlip. I’m Dr Tom Forfa, CEO and founder of ThankFlip GAMSAT. In this episode – well, this is not your average update. This is our GAMSAT State of the Union. If you’re aiming to do the September GAMSAT, what I’m about to share could save you months, if not years, of wasted effort.

This exam is shifting. The trends are clear. If you’re serious, you can’t afford to ignore this. We’re going to break down what happened in the recent March 2025 sitting, what’s likely to come up in the September exam, what’s working right now in GAMSAT preparation, where you need to be at this stage of your study, and what we’re doing to support you to win in September. 

This is not the same GAMSAT you knew a year ago. If you’re preparing for September – or if you’re not preparing – then you’re already behind if you’re not paying attention. All the resources and images I’ll be sharing will be in the show notes. So just before we get into it, you can go to the link in the description or head to thankflipgamsat.com/episode15.

Let’s start with what just happened in the March 2025 exam because March taught us a lot.
It showed us that ACER is doubling down on thinking – not just knowledge. If you’re still treating Section 3 like a uni exam – memorising formulas and definitions, just doing practice questions – you’re going to get burned.

Overall, here are some of the changes and the current situation of the actual exam. Then we’ll talk about each section and what happened specifically.
Firstly, if you’re not aware (some of these you might know already):

• The exam is now 100% digital. It’s done on a computer, on a screen.

• The format changed last year, and continues this year. Previously, all three sections were done on paper on the same day. Now, it’s done online, over two sittings.

• You do Section 2 first at home on your computer. Then, two or three weeks later, you do Sections 1 and 3 at a testing centre determined by ACER.

That’s how it’s been for the last year and a half and it will be the same for September. Another change: your GAMSAT score now lasts for four years in Australia (still two years in the UK). Also, there’s a new medical school accepting GAMSAT – University of Tasmania. And soon, a new medical school may open in the Northern Territory. We’ll email you more as that develops.

Now, let’s break down what we’ve seen in each section, based on the March 2025 sitting.

Section 1:
There was an increase in inference-heavy passages – more abstract reasoning, more narrative interpretation. This made the exam harder than the ACER sample questions suggest. Another thing to understand: the papers are different for each person. You can’t compare your friend’s questions to yours. Different days, different test centres – different papers. Some candidates had no poetry questions; others did. A new feature: you can now click on a question and it will highlight the relevant text passage. This helps somewhat, since it’s harder to navigate texts on a screen compared to paper.

Section 2:
The shift has moved away from hot topics towards nuanced themes with emotional complexity. In March 2024, some themes were “Experts” and “Risk,” “Online Communities” and “Calmness.” In March 2025, themes included “Trust and Criticism,” “Advancement of the Human Race,” and “Emotional Expression.” These require a deeper ability to explore complex emotions and ideas.

Section 3:
Section 3 is where the big shifts are happening. We’ve seen more integration-heavy, graph-rich questions requiring multi-step reasoning. Instead of straight science knowledge, they’re testing your ability to reason through unfamiliar situations.

For example:

• A question involving ducks swimming and wave size.

• A table comparing greenhouse gases from 1930–2020, requiring you to understand different units and convert between them.

• Frog respiration involving glottis and buccal cavities, and interpreting changing cardiac outputs.

The point is: you don’t need to memorise random frog anatomy. You need to reason through unfamiliar material using given data.

Timeline for September 2025 GAMSAT:

• Section 2 (essays) will be done remotely on your computer, under remote supervision, from 23–24 August 2025.

• Sections 1 and 3 will be sat around three weeks later at an assigned testing centre.

• Results will be released in mid-November via ACER’s portal.

Early Signals for September:

Expect the unexpected. While trends suggest more abstract reasoning and emotionally complex essay themes, you must be prepared for surprises. Past papers are only samples; they don’t represent what will definitely appear. You can predict the skills being tested – not the exact questions.

Section-by-section expectations:

• Section 1: More abstract reasoning needed, alongside traditional narrative analysis.

• Section 2: Prepare for emotionally nuanced and philosophical topics.

• Section 3: Master multi-step reasoning for novel science contexts.

Where You Should Be Right Now:
At this stage, many candidates fall into the illusion of progress – passively watching videos, reading notes, but not building real skills. You must shift from “studying” to “training” for GAMSAT success.

By now you should have:

• Completed a baseline diagnostic for Sections 1, 2 and 3.

• Identified your weaknesses.

• Started a structured skills development plan (not just content review).

Common Mistakes at This Stage:

• Waiting for “perfect clarity” before starting – clarity comes from action.

• Ignoring feedback and reflection.

• Over-focusing on memorisation instead of reasoning.

What’s Working Right Now:
The old three-phase approach (learn content, do practice questions, panic) is outdated. Instead, you need an integrated approach:

• Concept Understanding: Not just memorising, but thinking with concepts.

• Skill Development: Through targeted drills, not passive practice questions.

• Milestones: Regular checkpoints to consolidate and apply your learning.

Integrated Methods by Section:

• Section 1: Reasoning-over-reading approach. Active reading strategies focusing on abstract reasoning.

• Section 2: The 4P method (Prompt, Position, Paragraph flow, Personal layer). Particularly powerful for nurses by including clinical experience.

• Section 3: Targeted backwards practice: diagnose your gaps first, then train reasoning skills and content simultaneously.

What ThankFlip Is Doing to Help:
We’ve built a comprehensive system focused on nurses and career changers.

• Section 1: Literature PhD-led classes and online lessons focusing on abstract reasoning.

• Section 2: Specialist essay coaches to sharpen emotional insight and structure.

• Section 3: GAMSAT Science Bridging Courses + Science Acceleration Classes to teach thinking over memorisation.

• Regular live mini-mocks, milestones, and feedback sessions.

Also coming:

• CASPer Training: Expert-led programs with mini mocks, video tutorials, and feedback sessions for Notre Dame and Wollongong applications.

• Applications Bootcamp: Preference strategy, cut-offs, bonus point maximisation.

• Interview Bootcamp: Regular mini-mocks and one-on-one support to maximise interview success.

Last year, 100% of our bootcampers who got interviews received medical school offers.

Final Reality Check:
There are four solid months between now and September. That’s enough time to change your future – if you start now. Do your diagnostic test. Build momentum. Don’t wait for motivation; build it. This isn’t just about an exam. It’s about creating a future in medicine that will change lives – including your own.

Welcome to Season Two of the Nurses Doing GAMSAT podcast. Let’s get to work. Go to thankflipgamsat.com/episode15 to get started.